Student resources on campus that help with academic success

The Center for Writers and Academic Collegiate Enhancement tutoring are some of the resources on campus to help students with academic success. Both of these resources are located on campus and are free for all students. By utilizing these resources students are able to gain academic success at North Dakota State University. 

Learning services at NDSU works for student success and oversees ACE tutoring on campus. ACE tutoring is an on-campus program to help students understand course material or find a quiet place to study. ACE tutoring is geared towards freshmen and sophomores to help them learn course material, but also learn other skills for academic success. In general, introductory class sizes can be large, so ACE helps students work with students one-on-one to help mentor them in these classes.

Students who go to ACE tutoring will primarily work with undergraduate students. These tutors have taken the class and have achieved a high overall grade-point average and are recommended by their professor to be a tutor. Betsy Carter, the Assistant Director for Learning Services said, “You sometimes just feel more comfortable with somebody who has just been there and walked in your shoes.” 

ACE offers many different appointments for students. For the fall ACE is planning on having individual learning by appointment. Another service is drop-in-tutoring where courses have a specific time and students can drop in to learn. ACE’s group lessons allow students to meet with a small group every week at the same time for a specific course. “So you get to meet some new friends, but then also know that you have that time carved out where someone is expecting you to be part of the group every single week,” Carter said. 

ACE Tutoring is located in the basement of the West Dining Center. Appointments can be made through the Navigate app. In the facility, ACE has computer clusters, tutoring areas and study spaces for individuals and groups. Students are also able to meet online as well as in person. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ACE started online services on campus and is going to continue to offer these services this fall. 

Center for Writers is another resource for students on campus. Writing is a large part of the college experience, and the Center for Writers can help towards academic success on campus. Center for Writers is a peer mentoring program that aims to help students improve or understand their writing skills. Students can bring in their papers from a class or consult a mentor to help them with their writing skills. 

Grace Boysen, an English student at NDSU, has worked at the Center for Writers since Aug. 2020. Boysen said that ACE can help students whether that be “understanding an assignment, brainstorming ideas, making an outline, working on organization, clarity, development, citations, grammar, avoiding plagiarism, making sure the writing follows the assignment guidelines or any other aspect of the writing process.”

The Center for Writers is located in the basement of the Library. Appointments can be made through the Navigate app. There are also walk-in times for students to utilize and meet with a mentor. Students can meet with peer mentors in individual or group lessons. The meetings with a mentor can last up to 50 minutes and can be used to further your education at NDSU. Those working at Center for Writers have undergone certain courses that will help them be better peer mentors to students. 

The Center for Writers and ACE tutoring are just some of the many resources on campus that help students with academic success. Many students visit these resources and get help throughout their college careers. On average, ACE receives around 30,000 to 40,000 visits every year from students that are seeking help. Those coming to these resources are receiving a better education and are seen to have an overall higher GPA. 

To know more about these resources visit their websites found below.

ACE Tutoring: https://www.ndsu.edu/ace/

Center for Writers: https://www.ndsu.edu/cfwriters/