Fees & Policies

Fees & Policies: 2023-2024 Academic Year

Enrollment
  • Enrollment is mandatory prior to attending LARC tutorial sessions. 
  • Enroll Here: The last day to add a LARC tutorial during Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters is Friday of Week 6 at 4 PM. For Summer Sessions, Friday of Week 3 at 4pm.
  • Tutorials are lecture specific. We highly encouraged enrollment in a tutorial that supports your professor’s lecture
Waitlist
  • You will be added to the roster automatically as students drop or are dropped.
  • Check your ‘My Tutorials’ page daily to see when or if you have been added. If you no longer wish to attend, you must drop within 48 hours of having been automatically added or you will be charged.
  • If you are waitlisted for a LARC session that you no longer wish to attend, drop the tutorial on ‘My Tutorials’ page
Attendance
  • Tutorials begin on Wednesday/Thursday of Week 1
  • Attend early and often to get the most our of your tutorials
  • Nonattendance may result in being dropped from the tutorial and/or charged the full tutorial amount, unless LARC is officially dropped by the end of Week 1 (Saturday at 11:59 PM)
Sponsorships
  • Student Success Initiatives (SSI) offers LARC session scholarships to students who qualify. Their office is located on the second floor of the Student Services II building, across from Zot n’ Go on Ring Road. Call (949) 824-6234 or visit their website for more information. Please note: SSI’s requirements are quarter-by-quarter basis.
  • Check our Sponsorships Page for more info
Billing & Payment
  • The LARC tutorial fee is a $125 flat fee. If you enroll but infrequently or never attend, you still pay the same fee, just like a gym membership. If you drop during the first week or drop to switch tutorial times for the same subject, there’s no charge. If you drop after 1 or 2 session times, there’s just a $25 charge. If you drop later, you’ll still be billed the same flat rate, even though you didn’t go.
  • You will be charged on your Zot Account at the end of each quarter. Late fees will occur if your payment is not received within one month after your charges have been uploaded.
  • Sponsorship for a LARC: You must attend the minimum number of sessions your sponsor requires. If you attend fewer than the required number of sessions, you will be responsible for paying the fee.
  • Incremental increases help us continue to compensate undergraduate employees with a competitive, union-negotiated wage. We’ll never change rates mid-quarter.
  • You can check your attendance online under ‘My Tutorials’
Dropping a Session
  • Drop your tutorial on the Enrollment website. Deadline to drop Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters is Friday of Week 6 at 4pm. Deadline to drop Summer quarters is Friday of Week 3 at 4pm each session.
  • Failing to officially drop will result in you being charged the full amount for the course, regardless of attendance. It is your responsibility to ensure that all drops have been processed.

Faculty Questions

What is LARC & who collaborates with the Tutorial Program?

LARC tutorials consists of regularly scheduled, out-of-class group sessions. Sessions are facilitated by peers we refer to as LARC Leaders and utilize peer-to-peer activities that focus discussions on key concepts, create study tools and review study strategies. 

LARC’s Tutorial Program supports students in over 35 different courses across multiple schools.

Why offer LARC Tutorials for this subject?

Tutorials target historically difficult, large “gateway” lectures, those that have a large number of students receiving a grade of C-, D, F, or W. Tutorials are designed to support students and are assigned to a course because of the subject being taught, not because of the manner in which it is being taught.

What is Supplemental Instruction?

Supplemental Instruction (SI) was first developed in 1973 at the University of Missouri at Kanas City by Dr. Deanna Martin and focuses on student retention, and the act of facilitating learning.

The goal of LARC Tutorials is to create independent learners through student collaboration in sessions where readings, course content, and information are brought together with proven active learning strategies in a collaborative learning environment.

What do students say about LARC Tutorials?
“Taking this was honestly a tremendous help, and I thoroughly enjoyed attending because it was vital to my success and the class was fun.”

“Not only have I discovered new ways to absorb materials, I have also learned so much from my peers. I can’t thank them enough.”

“My LARC tutorials are great learning environments for me because rather than restate what I learned in my lectures, it builds upon that knowledge and increases it.”

“Since starting LARC, I can do the homework without much problem and my grade on my midterm improved dramatically.”

(Attribution: From End of Quarter Anonymous Survey Evaluations)

Will there be extra work for me?

No, at minimum we ask you to support LARC by maintaining a working relationship with the student leader throughout the quarter.

How are LARC Leaders Hired & Trained?

Leaders for a particular course are recruited and interviewed from among the top students who recently completed that course. LARC Leaders are Academic Student Employees of UCI so they belong to the same union as TAs and graders although their job functions differ greatly.

Concurrent to teaching, new LARC Tutorial Leaders participate in a credit/no credit course (Uni Stu 175: Methods in Small Group Instruction). This course is taught by the LARC Director & LARC Supplemental Instruction Coordinator that develops their pedagogical content knowledge and facilitation skills. By the end of the pedagogy course, Leaders should be able to:

  • Apply basic theories and principles concerning how learners experience information
  • Design and implement their own collaborative activities for effective small group facilitation
  • Provide written analysis of the methods they have implemented and evaluate their own performance
  • Improve as a peer facilitator through coordinator and peer feedback
  • Develop awareness of the ways in which intellectual & cultural diversity impact learning
  • Develop critical thinking & leadership skills they can use in their professional life

Uni Stu 175 Topics

  1. Planning, Organizing & Facilitating Small Interactive Groups
  2. Communication & Questioning Strategies
  3. Self-regulation & Metacognition
  4. Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy During Tutorials
  5. Collaborative Learning & Constructivism
  6. Active Learning & Differentiated Instruction
  7. Leader Evaluations & Tutorial Observations
  8. Assessing Student Understanding
  9. Self-Care & Student Perception
  10. Addressing Student Difficulties
What is the LARC Leader required to do?
How can I support the LARC Leader?
  • Communicate with your leader. LARC can support students better if the leader understands your expectations of student outcomes. If you prefer email interactions, let your Leader know.
  • Add your Leader as an “Observer” to your Canvas Course Space. “Observers” CANNOT participate in the class, see student-generated content, or interact with students.
  • Encourage students to enroll within the first five weeks of class
How can I encourage students to participate in LARC?
How much does LARC cost?

A flat fee per quarter (per tutorial course) helps pay LARC leaders and supports our program, charged to the student’s ZotAccount at the end of the Quarter. With over 20 hours of sessions each quarter, this is much more affordable than private tutoring and provides student jobs.

Students may be eligible for LARC sponsorships through Student Success Initiatives (SSI), Housing, Athletics, or any willing departments. Please tell your students that they can check with these departments prior to the end of 2nd week of any quarter to see if they qualify.

How do I recommend students to become LARC Leaders?

Have students complete an application online 
Complete an online Recommendation Form

OR

Send me (tgibbs@uci.edu) a brief email recommending your student and their UCInetID so I may check if they meet LARC requirements.

 

Want to see Past Policies?

Click here to find out more about previous years policies.