Academic Support Services

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Overview

Academic support services exists to help all ACU students succeed academically. Whether you need help figuring out a tricky math problem, studying for an economics test, or learning how to manage your time, our trained academic coaches and tutors are here for you.

Tutoring and academic coaching services are free for any ACU student. You can choose times and locations that work for your schedule. We provide both ongoing support throughout a semester and one-time assistance depending on your needs. Read on for more details about how our tutors and coaches can help you achieve your academic goals.

Excel Tutoring

Tutoring is free of charge to all ACU students and is offered for specific university-required courses.

Drop-In Tutoring

Drop-in tutoring is available for most 100- and 200-level university-required courses.

Hours: Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 5-9 p.m.

Location: the main floor of the Library near Starbucks.

Tutoring by Appointment

If you prefer to meet one on one with a tutor, or if you need tutoring for an upper-level course, you can request a tutor through the Tutoring Interest Form or by stopping by Harding Administration Building Room 124.

Tutoring Appointment Hours:
Sunday through Saturday: 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Request a tutor

A group of students pause for a laugh during a study session.

Tutor qualifications

Excel tutors are ACU students meeting sophomore year status and a specific GPA requirement. All tutors are trained to assist with various academic needs students may encounter. Tutoring is offered in most subjects as well as study skills areas such as time-management, organization, exam preparation, note-taking, etc.

Tutors are required to attend a minimum of 10 hours of training. In addition, tutors are required to achieve Level I CRLA certification through CRLA’s national certification. This certification requires tutors to have 25 hours of one-on-one tutoring experience and 10 hours of training. Our tutoring staff are Level I and Level II Certified Tutors.

Tutoring FAQs

Tutoring is available to all ACU students free of charge.

Upon booking, the tutor will email you to confirm the session and determine a meeting location. Sessions can be on or off campus although on campus is preferred. Tutoring must take place in a public setting.

If a session is to be missed, the student should try to cancel with as much notice as possible. While there is no fee for canceling or no-show, if the student misses more than 2 sessions, they will be directed to attend drop-in tutoring and will not be able to do one-on-one tutoring. If you’re going to be late, please notify the tutor before the session. Failure to notify your tutor may result in a canceled session. Tutors are only required to wait on you for 15 minutes if you have not notified them of your tardiness.

Academic Coaching

Academic coaching is designed to help students identify and address academic barriers while simultaneously increasing their academic skills and learning strategies. The focus is not on classroom content but rather the skills and techniques necessary to be a successful college student. Academic coaching is free for anyone who is looking to improve their learning processes and therefore their overall classroom performance. Students must actively participate, engage, and prepare for academic coaching sessions to be effective.

Academic coaching interest form

 

UAP has also created a free-standing resource for students to engage in on their own time. This course has no homework and is designed as a tool that you can come back to at any point in your academic career.

Enroll in free academic coaching course 

Program Structure

Students will be asked to meet with the director or coaching intern to do an intake and set up goals for the semester. This first meeting will be about 30 minutes. After the intake is done, the student will be assigned to a coach. The coach will follow up with the student within a week of the intake to schedule an initial coaching session. The student can plan to meet weekly, every other week, or monthly throughout the semester. If the student and coach have addressed all of the goals, then the coach will ask if the student would like to continue with new goals or quit academic coaching. If at any time the student would like to quit academic coaching, they will tell their coach, who will close their coaching case. When a student finishes with coaching or it is the end of the semester, their coach will send the closing survey to them to assess the program and the coach.

Sessions will be in person for residential students. For online students or those unable to meet in person, sessions will be held via Zoom or Google Meets. Academic coaching sessions are free to all ACU students.

Academic Coaching FAQs

Anyone! However, priority will be given to first- and second-year students, Alpha Scholars, and athletes. Other students will be prioritized according to need and other critical academic issues that may be going on.

Sessions will be scheduled in 30 minute increments and are intended to be short-term and time-limited to address critical concerns related to online learning, semester grades, or any other academic concerns that may impact students’ ability to be successful this semester and/or return next semester. Staff will conduct sessions in person or via Zoom, phone, or email depending on the student’s need and/or preference.

Referrals can be made by any staff, faculty member, or student. UAP will reach out directly to students with an intake form to better understand the need and to determine the best mode of communication to address it: meeting, email, phone, or a Zoom meeting.

University Access Programs (UAP) staff, trained graduate interns, and trained university tutors.

Please email academiccoaching@acu.edu.

Contact

Brianna Wade
Associate Director of Academic Support Programs

ACU Box 27904
Abilene, TX, 79699

Email: bcr13a@acu.edu
Phone: 325-674-2548
Fax: 325-674-6847

Hardin Administration Building Room 124

Office Hours:
Monday through Friday: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.