Academic Support Center
The Academic Support Center provides a variety of academic support services to help our students realize their educational and career goals. We help students recognize and build on their strengths and learn how to overcome or compensate for their weaknesses. Through developmental courses, peer tutoring, individual instruction, collaborative learning, and counseling, we work with students at all academic levels. We also provide academic support services to students with disabilities and work closely with the faculty to empower all students to be academically successful.
Disability Services
Learn about our disability services here.
Academic Support Center Courses
The Academic Support Center offers courses in basic math, intensive writing, and college reading and study skills. See the courses for 2012-13 in the catalog here.
Writing Center
Click here for a PDF of the Writing Center schedule and walk-in hours. The Writing Center offers you a variety of services to help you write essays, research papers, compositions, and more. We offer:
- Help with any part of a writing assignment
- Advice on how to identify and target recurring problems in your writing
- Resources such as handouts, references, and exercises
- A friendly work environment
- A good listener if you'd like to try out an idea
To prepare for a session with Writing Center staff, you should bring your assignment; a draft on paper or saved electronically if you'd like to work with a consultant at our computers; your notes, outline, or pre-writing; and your ideas and questions. We won't proofread or grade a paper for you, but we're happy to work with you on your writing.
Walk-in Hours (no appointment needed)
Summer hours: The Writing Center is closed for the summer. If you need help please contact Penny Sens or Regina Kengla.
Appointments
If you'd like to make an appointment, email us at writingcenter@otterbein.edu. Appointments must be made at least three (3) days in advance. Check the schedule for appointment times, select a time that's convenient for you, email us, and we'll confirm that the time you chose is available.
Email
We invite you to contact us at writingcenter@otterbein.edu with short, specific questions about your writing. We'll respond to you within 48 hours, Monday through Friday. It is important to keep in mind that we cannot read and respond to whole essays sent to us by email. If you would like to discuss an entire essay, we encourage you to visit us in the Writing Center. Schedule an appointment or stop in during our open hours.
Questions sent by email need to be specific and focused. Examples of questions that we can answer in response to your email:
- Please take a look at my introduction. Does my thesis seem clear and functional?
- How do I write a work-cited entry in MLA style for a personal interview?
- Here is one of my supporting paragraphs. Are my quotations incorporated and my in-text citations correctly formatted in APA style?
- How do I footnote in Chicago style?
Math Lab
The Otterbein University Math Lab provides free tutoring to support coursework in several math courses. There is no appointment necessary to get the help you need. Just call the Academic Support Center Office at (614) 823-1610 for information on the Math Lab schedule and offerings.
Click here for a PDF of the Math Lab schedule. A new schedule is printed each semester and copies are available in the Math Lab.
Summer Hours: The Math Lab does not offer regular open hours during the summer. If you need help, please contact Penny Sens or call 823-1610 or Ann Biancamano at abiancamano@otterbein.edu or call 823-1823.
Content Area Tutoring
Free one-on-one tutoring in many courses can be requested using this form. Please call the Administrative Assistant with any questions at (614) 823-1610.
Tutors in music and foreign languages should be arranged directly through those departments. Please contact Music at (614) 823-1508 and Modern Languages and Cultures at (614) 823-1361.
Supplemental Instruction
Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a series of weekly review sessions in targeted courses for students taking historically difficult courses. SI is provided for all students in those courses who want to improve their understanding of course material and improve their grades. SI gives students the opportunity to get together with classmates to compare notes, discuss concepts, develop study strategies, and test themselves before the professor does. An SI leader, who is an ASC instructor or a competent upper-level student, guides students through the material. Attendance is voluntary.
Otterbein University’s eTutoring
This service is provided as a supplement to the existing on-campus tutoring options. Over 31 colleges and universities in Ohio are members of this tutoring collaborative. The tutors, two from each campus, may be undergraduate students, graduate students, or faculty members. Click here for a video overview.
If you are interested in scheduling a face-to-face tutor, please do so by dropping by the walk-in-hours for the Writing Center or the Math Lab or requesting a Content Area Tutor for an ongoing, appointment-based tutor.
We are pleased to announce eTutoring is available to students during the Fall and Spring Semesters with the exception of Final Exam Week.
As an Otterbein student, you have access to eTutoring in the following subject areas:
- Math (from the developmental level through Calculus II)
- Accounting
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Statistics
- Writing
(please note this is not course specific, but subject specific)
eTutoring Resources include:
* Online Writing Lab allows you to submit a draft of your paper to a tutor, ask for specific feedback, and receive your work back with a tutor's comments within 24 to 48 hours. This is not a proofreading service. (You may submit three drafts per paper.)
*Live Tutoring via eChat allows you to meet with a tutor for the subjects listed above (except writing) in one-on-one tutoring sessions via a fully interactive, virtual online environment.
* Offline Questions allows you to leave a specific question for an eTutor, who will respond within 48 hours (but usually sooner).
Refer to our step-by-step Log-in Instructions for assistance and/or Log in here for immediate access to eTutoring Resources.