Learning Center

• Hours of Operation

  Open Study

  Monday – Thursday: 8 a.m. – midnight
  Friday: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
  Saturday: Noon – 6 p.m.
  Sunday: Noon – midnight

  Tutoring Hours

  Monday – Thursday: Noon – 9 p.m.
  Friday: Noon – 4 p.m.
  Sunday: 4 – 9 p.m.

  Online Tutoring through STAR-NY

  Sunday – Thursday: 7 p.m. – midnight

  View our Walk-In Schedule

• Academic Personal Training (APT) 

  Having trouble figuring out where to start? Unsure of what is expected of you in a course? Or worse, what you should realistically expect of yourself? Wonder how to better manage your time, set academic goals, learn new strategies for taking notes or study better for exams?

  If you answered yes to any of the above questions — or would simply like to learn new strategies for academic success — then meeting with an academic personal trainer is a step in the right direction. APTs work with you on an individual basis to help you gain your own toolbox of academic skills.

  Although APTs are trained first as tutors, they are peer coaches. Your APT’s role in your meeting is to provide a solid foundation for your academic success through conversations on creating study schedules, setting academic goals, balancing your academic and social life, referring you to other services on campus when necessary, etc. Your APT will provide helpful hints for taking notes or studying for a class, but a session with an APT does not cover course content.

  Instead, APTs are trained in how to coach you in the necessary tools for your academic success. If you do require assistance with specific course material, your APT will help you connect with a Learning Center content or writing tutor.

  Frequently Asked Questions: 
  
  Q: Are APTs professional academic success coaches? 
  A: Our APTs are peers and not professionals, though sometimes they are graduate students! You are encouraged to take advantage of an APT in conjunction with any professional academic success coaches you might have access to. 
  
  Q: Can I meet with an APT via Zoom? 
  A: It's possible! Some, but not all, of our APTs offer online appointment slots--just check on Cardinal Star (See instructions to book in the final drop-down menu). 

  Q: Can my APT help with my upcoming test? 
  A: They can help you practice new study skills for a test, but we always recommend seeing a content tutor for going through study guides! 
  
  Q: I’m on academic recovery; can an APT help? 
  A: Seeing an APT might be something you are advised to do; an APT can certainly help in managing your time and having a better handle on your schedule.

  Schedule an appointment with an Academic Personal Trainer

• Content Tutoring

  Need help in math or statistics, biology or chemistry, psychology or sociology? We have tutors for many of those classes — and beyond! Our peer tutors can help you review your material, better understand your homework and facilitate study groups. These sessions can be one-on-one or might be conducted in a small group.

  View Current Courses Offered for Tutoring (subject to frequent changes)

  The Learning Center provides free tutoring in many high-demand subjects and our tutors are here to help you understand material you are struggling with, practice skills, and build your self-confidence as you progress through the semester. You will work with qualified tutors who have been recommended to tutor a specific course by an instructor. We are a valuable resource as we offer feedback in many subject areas and develop strategies you can use when you leave the classroom.

  Frequently Asked Questions: 
  
  Q: Can my content tutor help me with my homework? 
  A: Our content tutors are trained to avoid working on ungraded homework; instead, they may look at other similar problems to help you work through it —this is due to SUNY Plattsburgh’s honesty policy, so this method protects both the tutor and the tutee from being academically dishonest. They can, however, go through study guides and PowerPoint slides from your professor, go over graded homework and go over graded quizzes with you. 
  
  Q: Can I just drop in and see a tutor? 
  A: Sometimes! Take a look at our Walk-in page to see if the class you need help with has a walk-in session and what time and day the walk-in may happen! Otherwise, we recommended booking an appointment. 
  
  Q: Can I meet with a content tutor via Zoom? 
  A: It's possible! Some, but not all, of our tutors offer online appointment slots--just check on Cardinal Star (See instructions to book in the final drop-down menu). 
  
  Q: Can my tutor see my professor’s Brightspace page? 
  A: Sometimes! It depends on if the tutor knows the professor, though some of  our tutors are also TAs for larger classes. If you bring your personal device to your appointment, the tutor will be happy to take a look at the Brightspace page. 
  
  Q: How often can I see a tutor?
  A: You are allowed four hour-long appointments for tutoring overall, with two hours per class/services recommended. You can, and are certainly highly encouraged to, make appointments in advance! You can also attend as many walk-ins in a week as you like. 

