At Willamette University the first thing students should do if they’re experiencing difficulty in a course is speak with the professor outside of class. Our faculty members not only teach in the classroom, but also work with students individually to help them learn the curriculum. No one knows the material in a particular course or how to teach it better than the professor, so always start there. We expect students to meet with their instructors before considering tutoring.
Sometimes students who are working closely with their professors benefit from additional mentoring of the sort that another student can provide. In order to accommodate this need, the CAS Dean’s Office provides a free tutoring service available to all students and for many subjects. (Foreign language departments have their own tutoring programs, and the Digital Learning Studio in the Learning Commons provides extensive assistance for language learning.)
Please note that in some departments - for example, math and chemistry - the demand for extra help is high, and individual tutors are seldom available. In such cases, we offer Help Sessions to which the entire class is invited. These are led by more advanced students. When such group help is offered (for example, as it is for CHEM 115, MATH 150, and PHIL 140), students are required to attend at least three of the group sessions before individual tutoring is considered.
Help Sessions, Recitations, Tutorials - Spring 2023
Consult with departments for information about group help sessions for:
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Math
- QUAD Center, including Statistics
- PHIL 140 Symbolic Logic
- Physics Department
The Writing Center is available for help with all writing assignments.
The QUAD Center, including Statistics, is available to assist students with all quantitative assignments.
The Digital Learning Center supports language learning.
To get the most of your experience, be sure to attend class, take useful notes, and check in with your professor. Reviewing notes and doing the straightforward parts of an assignment can help focus your questions and make your time at a study session more productive.
Study groups can be tremendously useful! We encourage you to form your own, collaborate, and ask and answer each other's questions. Explaining concepts to others is one of the most effective ways to cement your own understanding, so both you and your peers can benefit from working together!
How Our Program Works
When you submit the Tutor Request form, we contact the professor of your course and ask the professor to recommend possible tutors. Sometimes professors suggest advanced students who have previously taken the course in which you are enrolled. In other cases, they may suggest students who are currently enrolled in the course and doing particularly well. When faculty respond with names of possible tutors, we email the students they have recommended to ask if the student is interested in tutoring. (On occasion no one qualified is available to tutor.) We then select a student to serve as your tutor. Once a pairing has been set up, tutors and students develop a tutoring schedule that works for their individual needs. Tutors are paid for up to 2 hours per week per student, and they can work with more than one student at a time if the students are willing.
Please note that new tutors matches are not made during the last week of a semester. Tutoring ends with the last day of instruction. Tutors are not expected to work during finals.
Other Questions or Concerns?
Please contact academicsupport@willamette.edu.