Tutoring
FOR UPDATED TUTORING LINKS click:
Tutoring Links
Students seeking tutoring from us can find it in a variety of ways:
- Walk-in tutoring - no appointment is required, simply request a tutor during our open hours.
- Online tutoring - online tutoring services are offered through Canvas using City College English Center tutors.
- SI tutoring - learning community courses have special supplemental instruction tutors assigned to them who work closely with students and instructors.
No matter what a student's academic needs are, we can help. Our tutors can offer insight
on logic and critical thinking, writing clearly and effectively, constructing thesis
statements, drafting outlines and researching topics, using MLA and APA styles of
organization, avoiding plagiarism, revising work, and addressing grammar and sentence-level
issues for all students.
At the English Center, our objectives are to foster student independence and mastery
of the material, stimulate active learning, and increase student self-confidence.
Our tutoring philosophy is one of partnership, in which we help students to identify
and overcome their challenges through a variety of methods. Likewise, we want to enhance
each student's ability to succeed, and to that end we strive to allow students to
do their own work at their own pace, with guidance and mentorship from tutors.
Walk-in Tutoring
Students seeking help from a tutor are welcome to visit the English Center at Room L-209 in the L Building. When you arrive, simply sign in and wait for the next available tutor.
While you wait for a tutor, you can sit in the lobby, study quietly at a table, or use our computer lab.
If you leave the English Center while waiting for a tutor and your name is called, it is possible that you might lose your place in line. Make sure you tell the EC staff that you need to leave momentarily if you have to use the restroom or answer your phone.
If there is a particular tutor you enjoy working with, let us know when you sign in.
If that person is available you are welcome to work with him or her again.
Tips for having a productive tutoring session
- Come prepared for the session with all materials, handouts, drafts, instructions and anything else you might need to show the tutor so that he or she can best serve you.
- Know what you need from the tutor. If you are unclear on what your tutoring needs are, describe them as best you can.
- Budget your time. Expect to spend 5 to 30 minutes waiting for the next available tutor, and 20 to 40 minutes in the session itself, depending on your needs. All in all, we recommend that you budget for at least 1 hour each time you visit.
- Turn off your phone. If you know that you must be available for an important call, tell the tutor at the beginning of the session or come back another time. If you decide to stay, make sure your phone is silent.
- Take notes. It is likely that the tutor will focus on a few important issues even if you have other issues that you know you need to address. If you know that you will want more tutoring sessions, take notes so you can tell the next tutor.
SI Tutoring
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SI?
SI means Supplemental Instruction.
It is a series of weekly tutoring and review sessions for students taking difficult
courses. SI is provided for all students who want to improve their understanding of
course material and improve their grades.
Attendance at sessions is voluntary. For you, the student, it's a chance to get together with people in your class to compare notes, to discuss important concepts, to develop strategies for studying the subject, and to test yourselves before your professor does, so that when they do, you'll be ready. At each session you will be guided through this material by your SI Tutor, who is also a student.
What is an SI Tutor?
SI Tutors are students themselves and are prepared to share with you what they have learned over the years about how to study. They know the course content and are anxious to help guide you through it. They'll be in class with you every day, hearing what you hear and reading what you read. What they won't do is lecture; their job is to help you think about the lectures you hear and the books you read, and then put it all together during the SI sessions. SI can help you learn course material more efficiently.
When do SI review sessions start?
On the first day that you meet your SI Tutor you will fill out a short survey to let the SI Tutor know your class schedule and availability. Each SI Tutor will set up two or more times a week that are best for a majority of students taking the class. You can attend one, two, or more (the choice is yours) and each one will be different because you'll have new material to discuss. SI review sessions are informal. Bring your notes; bring your textbook; bring your questions.
What's in it for me ?
If you attend SI Tutoring regularly, chances are you'll do better in your coursework-students who attend SI sessions have proven to earn higher grades, stay in school longer, and succeed in their other classes. You'll have developed a better understanding of course content as well as more effective ways of studying. This will also help you in other classes.