Fresno State offers online tutoring for students

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno State is finding new ways to support students who may be struggling in a particular subject.

Ruby Sultan is a senior dietetics student at Fresno State. She's been using the tutoring services since she was a freshman, but these days it looks a little different.

"The check-in process is really smooth. It feels like I'm actually in the library," said Sultan. "It's like hey there's the front desk person. Then you just get put in a breakout room with your tutor."

When concerns over the coronavirus forced Fresno State to move their learning online, the tutoring department wanted to make sure they were there to support, but first, they had to do some training of their own.

"Specifically about Zoom, how to use internal tools, how to use third party external tools to integrate virtual whiteboards," explained academic support coordinator William Hardaway.

Now they're offering tutoring and supplemental instruction strictly online.

"It has definitely been a shift," said supplemental instruction coordinator Mai Kou Vang. "However, since we've done online in the past before, we're a little bit further in terms of how to engage students online."

Students need it now more than ever, especially for those learning at home.

"It's not as simple as mom, dad, just me," Hardaway added. "There's a lot of people that live in the home, so there's a lot of activity, noise, so it can be more difficult to learn in that way."

"I think it's helped me stay on track with getting my homework done, and making sure my assignments are clear of errors or grammar mistakes," said Sultan. "It's helped me expand my vocabulary, too."

There are many different online tutoring options for Fresno State students. Visit fresnostate.edu/learningcenter to find out more.