Students who are struggling in class may be pleased to hear that Northwestern administration is taking a deeper look at how on-campus tutoring services can be improved.
The University hired Tim Morse as the new academic support services coordinator in June to measure the effectiveness of academic services available to students and determine how they can be improved. Morse is in the process of developing a comprehensive list of all on-campus and private tutoring resources supported by NU.
“There were questions being asked at different schools across campus as to what was available in terms of tutoring,” he said. “It became clear that someone was needed to get a better handle on it.”
Morse said he was surprised by the wide array of academic help that is offered to undergraduates, not only through individual schools and departments but also through academic student groups.
But there are some academic departments whose services need improvement: English as a Second Language, economics and statistics were all areas in high demand for tutoring, Morse said.
“Certainly there are some gaps, and certainly we’re looking to do a better job of coordinating these pockets of tutoring,” he said.
Weinberg junior and economics major Andrew Kang said tutoring would benefit students majoring in economics to give students a leg up in an already competitive program. Because many companies hiring recent college graduates screen candidates based only on GPA and all economics classes are graded on a curve, competition can get cutthroat, Kang said.
“It’s not that people aren’t getting economics – students definitely know enough from what they learn in class,” he said. “But this may not translate to a good grade. Tutoring would help more as a competitive advantage.”
But for students who are not majoring in quantitative subjects and are taking classes outside of their major for distribution requirements, additional tutoring resources are even more of a necessity.
SESP sophomore Thaddaeus Elliott said he struggled with his statistics class this quarter, one which he said has little to do with what he wants to study.
“I’m not mathematically inclined at all,” he said. “Getting a tutor couldn’t hurt for students taking distros unrelated to what they’re studying, as long as you get a good tutor.”
Over the next three years, NU will begin to implement new changes based on his findings, Morse said.
For now, Morse said he is interested in hearing from students about how to improve academic services. He has been working closely with the Associated Student Government to brainstorm ways to get students’ opinions.
“I’m very happy to hear what students want and what they need,” he said. “That’s my biggest concern and biggest priority.”
