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Information for Faculty

As UCSD's learning center, OASIS contributes to the teaching and learning mission of the University of California. We provide academic support in a comprehensive manner through a coordinated structure of programs and services that address the holistic needs of all students.

Get Involved

Faculty members sometimes ask: "Should I refer students to OASIS only when I recognize that they're struggling?"

If you choose to refer students to OASIS, we suggest that you announce our services at the beginning of the quarter and encourage students to visit OASIS early.

We also ask that you reinforce our philosophy: OASIS is for not just for "struggling students." OASIS is for students who want to excel in their courses, maximize their learning, and enjoy the process of learning.

More About OASIS

  • We focus particularly on new students: freshmen and transfers.
  • We are not a remedial service. We utilize a "pedagogy of excellence" that recognizes the potential of all UCSD students to achieve a high level of developmental outcomes.
  • We seek to impact a range of such outcomes among our students, including retention, achievement (high GPAs), learning (content knowledge and skills such as communication, conceptual and critical thinking, problem solving, etc.), and development (including long-range outcomes such as cognitive and intellectual development, identity, sense of competence, commitments, etc.)
  • Our approach to providing services is informed by research and theory on college student development, success, and satisfaction.
  • We recognize the research evidence that links diversity with learning outcomes for all students. We strive to facilitate positive outcomes among diverse students and in the process contribute to the institutional diversity that is a fundamental element of educational excellence.
  • We recognize that learning is a social process. We apply the research findings on learning communities in higher education to "bridge the gap" that often fragments students' academic and socio-cultural experiences in college. Our collaborative pedagogy enhances students’ learning and supplements (rather than supplants) students' individual study strategies.
  • Our Learning Communities bring selected groups of students together for a shared learning experiences. These academic support programs are designed to improve the retention, achievement, learning, and satisfaction of new students.