The Learning Enhancement Center (LEC) opened in 2008 in an effort to provide comprehensive academic and social support services to all pre-nursing majors as well as students enrolled in the pre-licensure BSN program and RN-BSN completion option. In 2019, the LEC expanded its reach to target students enrolled in the graduate MSN program.  The Center is located in the Weinstein Health Sciences Building on the campus of UNCP in Pembroke. Students may make appointments with the Learning Enhancement Center Coordinator, Dr. Nancy Ofendo Reyes, by walk in or schedule appointment by email. 

The mission of the Learning Enhancement Center is to create a culturally responsive learning environment so that (1) students will have the greatest opportunity to successfully complete the nursing program and (2) graduates will have the nursing knowledge required for licensure and entry-level competence for professional nursing practice. The goals of the LEC are to improve the overall retention rate of students enrolled in the baccalaureate nursing program and to achieve a minimum of 90% passage rate per year of graduates on the NCLEX-RN exam on their first attempt and to increase the number of professional nurses capable of providing competent, quality, culturally-specific health care to diverse populations in rural and underserved communities.

Academic Support:

• Pre-nursing assessments of academically oriented exams such as math, reading, grammar, vocabulary, chemistry, anatomy and physiology and biology. This is accomplished through the use of Testing of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) developed by Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI). TEAS is a computer-based product designed to predict the academic readiness of applicants prior to admission into a program of study in nursing. The four subsets are math, science, English and reading.
• Assessment of each student’s individual learning styles through the computer-based ATI Self-Assessment Inventory. Students are provided a printout describing how to study in nursing school based on their individual learning style.
• Academic advising and development of individual plans of study for all pre-nursing students upon admission to UNCP by a pre-nursing advisor until students matriculate into the nursing major. At the time of matriculation, students will be assigned a nursing major academic advisor who will be the academic advisor throughout their major coursework.
• Tutoring is available during flexible hours and is provided in individual and/or group settings according to students’ preferences.
• Academic counseling for a range of study skills such as goal setting, time management, reading skills, note taking, test preparation, test-taking strategies, and solving problems creatively is offered as needed.

Social Support:

• “New Nursing Student Orientation” program for newly admitted students to the pre-licensure BSN program.
• Referrals to Counseling and Psychological Services on issues such as difficulty adjusting to nursing school, faculty-student conflicts, peer relationships, distress due to conflicts with family, friends or partner, poor self esteem or self-confidence, depression, social anxiety, academic anxiety, and stress management.