Bock Learning Center

Our tutors have successfully completed coursework in their designated tutoring subject(s), have been recommended by a faculty member in their tutoring area(s), and have completed a tutor training program. While most of our tutors are current students at Cascadia or a four-year institution, some of our tutors have completed a Bachelor’s degree or higher.

Tutoring services are free to all currently enrolled Cascadia College students.

The tutors will help guide you through the process of understanding the subject matter. They will not do your homework for you or answer questions without challenging you to think. Please follow these guidelines to make the most of your tutorial time:

• Study your textbook and lecture notes thoroughly and attempt your assignment before you go for tutoring help.
• Try to identify specific questions or concepts you need to address during the tutoring session.
• Expect the tutor to ask you questions about the material. They do this to find out what you understand and to provide you with information and strategies tailored to your individual needs.
• Be patient. When tutors are busy, we use a waitlist. Use this opportunity to review your notes and textbook and try working on your assignments.
• Expect the tutor to suggest general study strategies to help you improve your overall academic performance. These strategies will help in all of your courses.
• Never wait until the day before a big test or deadline to seek assistance. Study a few hours each day, and keep up with your assignments. It is easier to keep up than to catch up!
• Remember that there are many support services available to you as a student at Cascadia. Visit faculty office hours, attend Guided Study Sessions, form study groups with your friends, and visit the Bock Learning Center. Take advantage of all of your resources!

If a student would like to request that any branch of tutoring services provide an accommodation due to a disability, they should work directly with Student Accessibility Services to complete the accommodation application paperwork. Information about this process is available on the Student Accessibility Services webpage. Once this step has been completed, tutoring services will work with Student Accessibility Services to determine a reasonable accommodation for the student. Accommodations are generally made on a quarter-by-quarter and class-by-class basis. This means that most arrangements pertain only to a specific class and quarter.

Please note that tutoring services cannot work directly with students to make accommodations as we are not qualified to evaluate individual disabilities. To ensure that student requests are handled in a manner that is informed, consistent, and in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), accommodation requests must come to us directly from the Student Accessibility Services office.

• Sign In All students must sign in at the kiosks located at the entrance of the Bock Learning Center. If you are having difficulty signing in, our office assistants are happy to help.
• Use of Space The Bock Learning Center may be used for most academic purposes. Students can work on assignments individually or in small groups, request tutor help, or use our computers for coursework. Please use breakout areas for all recreational activities.
• Computer Use Bock Learning Center computers are for academic purposes only. Video games in the Bock Learning Center, on our computers or your personal devices, is strictly prohibited.
• Noise The Bock Learning Center is an academic space and we ask that you observe the following guidelines to ensure a productive work environment for all.
  • Please use headphones for all audio material (video clips, music, etc.). If you do not have your own, you may borrow a pair from the front desk at no charge.
  • Please take social conversations out of the Bock Learning Center.
  • Please respect others’ work space by remaining aware of the volume of your voice and that of your group.
• Food Covered beverages may be consumed while in the Bock Learning Center.
• Requesting Tutor Help Drop-in tutoring takes place on a first-come-first-served basis. To add your name to the waitlist, please see the office assistant at the entrance.
• Clean Up After Yourself Before you go, please check your work area and clear any debris.
• Cell Phone Use Please put phones on mute.

Sign-ins allow us to track usage of the Bock Learning Center the days, weeks and hours students are using our services, the courses that bring you to us, and the total number of students using the Center during a given quarter. These numbers help us secure funding to keep the center running, determine when and how to schedule our tutors, and develop other learning assistance programs like workshops and Guided Study Sessions (GSS).

Tutoring for math, science, and IT-CS/programming operates on a drop-in system. This means that you can stop by at any time during our hours of operation to work with a tutor. We work with students on a first-come-first-served basis and use a waitlist when necessary. During busy times, the wait time can be significant. We encourage students to work on their assignments individually or with peers while they wait.

Cascadia College participates in the Western E-Tutoring Consortium (WeTC), which offers online tutoring in most subjects and is free to all currently enrolled students. You can access this service at eTutoring. The Bock Learning Center does not offer tutoring by phone or email.

We are unable to share our tutor information with the public or provide any kind of reference. Private tutors often post signs with their services and contact information on the communal bulletin boards around campus, so we recommend that you reference these.