During a typical tutoring session, you and the tutor will sit at a table or meet online to have a conversation about your homework, project, essay, etc. The tutor will ask you if there is anything in particular that you would like to focus on or might need help improving. If you have any notes from your professor, you'll want to bring them to the table. You and your tutor will discuss any issues or questions, and the tutor will help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses to help you focus your work away from the Center.

We have a few special rules for writing sessions that students who haven't been in for a few semesters might be unfamiliar with. First, we will not read papers that are dropped off, and the tutors won't work as editors to fix your grammar or sentence errors for you. Instead, tutors will explain issues of grammar and punctuation as the need arises in your essay, with the goal of teaching you how to spot and correct your own errors on that text and future pieces of writing. Second, in writing sessions, you or the tutor will read the piece of writing aloud. This technique helps you hear your own errors, and you'll be shocked at how many mistakes you catch yourself, allowing you and the tutor more time to work on concerns that aren't so easily "fixed."

We are working to improve our online tutoring offerings, but currently, tutors hold online sessions through Google Docs or through Zoom, depending on the discipline. When using Google Docs, students have the option of communicating with their tutors through chat or over the phone (we will provide a phone number). Online sessions are synchronous, meaning that students and tutors meet at the same time, just at different locations. Online tutoring is by appointment only. Currently, we offer online tutoring sessions for writing and some science classes.

Email tutoring is no longer available, and has been replaced with appointment-based online tutoring.

For a handful of math and science classes, tutors anticipate a high number of students coming in with the same questions. For these students, tutors hold group study sessions. Give us a call or stop by to find out when a group study session might be held for a class you're taking, or look out for the tutors visiting your classes with information.

Our tutors are a diverse bunch. They work full-time and part-time; they’re retired teachers and current students; they bring a wide range of experiences, histories, and worldviews to the table. The fact that our tutors reflect the diversity of our student body helps every student find a tutor with whom she or he “fits.” If you're interested in joining our diverse bunch of tutors, you can apply here.

Our tutors don’t all work in the same mode. Here’s a breakdown of the different ways our tutors provide support:

• Writing tutors provide support in any writing assignment students have, regardless of discipline. They also help with resumes, application and appeal letters, and other writing situations in which students need advice.
• Drop-in math and science tutors give intermittent help to students working in the group math and science rooms or at the computers independently. This tutoring is a bit like the “kitchen table” approach – students work, and tutors answer questions as they come up.
• Appointment-based content-area tutors work one-on-one or in small groups with students who make an appointment for twenty minutes on a specific topic. Math, science, technology, business, and other content-area tutors take 20-, 40-, or 60-minute appointments as necessary and as availability allows for students who have been screened for qualification with Project Mainstay.
• Dedicated drop-in tutors facilitate study groups for a specific course from which we know many students will be seeking tutoring. For example, Math 113 always draws a large number of tutees, so a math tutor might hold an hour or two of dedicated drop-in time reserved specifically for Math 113 questions.
• Embedded tutors work in lab environments, like the PASS math lab or some science classes, doing the work of tutoring on the spot where students are likely to need support through hands-on coursework.
• Online tutors hold sessions online or by phone, at a distance. Online sessions are synchronous and require students to make appointments to meet. Call the Center to set up an online appointment!

We have tutors who can help with almost any class you might be taking at Chesapeake. More importantly, our tutors are trained to help you improve your skills as a student, so even if we don't have a tutor who's a specialist in a certain class, we can help you understand how to make the most of your experience in the classroom.

As our tutoring staff grows, the disciplines we support for content might change, so don't hesitate to come to us with your questions. 

If you're interested in joining our staff as a tutor yourself, you can apply online for a position.

While we are happy to help you with your school work, there are some things we cannot and will not do:

• We do NOT offer a drop-off or email proofreading service.
• Tutors will not offer predictions on a student's expected grade.
• Writing tutors cannot "fix" the paper or guarantee that a grade on a paper will improve.
• We will not provide information about a session to an instructor unless the student makes special arrangements for us to do so.

If you have any questions about these policies, please do not hesitate to contact us!

The Academic Support Center provides support not only to students but also to the faculty and staff at the College. Faculty and staff can also be an enormous help in ensuring that students have reasonable and accurate information and expectations about our services for them.

