Developmental Math Tutor Lab
The Developmental Math Program in the Department of Mathematics at Western Michigan University offers a tutor lab for program participants. The tutor lab offers one-on-one and group tutoring. There are computers on-site to give you hands-on help with E-Learning, Desmos and Mobius. The tutors will not do your homework for you. Instead they will ask you how you approached the problem and where you started having difficulty. This way they are following your thought process rather than forcing their method on you.
LOCATION AND HOURS
The lab will usually open the second week of classes. Contact your instructor for the exact day the tutor lab will begin for the semester
Fall and spring hours
Inside the Bronco Study Zone: 3374 Rood
Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thursday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Summer I 2023 hours (closed Summer II)
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Closed Friday
Our tutor lab offers one-on-one and group tutoring and computers on-site to give you hands-on help with on-line homework. The tutors will not do your homework for you. Instead they will ask you how you approached the problem and where you started having difficulty. This way they are following your thought process rather than forcing their method on you.
Tips for a successful tutoring session
Before your session
- Bring your textbooks, notes, assignment guidelines or syllabus, study guides, past exams, and other study tools you might use (flashcards, etc.) to your session.
- Have specific questions for your tutor. Think about on what you want to focus: concepts, vocabulary, prioritizing information, study skills, or something else.
- Start your homework. It will become clear to you where you need to focus once you have gotten started on your assignment.
- Set realistic goals for yourself. You are not going to learn the whole course in an hour! Discuss your goals with your tutor at the start of your session.
During your tutoring session
- Actively participate! You will be doing most of the talking.
- Ask questions. Please don’t feel embarrassed if you need to have things repeated or need your tutor to slow down.
- Have realistic expectations of your tutors. They are professional, knowledgeable, patient and recommended by WMU faculty members. It is not their job to give away answers to your assignments, do homework for you, or proofread your papers.
General advice
- Attend all classes.
- Go to your instructors’ office hours. They are there to help, and nobody is more qualified to tell you what you need to do to excel in their class.
- Consider forming study groups (three to four people, no more than that) to review homework and study for exams.
- Review what you covered in your tutoring session soon after the session has ended. This will reinforce what you learned, and is a step towards improving study habits as well.
- Don’t wait until the last minute. Seek help well in advance of exams, homework, or projects.