Academics - academicsupport

Academic Computing Labs

The College provides a range of computing resources to faculty, staff and students. In addition to several departmental labs on campus, there is an open lab with fully-networked Windows PCs available on the third floor of the Learning Resources Center (LRC). For more information, please visit the IT Department's website by clicking here or calling 508-929-8856.

Academic Success Center
Administration Building, Room 130
508-929-8111

Andrea Wamboldt, Director
awamboldt@worcester.edu

Mary Serrano

mserrano@worcester.edu

Placement Test

508-929-8111

Undergraduate Advising Resource Office

508-929-8139

The Academic Success Center focuses on:

Advising (for transfer and undeclared students)
Placement testing
Special freshman initiatives such as the First-year Programs
Organization of student workshops that deal with academic issues
Tutoring for all academic subjects

Peer Advisors: The Academic Success Center sponsors a team of Peer Advisors who can provide academic information about programs, policies, and procedures. New students and those unsure of their choice of major are encouraged to drop-in and speak with these students who are resources for support and referral.

Academic Tutoring Center/Learning Assistance Center

Academic Success Center, Room 130

508-929-8530/8043

Nancy Cruz de Pineiro, Academic Coordinator

npineiro@worcester.edu

The aim of the Academic Tutoring Center is to increase student academic effectiveness. After a preliminary assessment, assistance is provided on a one-to-one or small group basis. The primary thrust of the service is directed toward 100 and 200-level courses, as this is the time when students are learning how to adjust to college level study. The focus, therefore, is on learning how to learn rather than on content area tutoring. Accordingly, tutors assist students in improving their study skills, test-taking skills, and time management skills.

Students who think they may need academic assistance, in order to achieve their educational objectives, should visit the Center as soon as possible to maximize the benefit of the service.

Math Labs

Sullivan, Room 143

Sullivan, Room 138

508-929-8977

Worcester State College has two math labs in the Sullivan building. The principle lab, housed in the mathematics department (Sullivan Rm.143), is staffed with a supervisor and peer tutors with day and evening hours (Monday through Friday). Its main function is to offer students, who have not received a passing score on the Accuplacer Elementary Algebra test, resources for skill development. Another attempt to pass Accuplacer occurs after successful completion of a series of tests offered on-line.

This lab offers tutoring on a walk-in basis and houses the mathematics library as well as tutorial software. Any student in need of refreshing their mathematics skills may use this lab which has both a wireless network connection for lap-top users and several desktop computer stations.

The second Math Lab, in Sullivan 138, doubles as a classroom for Calculus and Statistics classes. Software loaded on these 28 computer stations includes MPP, Converge, Maple, Minitab, ISETL, DPGraph, and Geometer's Sketchpad. With the instructor able to project his screen, students can easily follow the given program.

Writing Center

Sullivan, Room 306

508-929-8112

Carey Smitherman, Director

csmitherman@worcester.edu

Worcester State College's Writing Center is staffed by graduate assistants and peer tutors. Its offerings include individual writing tutorials for undergraduate and graduate students; reference material and workshops to help candidates prepare for the Massachusetts Teacher Test; writing across the curriculum resource material for Worcester State College faculty; and online tutorials for a wide range of technology-based subjects.

The Writing Center is fully connected to the campus network and the World Wide Web. The Worcester State College OWL (Online Writing Lab), the Writing Center's online community, hosts a varied collection of reference materials useful for both the academic and business writer. In addition, faculty, students, and members of the greater Worcester community can take advantage of the Writing Center's virtual classroom, where assignments and writing samples can be submitted online for feedback and support. Users who cannot attend a session at the Writing Center can chat online with a member of its staff, and email requests are normally processed within three working days.

Sessions with Writing Center staff can be arranged on an appointment, drop-in, or online basis, and all services are offered at no charge. For more information, click here.