Northern Essex Community College offers a variety of one-on-one support services that students can take advantage of while on campus, including the Tutoring Center. Students can utilize this resource if they are seeking help on a particular assignment from a professional tutor. Students can also connect with a tutor if they are looking to receive feedback on a completed assignment, too.
According to NECC Tutoring Center academic coordinator Jennifer Levesque, the purpose of the Tutoring Center is to equip students with the necessary skills to help them become more confident and successful in their classes.
As academic coordinator of the Tutoring Center, Levesque is responsible for a number of different tasks, including supervising and scheduling tutors to work with students. Additionally, Leveque is responsible for offering assistance in any situation that may arise if necessary.
The staff in the Tutoring Center can assist students if they are having difficulty in subjects like math, science, chemistry and statistics. Tutors can also assist students with any kind of writing assignment regardless of the course it is for.
According to Levesque, when the college transitioned to a remote learning format, it was challenging for tutors to conduct meetings over Zoom because they had to adapt to new technology. Although this was quite a process, tutors eventually became comfortable with it, and were more than happy to connect with students over Zoom to offer their assistance.
“There was a little time to adjust to everything, but the students and tutors adjusted very well. The tutors were willing to help students in any way they could. Many of the tutors connected with students over Zoom for check-ins to see how they were doing, and to see if there was anything they could help them with,” said Levesque.
Currently, tutors are continuing to meet with students remotely, but have started to resume in-person sessions on the Lawrence and Haverhill campuses, too.
Levesque says that she greatly enjoys working in the Tutoring Center. “I love seeing students realize that they can do well in their classes. There is a transformation that happens at the beginning of the semester where students say things like: “I can’t write” or “I can’t do math.” Once they begin working with a tutor, they are much more confident in their ability to do these skills by the end of the semester,” said Levesque.
Levesque goes on to explain that she has had many great experiences in her time working at NECC. “I really liked having the ability to implement appointments on Navigate because it helped students and staff get connected better,” said Levesque. “Another highlight was being part of the Leadership Academy through professional development, which has given me the opportunity to learn more about myself and do a better job overall.”
In addition to the services offered by the Tutoring Center, students have unlimited access to a resource through the Blackboard application offered by the college, known as Thinking Storm. Thinking Storm provides students with the opportunity to collaborate with tutors if they have questions about a particular assignment when off campus.
