Mesa Legend - Features - Tutoring helps students get back on track

Tutoring helps students get back on track

Todd Epley
Mesa Legend

Students who may find themselves falling behind in classes but do not have the means to hire a professional tutor now have even more of an opportunity to receive help for free.

The Learning Enhancement Center at Mesa Community College has expanded its hours of availability as well as their subject matter in an effort to allow more students to take advantage of their free tutoring service.

Many college students struggle to pay for tuition, books, rent and other basic expenses. Spending what little money they may have left on a tutor is rarely considered an option.

“I love the help I get from the tutors, but I would never pay for it,” said Andrew Lenburg, a former MCC student. “I can’t afford anything like that on my budget.”

Students who use the school’s service can expect to save anywhere from $30 to $40 an hour, the average rate of a private tutoring service, according to Sarah Henderson, the service’s coordinator of the LEC.

For many students working their way through school, the free tutoring service at the LEC is the only one they can afford.

“We’re here to help students succeed,” Henderson said.

Some students may hesitate to use the free tutoring because they do not think they are doing poorly enough in their classes to need help.

“I want students to know that they don’t need to wait until they get a bad grade, it’s good to come in even if you have just a few questions,” said Henderson.

All drop-in tutoring sessions (those that do not require an appointment), have tutors on hand to help any students that stop by with questions.

“Sometimes I would get stuck on a single equation and just need to ask a quick question. It never took me more than a few minutes,” said Lenburg.

Tutors are also available for longer, private sessions up to an hour long. Appointments are required for all private sessions.

This semester, free tutoring will be offered from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. There is no tutoring on Sundays.
Henderson explained that the LEC is constantly working to increase the amount of hours the tutoring center is open.

MCC’s main campus has five locations at which the tutoring is offered, the busiest being the Math and Science Learning Center located in Building 7.

There is also one location at the Red Mountain campus on the first floor of the Desert Willow Building.

Help is available in more than 13 subjects including science, math, and foreign language.

A complete list of exact times, locations, and subjects can be found on the first floor of the Paul A. Elsner Library, or online at:
www.mc.maricopa.edu/library/LE.