Welcome to the PLUS Program
Initiated in 1983, the Muskingum University PLUS Program continues a tradition of individual attention to all students that is reflective of the University mission. The small and caring PLUS Program environment enhances the possibility for student success and is an ideal setting to provide an appropriate support structure to meet the academic needs of qualified students with learning differences, such as AD/HD and/or specific learning differences that may manifest in the areas of reading, writing, speaking and/or math, memory, fluency, or processing speed, among others.
The PLUS Program has become distinctive in higher education by providing to students Embedded Learning Strategy instruction blended with a Learning Conversation approach. This approach emphasizes the development of lifelong learning skills and equips the students with tools to know how to best learn in a variety of contexts that they will likely encounter while at Muskingum and during other life pursuits beyond their academic career.
Course requirements and graduation requirements are not compromised for PLUS students. PLUS students are required to complete the same course and graduation requirements as other students at Muskingum University. However, PLUS students have the opportunity to take a reduced course load of 10 credit hours per semester, compared to 12 to 15 for most other students, to allow time for tutorial contacts and to maximize potential for success in courses. PLUS students may take courses during the summer at Muskingum or elsewhere to compensate for the reduced course load during the fall and spring semesters, or they may choose to take additional semesters to complete degree requirements.
An important goal of the PLUS Program is to help students explore and understand how they learn and how their particular combinations of learning strengths and challenges uniquely manifest and impact diverse situations at school. Students are invited to gain knowledge about, and acquire language with which to talk about their learning, and explore proven educational tools with which to manage their learning. These goals, combined with assisting students with uncovering their strengths and passions in an appreciative environment reinforce self-confidence and build skills so that students are propelled towards their academic goals.
The small, closely knit university environment where students, faculty, and staff work together can aid students in managing stress, becoming more self-assertive and developing skills to learn more effectively in a variety of contexts throughout their lifetimes.
Two levels of PLUS services provide students with options for support as they move towards self-direction and greater acceptance of responsibility for managing lifetime learning, and as their confidence increases and they realize and build upon their successes.
Additional information may be obtained from the PLUS Program by phone at 740-826-8280, by e-mail at email@example.com, or by mail at Walter Hall, Muskingum University, New Concord, Ohio 43762-1199.