Referring Students

Sometimes, you know exactly why a student needs to see a tutor, even when the student isn't sure what he or she is missing. In these cases, use our referral form to send us word that a student will be visiting us for guidance on a specific issue. Click here for the form.

Please remember, though, that our tutors will never work just as an extension of your classroom; we're a student-centered/student-led support service, so we'll always give the student the last word on the focus of the session. Moreover, it will be up to the student to provide you with proof of the visit as we won't automatically share session information.

Class Visits

Students often need a face to put with a statement of services. To give an overview of the services we offer in the Academic Support Center, a tutor can visit your class to discuss our aims, practices, and staff.

To schedule a visit, use this form, also linked below, or call 410.827.5854. We ask that classroom visits be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance whenever possible. For a custom workshop on a particular topic, like APA formatting or incorporating source material, please try to schedule at least two weeks in advance.

Suggested Text for Syllabi or Assignments

We can use your help getting consistent word out across campus by including information about our services and philosophy in your syllabi. Below, please find text that can be copied and pasted directly into your syllabus, course materials, or Canvas course that provides our hours, location, and an explanation of our general services. 

TEXT TO COPY:

The Academic Support Center (ASC) is located in L-105 of the Learning Resource Center (LRC) in Wye Mills and in the Multi-Service Center in Cambridge. Tutors are available for 30- or 60-minute appointments to help you with writing, math, science, and basic technology skills in any course you take at Chesapeake. Walk-ins are welcome on a first-come, first-served basis. We also provide online tutoring services. Don't wait to take advantage of this free resource provided by Chesapeake College to help you do your best. 

For Fall 2018, the Wye Mills ASC is open Monday–Thursday from 9:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.; Cambridge hours vary, so please call or email the ASC for more information. To schedule an in-person or online appointment, call 410.827.5854 or email asc@chesapeake.edu.

Proof of Tutoring Visit

Students may request a Proof of Visit card from the tutor during or after their session to provide you proof of their visit with a tutor. The card is stamped with an ASC mark and signed/initialed by the tutor. If you ever have any questions about a student's proof of visit, contact us at asc@chesapeake.edu. We do not send session information automatically to instructors, nor will tutors fill out any forms created by instructors and sent with students to confirm visits or sessions.

Handbooks & Resources

The Academic Support Center is an excellent resource for handbooks and materials for writing, science, and math support. We shelve citation and style guides, writing handbooks, textbooks in math and science, copies of readers, flashcards to help students recognize slides in the sciences, and more. These materials are available or use only in the Center.

We also provide links to advice on solving many of the academic issues that give students the most trouble, and our list is growing every day. Print resources on commonly addressed topics, such as citation or translating basic phrases in math, are also available.

Sample Student Work

Sometimes, the best examples of what you're looking for in student work come from students themselves. If you find an exemplary piece of work by one of your students, you can ask them to complete the ASC's permission-to-use form for student work and send that material to the ASC for use within the parameters set by the author. If you have questions, contact us.

Recommending Tutors

Some of our best staff were once your students. We hope that you'll continue to refer your engaged, interested, successful students to us as potential tutors. We look for students who've been successful in a discipline, show an interest in the college experience, are friendly and engaging, and demonstrate good communication skills. Members of the local community or students at other institutions are also welcome to apply.

Click here to recommend a prospective tutor.

Faculty and Staff Writing

All Academic Support writing tutors are experienced writers and attentive readers who can give even faculty and staff a sense of the effect of their writing on readers. Full-time tutors are qualified to assist faculty and staff with a variety of writing-related tasks, including the following:

• Professional writing such as article/conference submissions, resumes, grant proposals, and faculty reviews.
• Class-oriented writing related to assignments, syllabus development, and feedback on students' work.

What We Don't Do

ASC tutors participate in ongoing training through a program certified by the College Reading and Learning Association. The ASC's work is shaped by best practices and ethics in the tutoring and writing centers professions, including the boundaries of the support we offer. If you ever have questions about our role as an academic support center, please be in touch. 

In alignment with the best practices and the Tutoring Code of Ethics, our tutors will not:

• Send proof of a visit without a student’s consent
• Grade or evaluate students’ work
• Serve as middle-men for faculty–student communication, including contacting faculty with questions on students’ behalf
• “Sign off” on the student’s work for content, grammar, or citation before a student turns in an assignment
• Proofread a student’s work so it is “clean” for a faculty member to read or grade.

Our Tutors' Schedules