Tutoring
The college offers 5 forms of tutorial services:
1. Instructor Office Hours: All DACC Instructors have office hours where students can receive assistance outside the classroom. Office hours are generally noted on the course syllabus.
2. Online Tutoring: DACC provides free, 24/7 online tutoring services through Smarthinking. Students connect to live tutors from any computer that has Internet access. Smarthinking is a virtual learning assistance center providing online tutoring 24/7. It also has an online writing lab where e-structors critique and return essays within 24 hours.
Smarthinking provides on-demand, individualized instruction and support from expert online tutors across a wide variety of subjects- from beginner to advanced, including Business, Career Writing, Computers & Technology, Mathematics & Statistics, Nursing & Allied Health, Reading, Science, Spanish and Writing across the curriculum.
You can easily connect with tutors in several ways to benefit from this valuable service:
• Drop in Tutoring: Struggling with an assignment and need assistance quickly? This tutoring option allows you to submit a question and receive live tutoring help from one of the available tutors.
• Scheduled Tutoring: Schedule sessions with tutors for a specific time that works best for you. Note that scheduled sessions need to be setup at least 24 hours in advance.
• Writing Center: Submit your paper draft for a detailed writing review that will be returned to you within 24 hours. Smarthinking tutors review paragraphs, essays, cover letters, and resumes and provide substantive, individualized comments designed to help you improve your writing. Each detailed critique contains a response form with substantial personalized feedback on strengths and areas for improvement, a distilled revision plan, and targeted comments embedded directly in the your writing submission.
• Offline Questions: Submit a question anytime to receive detailed feedback and assistance from a tutor within 24 hours.
Refer to the Smarthinking Quick Start Guide for a brief walk-through of using the website, or see this short introductory video.
3. Business & Technology Tutoring Center: The Business & Technology Tutoring Center is intended for students who need assistance with coursework in the Business & Technology division. Subjects include, but are not limited to, Accounting, Business, basic computer skills, Blackboard, Economics, Computer Programming, Business Math, and Technical Math. The Center is located in the Technology Center, Room 104-B. Check out the hours available at https://www.dacc.edu/depts/bus-tech.
4. Math and Science Solutions (MASS) Learning Center: The MASS Learning Center is located in the Mary Miller Complex on the first floor in room 123. MASS is a gathering place for DACC students to seek support in their math and science courses such as Algebra, Statistics, Calculus, Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry, Physics, and Nursing. Students who come to MASS find a welcoming environment that is conducive to learning. The maxim of MASS is “Don’t go to tutoring because you are failing, come to tutoring because you want to suc- ceed.” The MASS Learning Center supports students’ success through tutoring in course material, study skills and test taking advice. Types of support that students can take advantage of include:
In-person tutoring with professional and peer tutors Online requests for study aid materials
Online virtual tutoring by appointment Online ability to ask a tutor a question Math placement test preparation
Stop by the MASS Learning Center in Mary Miller room 123. Schedules, operating hours, request forms and ad- ditional information can be found on the MASS webpage at http://www.dacc.edu/depts/MASS or email questions to MASS@dacc.edu
5. The Writing Center: The Writing Center (located on the first floor of Clock Tower, Rooms 108 and 116) is comprised of Rhetoric and Composition faculty and professional staff members who specialize in collaborating with students on different kinds of academic and professional writing. It has two separate areas. In one area, there are six computers that students can use for word processing and self-guided grammar/usage review. In the other area, students can work one-on-one with an instructor. The Writing Center also provides students with hardcopy and digital resources to enhance their understanding of a variety of academic writing and research tasks. Students can meet with staff members for a face-to-face conference, use Google Chat for a video conference, or use their DACC Gmail accounts for our FBE (Feedback-by-Email) program. Students who need to make an appointment for a Face-to-Face conference or a Chat conference should call 217-443-8877 or come by CT 116 to schedule an appointment. Students can be seen on a drop in basis if a staff member is available. Students who would like to use the FBE program should submit a request for more information about that program to thewritingcenter116@ gmail.com. In their email, they should include their name, the class they are enrolled in, and their instructor’s name as well as explicitly request instructions for FBE program. The general response time for feedback through this program is 1-3 business days after all needed materials are received by the Writing Center.
The sessions can cover a variety of topics. For example, the staff can help with the following,
• Developing a thesis statement
• Organizing and supporting main ideas
• Locating and correcting surface errors
• Correcting major errors, such as fragments, run-ons, agreement, or verb tense
• Documenting a research paper in either APA or MLA style
The Writing Center opens the second week of each spring and fall semester and remains open until final exams begin. The hours vary by semester. If DACC classes are cancelled, then the Writing Center will be closed. The Center is also closed during any school holidays and vacations where students are not required to attend classes.