  Schedule an appointment with a content tutor

• Writing Tutoring 

  Learning Center writing tutors are students of all majors who are here to support you while you develop your ideas, discover revising strategies and point you in the right direction on picking a topic. You can come in at any stage in the writing process; from just getting started and brainstorming or working through writer’s block, to bringing in almost-finished draft that needs a close reading. Our peer writing tutors are here to collaborate with you in thinking through your writing, understanding your assignments and help you improve as a writer. Our writing tutors understand that there’s no such thing as a “standard English” but can help you with grammar skills and understanding new vocabulary.

  Also, writing tutoring isn’t just for your English classes — you can bring in lab reports, history papers and even creative writing!
  
  Frequently Asked Questions: 
  
  Q: Can I send in or drop off my paper for a writing tutor to proofread? 
  A: No. A writing tutor is happy to work with you to teach you proofreading and other revision strategies. But maybe a walk-in writing session would work for you! 
  
  Q: Can my writing tutor correct my citations/Works Cited page/References sheet? 
  A: Some tutors are comfortable doing this, other aren't — but you can book an appointment with one of our Feinberg librarians for help with research and citations, or use the 24-hour Librarian Chat on their website (just click on the orange speech bubble!). We love the librarians for all sorts of help! 
  
  Q: Can I meet with a writing tutor via Zoom? 
  A: It's possible! Some, but not all, of our tutors offer online appointment slots--just check on Cardinal Star (See instructions to book in the final drop-down menu). 
  
  Q: How often can I attend writing tutoring? 
  A: You are allowed four hour-long appointments for tutoring overall, with two hours per class/services recommended. You can, and are certainly highly encouraged to, make appointments in advance! You can attend as many walk-ins as you like in week. 

  Schedule an appointment with a writing tutor

• Accountability Groups

  Students can sign up for an accountability group, led by a Learning Center graduate intern, to have peer-based support for accomplishing tasks and assignments, in the first three weeks of each semester, and they meet once a week for the rest of the semester. Here’s what to expect, if you are interested: 

  • This is a structured study group that meets once a week for 75 minutes
  • Students are randomly assigned groups based on their schedules
  • Groups will start with a check-in, and then move to some structured independent work time
  • At the end, group members will check back in with each other. 

  If you’re currently a SUNY Plattsburgh student, and wish to sign up, use this form: Accountability Group Sign-Up 

• Scheduling or Cancelling an Appointment

  Scheduling an Appointment

  • Go to www.plattsburgh.edu.
    

  • Click MYPLATTSBURGH and log into MyPlattsburgh

  • Select the “Cardinal Star” link; the page you will land on is your Success Network page (this will show your connections with instructors, advisors, coaches and services)
  • Scroll down to see your services — they are listed in “tiles” and the first three are the services offered by the Learning Center
  • Select “SCHEDULE” on the tile that you need (either “Academic Personal Training”, “Content Tutoring” or “Writing Tutoring”)
  • The next screen will ask you: “What do you need help with?”. Click the appropriate response, then select “Continue” at the bottom of the screen
  • For content tutoring, use the middle drop-down menu to select which class you need a tutoring appointment for. This isn’t a necessary step for academic personal training or writing tutoring
  • Click the day and time you are available for tutoring and click “CONTINUE” at the bottom. Appointments can be scheduled up to a week in advance, but at minimum, at least 24 hours in advance
  • You will see that some tutors have “multiple locations available” on their appointment slots; this means that they tutor online via Zoom. Not all tutors do this. 
  • On the next screen, you should write a message about what you will need help with during your session. Your tutor will see these notes. On this screen, you can also use the dropdown to specify if you need a session via Zoom, if that tutor offers this. Then, click “confirm”.
  • You'll see a confirmation screen about your appointment, but you will also receive an email from Cardinal Star in your plattsburgh.edu email inbox

  If you are unable to schedule an appointment, check out our walk-in schedule!

  Cancelling an Appointment: 

  • Please think ahead; our hope is that you can cancel at least 24 in advance, as this opens that appointment up to another student who might need it 
  • Select the “hamburger menu” on Cardinal Star (the menu that has three horizontal lines) in the top left corner
  • The side-navigation bar that will pop will show an option called “Upcoming;” select that option
  • You'll be taken to a screen with all of your upcoming appointments as tiles; select the three dots in the lower right hand corner
  • A message box will appear, prompting you to leave a reason why you need to cancel. Please leave one. Then hit “cancel it”.
  • If there is a day-of emergency, please call the Learning Center's front desk: 518-564-2266

Our Mission Statement

At the Claude J. Clark Learning Center, our mission is to support student success through creating a diverse, equitable, and collaborative learning environment, engaging students in the learning process, and assisting students in meeting their individualized academic goals. We welcome all types of learners from all backgrounds, and stand in support of students from minoritized communities and identities. We believe in uplifting students to become confident, active, and responsible participants in their educational pursuits.