Now that midterms have passed and finals are just weeks away, some students may be starting to panic over the prospect of less-than desirable grades. But Academic Learning Services in the basement of the EMU offers students many tutoring options, some for free and some for a fee.
Tutorial supervisor Kim Lilley said while many students use the tutoring services, many more students could be benefiting from them. She said some students are embarrassed to turn to the ALS for help.
“I want to get rid of the idea that tutoring is remedial, when, in fact, it can be the difference between an ‘A’ and a ‘B’ in the class,” she said.
ALS offers small-group tutoring for many University courses, including first and second year math, French, Spanish, chemistry, economics and physics. Each group is led by a tutor or GTF, and as many as six people meet two hours per week for $80 per term.
Students can also drop into ALS’s free math or writing lab in 72 PLC anytime between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
ALS also provides lists of individual tutors in a variety of subjects. Prices range from $7 to $9 per hour for lower division classes and $9 to $11 an hour for upper division classes.
Lilley said the ALS does the best it can to accommodate all of student’s tutoring requests.
ALS tutors must have received an “A” or “B+” in the related courses and are required to have two faculty recommendations. Lilley said the ALS is always looking for tutors, but currently math tutors are in the highest demand.
Environmental studies major Thomas Ebert has attended the free “Math 111” session offered from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday in 106 Deady. Ebert said all departments should offer a study session.
“It really makes the material make sense and provides something extra for courses that just don’t hit home in 50 minutes,” he said. “It’s a simple concept that does a lot of good.”
Business major Baba Moussa is an ALS French tutor. He said the hardest part about tutoring is working with students who seem to “take their education for granted” and wait until the last minute to focus on classes. He said the only time students come in is from eight to 24 hours before midterms.
Journalism major Melanie Lessen said she was recently having trouble in her French class. Because she is planning to study abroad in the winter, she wanted to have a firm grasp of the language. She found Moussa’s name on a billboard outside her French class.
“My grades have improved dramatically — from ‘D’s to ‘A’s,” she said. “Baba doesn’t care about the price or the time, as long as you are learning French,” she said.
Diane Huber is a student activities reporter for the Oregon Daily Emerald. She can be reached at [email protected].