2008 Woodie Awards
Project ASSIST aids students with learning, physical disabilities
Mike Lamourex
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: Lifestyle
Project ASSIST is about building trust and friendship that helps students succeed.
The program has been helping people for 31 years and continues this semester with the work of its tutors and technology.
Project ASSIST tutor Andrea Schifreen, senior, said during the course of a semester tutors get the chance to know the students.
"Each student is different in their own unique way," Schifreen said. "You work toward trust, and friendship progresses."
Schifreen said being creative, knowledgeable and flexible all help while being a tutor.
"It's good to see a variety of services for students to get help," Schifreen said.
Project ASSIST tutor and graduate student Eric Mueller said his personality has helped a lot while tutoring.
Mueller said his past has helped when tutoring.
"I feel my experience with college, organization and my personality help a lot," Mueller said.
"I like seeing the success of students now that they're out of high school and on their own," Mueller said.
Student Manager Ed Wargolet said Kurzweil, a computer program that translates text into speech, plays a big role in Project ASSIST.
"We make sure we have all the right books and syllabi for the students who need them translated to speech," Wargolet said. "Then we scan the reading assignments into Kurzweil for the students."
Students can access the new speech version of the text from a computer.
"We put the speech translation up on a story server," Wargolet said. "Then the students can log in from any computer and access it at any time."
Senior and Project ASSIST tutor Angie Biermann has always had a passion for helping.
She is tutoring for her third semester and said the strongest trait tutors need to have is confidence in their knowledge of a subject.
"You have to know the concepts well enough so you can explain them in a really simple way," Biermann said.
Director for Students with Disabilities Elizabeth Watson said Project ASSIST gives tutors a way to communicate with students in a way they wouldn't normally have.
"We average about 70-75 students a semester," Watson said.
Watson said one of the goals of Project ASSIST is to help students with things they will be able to use in the work world. "We'll show them how to use Microsoft Outlook and proper e-mail etiquette," Watson said.
Watson said Project ASSIST has a lot of technology for students to try out.
"We're sort of like a technology loan closet," Watson said.
If a student in Project ASSIST is going to buy a laptop, they usually tell them to wait. "We'll show them the technology we have here, such as a tablet laptop," Watson said. "We want to see what works best for them. You really can't go to Best Buy and try it out."
Project ASSIST is available in Roseman 1006 from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
To find out more about Project ASSIST visit http://www.uww.edu/StdRsces/projasst/index.php
The program has been helping people for 31 years and continues this semester with the work of its tutors and technology.
Project ASSIST tutor Andrea Schifreen, senior, said during the course of a semester tutors get the chance to know the students.
"Each student is different in their own unique way," Schifreen said. "You work toward trust, and friendship progresses."
Schifreen said being creative, knowledgeable and flexible all help while being a tutor.
"It's good to see a variety of services for students to get help," Schifreen said.
Project ASSIST tutor and graduate student Eric Mueller said his personality has helped a lot while tutoring.
Mueller said his past has helped when tutoring.
"I feel my experience with college, organization and my personality help a lot," Mueller said.
"I like seeing the success of students now that they're out of high school and on their own," Mueller said.
Student Manager Ed Wargolet said Kurzweil, a computer program that translates text into speech, plays a big role in Project ASSIST.
"We make sure we have all the right books and syllabi for the students who need them translated to speech," Wargolet said. "Then we scan the reading assignments into Kurzweil for the students."
Students can access the new speech version of the text from a computer.
"We put the speech translation up on a story server," Wargolet said. "Then the students can log in from any computer and access it at any time."
Senior and Project ASSIST tutor Angie Biermann has always had a passion for helping.
She is tutoring for her third semester and said the strongest trait tutors need to have is confidence in their knowledge of a subject.
"You have to know the concepts well enough so you can explain them in a really simple way," Biermann said.
Director for Students with Disabilities Elizabeth Watson said Project ASSIST gives tutors a way to communicate with students in a way they wouldn't normally have.
"We average about 70-75 students a semester," Watson said.
Watson said one of the goals of Project ASSIST is to help students with things they will be able to use in the work world. "We'll show them how to use Microsoft Outlook and proper e-mail etiquette," Watson said.
Watson said Project ASSIST has a lot of technology for students to try out.
"We're sort of like a technology loan closet," Watson said.
If a student in Project ASSIST is going to buy a laptop, they usually tell them to wait. "We'll show them the technology we have here, such as a tablet laptop," Watson said. "We want to see what works best for them. You really can't go to Best Buy and try it out."
Project ASSIST is available in Roseman 1006 from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
To find out more about Project ASSIST visit http://www.uww.edu/StdRsces/projasst/index.php
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