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February 28, 2021

Academic services’s staff, tutors heartened by virtual model response

By Charlotte Smith ’20 & ’21G 

Providence College’s Office of Academic Services is offering a virtual-oriented platform of services to support students during the pandemic, headlined by tutorial and writing services. Due to the positive outcomes of this new virtual model, there are plans to continue to offer students remote access to the department’s services on a permanent basis. 

OAS currently offers students virtual help in a myriad of areas, including subject tutoring, writing tutoring, disability support, academic coaching/ESL support, and student-athlete support. These five sectors champion equal access to academic opportunities, allowing students to realize their full potential in a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment, according to staff members. 

From March to June 2020, OAS hosted a total of 1,232 student Zoom meetings across office operations. In the Fall 2021 semester alone, more than 3,000 virtual sessions were held between just the tutoring and writing centers. 

Shortly after the College announced its decision to transition to fully remote learning last March, OAS jumped into action to create unique pathways for student support. Staff members began recruiting student tutors to work utilizing virtual Zoom meetings. According to Jennifer Sousa, assistant director of tutorial services, the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic made it critical for the OAS to innovate, thus assuring services would continue to be delivered to students needing support.  

“With so much fear and unknown at the time, it seemed like the transition to online services was so important not only to myself and my colleagues, but the students themselves. The most important part was having consistency and continuity in the Tutoring Center. We had to prepare our tutors to use this new technology just as fast as we had to learn to use it,” she said.

Jonathan Gomes, associate director of tutoring and disability services, felt the OAS could capitalize on technology to create even deeper connections between the office and students during the pandemic.

“Our tutors are extensions of us, and once they saw what we had instilled in them, their confidence came out very naturally,” said Gomes. “It seems like many of our students are missing that connection to PC, and tutorial services is giving them that.”

“Not only do students need support in a specific subject, but they are also trying to navigate working remotely. Since I am a student as well, I’m going through the same things as them, so we can bounce ideas off of one another and figure out what’s working and what’s not working.

Allison Kohne ’22

A popular sector of the OAS, the Writing Center, also found technology an effective way to continue providing services to students in need of assistance in any stage of the writing process. Similar to the Tutoring Center, student tutors in the Writing Center can assist their tutees in any discipline.

Will Toner, senior associate director of the Writing Center, explained how through the OAS’s efforts, the center transformed into an online “one-stop shop” where students can schedule their own tutoring appointments and attend these meetings using one cohesive, user-friendly platform.

“Regardless of skill level or ability, all students at the College have unique questions and challenges that can only be met through individualized support. The Writing Center has continued to give access and self-service power to students so they are able to talk through questions they have relative to their writing.” said Toner.

OAS also offers ESL services for international or domestic students who wish to focus on improvement in areas such as vocabulary building, writing, and speaking skills. Academic Skills, another OAS sector instrumental to student success, provides one-on-one academic coaching on topics such as time management, note taking, and oral presentation skills. Academic Skills also provides a variety of online workshops on these topics.

The pandemic actually has allowed more students to utilize the OAS, noted Manuela Barcelos, associate director for student success and a retention/ESL specialist.

“It’s a very different kind of interaction working virtually with students,” said Barcelos. “However, I have found we are able to accommodate more students in this manner. For example, if I am holding a workshop, normally I would have to reserve multiple rooms and make sure we are getting the message out there to ensure that students take advantage of the opportunity. In this case of remote workshops, there are definite access benefits that make attending these workshops less limiting.”

Student tutors also have found that working virtually allows them to build a rapport with their tutees, which keeps attendance consistent.

“There’s something nice about signing up for an appointment, getting to know someone, having small talk with them, doing some work with them, and going about your day,” said Sean Gray ’21 (Lincoln, R.I.), a head tutor at the Writing Center since the end of his first year. “These things are very much lost as we sit in pods and bubbles. Through the Writing Center, students have the ability to branch out and talk to someone new.”

Allison Kohne ’22 (Dittmer, Mo.), a math tutor in the Tutoring Center, said she believes there is a natural and important peer bond with her tutees, as they adapt to a remote learning environment together.

“Not only do students need support in a specific subject, but they are also trying to navigate working remotely. Since I am a student as well, I’m going through the same things as them, so we can bounce ideas off of one another and figure out what’s working and what’s not working. There is no clear blueprint on how to tackle this new situation, which is why dialogue is so important,” Kohne said.

Staff members say the online services have provided the PC student body with an opportunity to foster meaningful interactions among undergraduates who otherwise may have not connected. But ultimately, it is the bond formed by student tutors and their tutees that has driven online efforts forward.

“Our tutors are incredible listeners and critical thinkers who know how to give solid advice and suggestions. They are not just doing these jobs for the sake of it. They are making a meaningful difference, and the student response to our services reflects this as well,” said Toner.

Barcelos added to the consensus that the student response to the office’s virtual services has been very positive.

“One of my biggest worries going into this year was that I would be unable to make connections with new students through a virtual setting. However, after reading some student evaluations, the feedback is great, and I have gotten several new referrals in the past semester alone,” she said.

It was rewarding for the staff to see that a collaborative, innovative approach to their mission could pay dividends, even in a time of pandemic, said Barcelos.

“As a department, we definitely learned that it takes a village, and there is power in numbers.  There is a certain allegiance that we have among the OAS staff that helps us to perform successfully as an office,” she said.

While staff and student tutors certainly welcome a return to normalcy, the OAS plans to remain as inclusive as possible by continuing to offer students the option of online tutoring sessions in the future. Toner expressed his excitement in allowing students multiple ways to access the services they need.

“We certainly plan to continue offering virtual tutoring sessions so that students have around- the-clock access to our services,” he said. “That said, we are really looking forward to being able to offer students in-person sessions again.”