The ASC offers several services to help you succeed in your college journey, including:
Free Tutoring. You can visit the ASC in-person on the second floor of the RSC Building, or schedule a remote session. Either way, trained ASC Tutors will help you maximize your learning experience. (Learn more or book an appointment)
SmarThinking. This online service is helpful for students who would like assistance when the ASC is closed. (Learn more or book an appointment)
Embedded Support. Trained Course Assistants and Supplemental Instruction (SI) leaders attend classes, offer group sessions, and check in with you to make sure you are progressing. (Learn more)
Success Coaching. Looking to develop some of the essential skills needed to navigate college? Success coaching may be exactly what you need. (Learn more)
Tutoring is offered in the following formats: 1:1 (online or in-person), Group (online or in-person), or Labs (typically in-person only).
One-on-one (1:1) tutoring allows the student to work individually with a tutor and focus on their specific questions/needs. Students can schedule 1:1 sessions in advance or drop-in, based on tutor availability. Any 1:1 session can be converted into a group session upon the student’s request as long as all students give permission to work together (specifically the student who scheduled the original appointment).
Group sessions involve two or more students and are used when students have a common objective/course they wish to review. Students can schedule group sessions in advance or drop-in, based on tutor availability. For example, students taking PHYS 151 from different instructors could have a group session to review similar topics or problem types. The primary advantage of group tutoring is the potential for peers to share a variety of views and information under the guidance of a tutor. Groups can also demonstrate and build cooperative attitudes and work skills; necessary requisites for the “real” world. Lastly, group sessions can be done as scheduled appointments or as drop-in sessions.
Tutoring Labs: Tutoring labs are a first-come-first-serve/drop-in type of model where tutors are available to help students for a particular time period for multiple courses in a specific subject. Students can receive 1:1 or group help in the lab setting, based on student traffic and tutor availability. For example, Math Lab may be offered on Mondays and Wednesdays by 1-2 Math Tutors from 2-6 pm in the Dawson Lobby for drop-in help in courses ranging from Math 120-181. This type of tutoring format was specifically designed for large in-person interactions based on the specific times and physical locations of the classes. The ASC offers specific in-person tutoring labs for select subjects (e.g. Math, Science, & Spanish) each semester pending tutor availability and space. For subjects/courses not offered in lab formats, students can schedule or drop-in for 1:1 or traditional Group sessions.
Coming Soon: Offline (asynchronous) Tutoring is being developed/evaluated by the ASC staff. This would involve allowing students to submit questions to ASC tutors virtually and tutors would respond in 24-48 hours with guided tips, resources, and questions to aid the student in answering submitted questions on their own.
The ASC has limited office hours and a limited number of tutors on staff. As such the college provides extended tutoring support via a professional tutoring service called Smarthinking Online Tutoring.
This service is intended for if/when students cannot access ASC campus tutoring. Smarthinking is free to all NSC students, available 24/7 for most subjects, and accessible via Canvas. All students are allotted an initial 10-15 hours of online tutoring for the year. If a student maxes out their 10-15 hours, they can contact the Academic Success Center to request more time, which is awarded on a case-by-case basis.
In addition to traditional tutoring services, the ASC provides embedded peer support for courses with high enrollment, low pass rates, or those that serve as pathways to specific majors or graduation requirements, such as English or Math.
Embedded support takes the idea of tutoring to the next level. Instead of a tutor waiting for students to come to see them, the embedded peer leader:
We have two embedded services at the ASC, the Course Assistant or “CA” program and Supplement Instruction or “SI” program. The Course Assistant Program targets first-year gateway courses and focuses on helping new students transition to college through formal mentoring support. Supplemental Instruction targets upper-level STEM, social science, or language courses and focuses on hosting the group review sessions outside of class, with less formal mentoring support.
We’re currently piloting this service. The purpose of this pilot is to provide a service in which the ASC can establish intentional partnerships with departments across campus to determine a target audience for coaching that impacts college success and retention.
