Academic Resources for Students
Wesleyan has a wide range of services available to help support students. Some students believe that these resources are intended for “bad” or “troubled” or “needy” students. At Wesleyan, these services are for everyone. They are in place to help all our students—even our most capable—be as successful as they can. Therefore, students may need faculty assistance to help them find the services from which they will benefit.
Below is a brief guide to the resources that faculty most commonly engage for students. For a student guide, where students can find their own resources for time management, paper writing, test taking, etc. please send them to the Find A Resource page put together by Student Academic Resources.
Class Deans
The first line of defense for students who face any kind of life crisis is the Class Dean. Class Deans have the capacity to connect students with a wide range of services and can help them figure out a comprehensive solution that can then be applied to multiple classes at once.
Student Academic Resources (SAR)
SAR staff members are available to meet with any student individually throughout the year in order to assist students in developing academic skills or connecting with other resources (like those listed below) on campus.
Academic Peer Advisors
For students who would like to receive cross-cutting advice about courses, major selection, accessing resources, etc., Academic Peer Advisors have been trained by Student Affairs to provide advice and support to students at all stages of their academic experience. They can also work individually with students to provide peer advice regarding topics such as time management, organization, study strategies, and many other academic skills. These advisors are particularly helpful for students in the early stages of their time at Wesleyan who may be a bit overwhelmed with all the choices, options, and decisions they’re facing.
Peer Technology Specialists
Students trying to figure out the best technology or digital tools to assist their productivity and learning are encouraged to consult with a Peer Technology Specialist who know all the latest apps/platforms/websites etc. to make their college life easier, more productive, and fun.
The Presentation Studio
The Presentation Studio offers peer to peer support for assignments and projects that have an oral and/or visual communication component. It offers guidance at any point from brainstorming to rehearsing, including design, strategy, and development for traditional presentations, speeches, and posters.
Accessibility Services
Faculty are encouraged to reach out to Accessibility Services with questions about accommodations for students in their classes. If students have not yet provided an accommodation letter, faculty should encourage them to reach out to the office directly. For students who may be hesitant, faculty can put them in touch with an Accessibility Intern, who work in the office and can help students navigate the range of accessibility services on campus and find the ones that will be the right fit.
Peer Tutoring Program
If you think a student would benefit from a tutor, you can request (or they can request) a peer tutor. These tutors are separate from course TAs and CAs and meet with students in a small group of 2-3 students to help them with a particular class. It is common for faculty to identify both the student who would benefit from the tutoring as well as a current or former student who might serve as a tutor. The tutors are then paid from Academic Advancement funding to help their peers excel.
The Writing Center
The Shapiro Writing Center has a wide range of services for students. Students working on papers can sign up for writing help and trained writing tutors will sit down with draft papers and help them improve their writing. They also have a writing mentor program and support for thesis writers. Here’s a link to all the Writing Center Resources for Students.
The Quantitative Analysis Center
The QAC offers a range of support services for students working with data and statistical analysis. The QAC is located in Allbritton and has tutoring available both on a drop-in basis and by appointment. Here’s a link to all the QAC Resources for Students.
The STEM Zone
The STEM Zone offers drop in support for introductory science courses. Students can also drop in to Math Jam for support with introductory math courses.
The Math Workshop
The Math Workshop offers drop-in tutoring for all levels of Mathematics courses. The staff members on duty are either experienced undergraduates or math graduate students.
Scientific Computing and Informatics Center
SCIC provides drop-in tutoring support related to programming (Python, Java, etc.), Matlab, Mathematica, SQL and the computing cluster.
Language Resources and Technology
Language Resources and Technology supports students in their pursuit of language proficiency and in their study of related cultures, and provides a lab space for students to meet, study and get help with language related assignments.
The Library (Research Support)
Library staff can assist at all stages of the research process; students can sign up for a personal research session in addition to accessing all the research services which are available.