Students who are struggling in classes this semester may be interested in the assistance provided through Tutorial Services at Sinclair Community College.
Through the services, students could be tutored by part-time faculty members, alumni of Sinclair or fellow students.
Director of Tutorial Services, Angela Long, said tutoring is provided in all courses.
In order to receive tutoring, the student must apply through the services, have their instructor sign a referral form, then attend the tutoring sessions, which are one day a week for an hour.
However, sometimes there is no tutor available for some courses. If this is the case, employees set out to find one.
“If a student comes in requesting tutoring for a course that we do not have a tutor for, then I will email the instructor to ask to refer someone to me or I will email the chairperson of the department,” Long said. “Sometimes I will also ask the instructor [if there is] someone in the class that is doing exceptionally well that they feel will be able to tutor the student, and then they can get paid for it.”
To become a tutor, students are able to apply on their own or can be recommended.
“Sometimes students do study groups anyways, so this way that student can get paid for it,” Long said.
Tutorial Services advertises positions through the Career Services website and at the end of each semester, Long emails instructors of the courses that there are no tutors available for the next semester for student recommendations.
“Once they apply, I pull up their grades and I check; they have to have a 3.0 GPA, and they at least have to have an “A” or a “B” in that subject. If they do have that, then I send for the background check,” she said. “And a lot of students will come in with a recommendation from a previous instructor.”
Long said if a student is struggling and is considering getting help through Tutorial Services, she recommends that they come in at the beginning because a lot of the tutors help in more than one subject, so the tutor may not have room in their schedule to assist another student later on.
In addition, she said a tutor might not be available for the specific subject the student needs help in — so by coming in at the beginning, Long has time to find a tutor for the subject.
She said sometimes it can take up to four weeks. However, if this is the case, students can have access to online tutoring through the Ohio Learning Network. Various colleges in Ohio are a part of the network, so students could get tutoring from different institutions in the state.
The way the tutoring session goes depends on the course and the student. Regardless, Long said it’s important to come to the session prepared.
“Attend classes and read the textbook and do their homework, because that’s the biggest complaint I have from tutors,” she said.
In addition, she said students should continue attending class. Otherwise, the student may not be allowed to attend the tutoring sessions.
“The tutor is not an instructor and they cannot teach the class for them, they just reinforce the material,” Long said.
Tutorial Services isn’t the only way a student can receive additional help at Sinclair — there is also the Writing Center, Chemistry Resource Center, Physics Lab and Math Lab. Courseview also offers tutoring on campus and there is limited tutoring available at the Learning Centers.