Students appreciate the tutors and tutoring services available at EC during national tutoring week, from Oct. 5-9, Learning Resource Center Tutor Coordinator Jan Ball said Friday.
There are many tutoring centers that are offered here on campus, which includes the LRC, the Mathematics and Engineering Science Achievement (MESA), and the Music Library, said Jan Ball. The LRC is opened 8am-5pm, and is located in the Schauerman Library. The LRC is upstairs in the upper level of the west wing of Schauerman Library, according to information on the EC website. The Basic Skills Study Center is at the LRC North, second floor, and the Library Media Technology Center (LMTC) is located in the basement of the east wing, all part of the LRC, according to information on the EC website.” They (students) can check the schedule online,” said Jan Ball, “or they can check the bulletin board here in the LRC and find out what tutors are available for the subject they want.” Different types of tutoring offered at the LRC, Ball said. There is drop in tutoring, or private tutoring. Any student can drop in, check the bulletin board, and get a tutor. Private tutoring is also available for students. To do this, one must go to the LRC and look up a tutor for the subject that they want. The student can then choose a tutor, give them a call, and decide on a price that is right for them, Ball added. Sometimes, students come in because they need help on a specific exam. Other students come in on a daily basis for to get help to understand a certain subject, Ball said. “They gain more confidence, they learn new study skills and techniques that help them learn the subject they are having difficulty with, as well as being able to understand the subject better. Both of those things are really important,” Ball said. Students can go to the LRC as many or as little times as they want. Drop in tutoring is free, and Ball encourages students to take advantage of the opportunity, no matter what the student’s goals are. Ball said students come in either to raise their grade so that the student can pass their class, or to raise their grade from a C to a B or A. Students come as little or often as they want, depending on what their goal is, Ball said. And unless there is another student waiting for the same tutor, the student can spend as much time with the tutor as needed. “The tutor is here to assist them, no matter what their goal is,” Ball said. Another tutoring Center, MESA, is a popular tutoring program for students majoring in subjects such as mathematics, engineering, computer science, biology, chemistry, physics, and so on, and are planning on transferring to a four year university, Arturo Hernandez said. Office hours are Mon-Thur, 8am – 6:30pm, Fridays 8am-4pm, and Saturday 9am-3pm,according to the EC website. Workshops are available for students enrolled in math and sciences classes, and information about when these various workshops can be found on the EC website,Hernandez said.
“Academic Excellence Workshops(AEW) are structured workshops lead by a trained facilitator who communicates with instructors on a weekly basis,” Hernandez added. “Students in core math and science classes are taught to maintain high academic outcomes through group study.” MESA also offers Academic Advisory/Counseling, in which students get a personalized multi-year plan that allows them to take the right classes, in the right order, so that they can transfer to their transfer school as soon as possible, Hernandez said. Career advisement is also available, where students can learn and experience various different types of careers through field trips, job shadowing, career fairs and internship opportunities, Hernandez said. In the MESA study center, students can study, take workshops, and talk and bond with other students and exchange information, study tips, and form a close bond, Hernandez said.
There are 270 students who use the MESA program, and over 160 students who use the resources provided on a daily basis, Hernandez said. The students can spend anywhere from 20-40 hours a week in the center, and many are there when we open and stay until the center closes, Hernandez said.
“We have received positive feedback from faculty and students as we continue to meet the demands of our growing community of learners,” Hernandez said. “Students find the MESA center a home away from home as they often say they spend more time at the MESA center than at home.” Regardless of which tutoring centers a student uses, as there are many located on EC campus, they all serve the same purpose, Ball said.
“I think it’s important that everybody knows that tutors are here, that the teachers can encourage their students to come and use the tutoring services,” Ball said. “No matter what grade they want to get and how they want to change their grade, they can come.”