Who We Are
Learning Commons Faculty and Staff are thought leaders and knowledge managers and contribute to Campus learning outcomes and leaders in the fields such as active learning strategies, study tools, reference services, student worker high impact practices, tutoring, undergraduate research, peer services and service learning.
Dr. David Baca
Library & Learning Commons Director
bacad@tamug.edu
Amy Caton
Learning Commons Associate Director
catona@tamug.edu
Laurissa Noack
Learning Commons Assistant Director
nocakl@tamug.edu
Alexandra Mitchell
Librarian II
mitchela@tamug.edu
Michael Sweeney
Library Manager
sweeneym@tamug.edu
Dr. Elizabeth Borda
Chair of Undergraduate Research
bordae@tamug.edu
Katherine Echols
Instructional Assistant Professor
echolsk@tamug.edu
Laura McElfresh
Digital Initiatives Librarian
mcelfrel@tamug.edu
John Majdi
Library Specialist III
majdij@tamug.edu
What We Do
The Learning Commons supports a diverse family and community of students, staff, and faculty working toward fostering academic excellence. We provide a modern learning and teaching experience, contribute to dynamic student learning and provide high impact learning opportunities through innovative ideas and actions that supplement and support lifelong learning goals. We impact student persistence and graduation rates, improved grades, confidence, self-esteem, and self-efficacy.
Imagine a space where a student comes to get evaluated on academic strengths and goals, is engaged in a curriculum that supports those strengths, integrates additional math, science, business, and classical knowledge with writing in those areas and creates multimedia communications to better convey ideas. The TAMUG Learning Commons brings together in one environment honors and undergraduate research, library collections and services, multimedia services, and peer resources for students, faculty, and staff. The driving force behind an integration of these learning support services is a single point of services and resources for students.
How We Help
Students learn how to learn, improve their writing, navigate their curriculum, and develop the skills necessary to convey concepts and processes. The Learning Commons provides a modern learning experience for all students, contributes to a dynamic student learning community, provides high impact learning opportunities, and fosters a stellar first year experience.We continue to develop programs of learning and expertise to assist students in completion of a degree from TAMUG and help them develop marketable skills.
Faculty and staff benefit from a stronger integration of support resources into the classroom, students with a higher level of subject mastery, and the balance of well-researched, well-written, and well-communicated projects, presentations, and papers. Students that consisently use the services and resources of the Learning Commons are higher achieving and more engaged.
We challenge our diverse campus to higher levels of achievement and growth by fostering integrity, curiosity, creativity, intelligence and innovation. The Learning Commons is proven to increase student persistence and graduation rates. The Learning Commons develops efficiencies in strategic planning, reporting, training, community outreach, service delivery, data collection, assessment, and budgeting.
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