For Faculty
CTAS offers your students accessible, quality academic support for writing and course-specific learning. We provide live tutoring on campus and online, workshops, classroom visits, study space, and more. Here are ways you can incorporate CTAS’s services into your QCC courses:
- Share our current Flyer.It lists our updated semester hours and services. Please post it to your course in Brightspace!
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Inform students about CTAS tutoring options: Conducted on campus and online (via Zoom), tutoring sessions are available on an appointment and drop-in basis. Our free, 50-minute sessions are available to all current QCC students and are our most popular and beneficial service.
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Schedule a CTAS staff member to come speak to your in-person or online class: We can visit your class early in the semester and provide a brief (5-10 minute) overview of our current services and answer student questions. Click
here to complete our classroom visit request form.
- Schedule a Writing Studio (virtual or in-person): Bring your entire class to CTAS online or on campus for one hour during class time to learn about our services and work on a course assignment in breakout sessions with writing tutors. Complete the Writing Studio request form here to check availability.
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Visit our Virtual Front Desk: Staff members are available to answer faculty and student questions in real time! Simply click here to speak with our Virtual Front Desk staff, or stop by and see us in person in L-113.
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Link to our website and web resources: Help your students reach us quickly! Link to the CTAS website from your course Brightspace page. Our tutors have researched and curated a collection of supplemental online resources for students. Consider linking to our lists of course-specific and writing resources if you find them helpful for your students – and send along your suggestions for other links we should add.
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Consider TigerWrite: Through our asynchronous service for writing support, students can submit a paper draft anytime and get feedback from a writing tutor within 48 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions :
What subjects do you offer tutoring in?
What is the Life Lab? Who can use it?
The Life Lab (Room L-105) offers space for self-study, tutoring, and workshops for students taking General Biology (BI 201/202) and Anatomy & Physiology (BI 301/302). The Life Lab is equipped with human anatomy models, microscopes, and slides. Students are free to use the models for self-study or with a tutor. Microscopes and slides are available for use with staff assistance.
What kind of help do tutors give students?
Our tutors use a student-centered approach to support your students' academic growth and intellectual confidence.
Course-specific tutoring sessions focus on reviewing course content. Tutors may also help students in understanding their textbook, reviewing relevant terms and vocabulary, working on practice problems, practicing oral communication and pronunciation in foreign languages, learning study skills, and conducting research.
Sessions with a writing tutor can cover anything writing or reading related – at any stage of the writing process – such as: Understanding the assignment or reading comprehension, brainstorming ideas, crafting a thesis statement, improving organization, paper format or genre, grammar and punctuation, proofreading strategies, research and citations.
You can be assured that CTAS tutors do not correct or edit students' papers, homework, or other assignments. Additionally, we cannot give answers or do homework for students. Instead, we aim to help students develop the skills and confidence to do their work independently.
What is your policy for working with homework and take home writing assignments designated as "Exams"?
Policy on working with Midterm / Final Exams (WRITING)
TAKE-HOME FINAL/MIDTERM EXAMS (Outline, essay or a series of shorter writing “responses”): The CTAS default policy is to help students with ANY writing task for any course they are currently taking. If a student brings any type of writing-related assignment designated as a “take home exam” to the center with the goal of having a tutor review the writing or offer any other assistance, it is the tutor’s job to ask the student if they have permission (from their instructor) to work on that exam with a CTAS tutor.
- If the student says they do have permission to get help with the “exam,” the tutor may read and provide feedback just as they would with any other paper.
- If the student says they do not have permission to work with a tutor on a writing “exam,” tutors may not read or offer feedback on any pre-written papers, paragraphs, or outline that will be used for that exam. However, tutors may still discuss “generic” writing / outlining strategies that students may apply later to their exams.
In most cases, QCC instructors DO allow their students to work with CTAS tutors when writing / preparing for exams. But, it is the student’s responsibility to follow any guidelines set by their instructor regarding academic integrity.
Policy on working with Homework / Take-home exams (SUBJECTS)
Tutors cannot help students with take-home tests or actual questions from homework assignments/lab reports. This includes completing or correcting an assignment for or with a student. However, tutors can help students understand the content of a homework assignment or lab report by providing similar examples. Tutors may also help students learn studying techniques in order to prepare for a test.
What can students and tutors do in Zoom sessions?
In live distance tutoring sessions in Zoom, students and tutors can talk using audio and (if desired) video, chat, share files, share screens, and use the whiteboard. CTAS tutors receive extensive training and practice in using Zoom's many features. In addition, we have tech support staff available if needed during the sessions, and instructional videos and tipsheets for students on our website.
How are CTAS tutors trained? What education level do they have?
All CTAS tutors receive regular and comprehensive training in national models of student-centered learning; they undergo training when they are first hired, before each semester, and during the semester.
CTAS tutor training covers topics such as: Tutoring pedagogy and the tutoring cycle, discipline-specific tutoring techniques and best practices, questioning techniques which teach students to think deeply about the material, ELL and learning issues, approaches to help students' anxiety and apprehension towards a subject, study skills to help students become better learners (such as test taking skills, textbook reading skills, and writing skills), and using Zoom for live distance tutoring.
Our tutors range from academically strong QCC students to experienced educators with M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. Many CTAS tutors are working on 4-year degrees, graduate degrees, or research; some are current adjunct instructors or retired K-12 teachers.
How can I refer my students for tutoring?
If you'd like to refer a specific student for tutoring, use Navigate to send an official referral(which Navigate360 calls opening a case).
How can I check to see if my students have come in for tutoring?
To confirm that a student received tutoring at CTAS, log into Navigate and go to your student's profile. Select the "More" menu item and then "Appointments." Make sure the Care Unit is set to either "All Care Units" or "Tutoring." Any visits to CTAS will be indicated, with the date and time of the session, and the subject for which the student was tutored
What time of the semester is most effective to visit CTAS?
Our mantra is "early and often." While we welcome students to visit us at any time, we highly encourage them to learn about CTAS and come for tutoring early in the semester. This will give them a familiarity and comfort with how tutoring works, so they will be ready to take full advantage of academic support as their workload grows more challenging. You can help students learn about our services at the start of the semester through sharing our flyer, linking to our website, scheduling a classroom visit, and making early referrals.
I have more questions! Who can I ask?
To speak with a staff member live during business hours, simply stop by our Front Desk in L-113. To connect virtually, go to our home page and click on the “Virtual Front Desk” icon in the top right corner.
You can also direct any questions to our main email address: AskCTAS@qcc.cuny.edu and a staff member will respond during office hours. We hope to hear from you soon!