Challenges and approaches for academic skills improvement programs for college students are discussed. Important prerequisites are a needs assessment and long-range plan and an academic skills improvement program based on theory and existing models. Identifying a set of supportive people with power and resources at an institution is also needed.…

Four assumptions about factors leading to writing improvement may be related to instruction in supplemental writing laboratories (or "writing labs") that use tutorial conferencing to serve students needing help with classroom assignments or specific skills. The assumptions and their relation to writing lab instruction are as follows: (1)…