By Katlin Sweeney

Editor in Chief

Whether you need help passing your language course or just want to test out of it completely, the Language Learning Center is the best resource available.

The three main goals of the Language Learning Center (LLC) are to advise on testing and the Language Other Than English Requirement (LOTER), assist students to become better foreign language students and help bilingual students improve their English. The LLC also functions as a quiet place where students can study and do their homework.

Tutoring is offered for any of the languages that are taught on campus, which include Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Mandarin. ASL tutoring is now offered as well, since many CSUSM students take these courses at Palomar. Students can either schedule an appointment or try drop-in for tutoring whenever the tutor specializing in that language is available. Bilingual students are also encouraged to take advantage of the LLC to work on their writing skills. The LLC can help with academic writing so that students can improve their English grammar and structure. According to the LLC Director and LOTER Advisor, Hilary Comerchero, having that dynamic of student tutors is key to their success.

“For students that are already stressed out, they may feel more relaxed to talk to a student that has already taken the class and knows the information really well,” Comerchero said.

The LLC takes its job very seriously, only hiring tutors that are specially trained and embody the most impressive characteristics needed to help students succeed. Tutors have to be patient, empathic, know the subject matter very well and many of them have taken the same class they are tutoring for.

“We joke that we’re working ourselves out of a job because we’re trying to make students better learners and more confidant on their own,” Comerchero said.

One-on-one tutoring is not the only method available for students. The LLC also offers University Hour Workshops, where they teach lessons in accordance with the students’ course. The most popular workshops take place the first and last weeks of the semester. The first Tuesday that students are back to school tutors provide a crash review of the previous semester; the week before courses end they do a finals review. Comerchero said that she sends an email to every student that is enrolled in the course and informs them what they will be reviewing for and tries to ensure that what is being covered is similar to what the students have learned from their professor the week before.

“We go along with the university’s goal of trying to create lifelong learners. We don’t tell you the answers, but we ask open-ended questions to help you figure them out. For example, we might ask what page the example is on, walk you through the sample and have you explain why you think you got the answer wrong,” Comerchero said. “Students often times end up figuring out the correct answer as they start explaining their mistakes.”

The LLC also provides testing for students that want to complete their LOTER early. At CSUSM, a student has to take three semester of a language (101, 102 and 201). If they want to complete the requirement sooner, they can either test out or jump ahead to the 102 or 201 courses. According to Comerchero, the LOTER two-year rule allows a student that took their last language course in their sophomore year of high school to jump to 102 or 201 by the spring semester of their freshman year at CSUSM. After the spring semester, students must begin their language courses with 101.

Testing out of taking language classes can also be accomplished through AP, IB or CLEP credits. The LLC provides the proficiency exam that students need to take if they want to test out of language, which focuses on their writing and speaking skills. Students can test out of the LOTER if they can pass a proficiency exam in any language, not just the ones that are taught on campus.

For more information on the LOTER or the LLC, go to csusm.edu/llc. The Language Learning Center is located in Kellogg Library 1107. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on Thursdays.