Learning Center Service Guidelines

General Tutoring Policies

Be Prepared: Attend class and attempt homework problems before meeting with a tutor. Arrive to the session with all of the necessary materials (notes, books, assignment prompt, problems, etc.), and come with specific questions or problems for the tutor to address.

Plan Ahead: Schedule tutor appointments at least a day before your homework is due to allow adequate time to work through it. At times we may be able to help with last-minute requests, but students should not expect to learn a lot of material in a short amount of time.

Take Home Exams: Tutors are not permitted to help with take-home exams unless you have written permission from your instructor or the instructor has contacted the Learning Center directly.

Tutoring Lab Space Usage: During open hours, the Tutoring Labs are reserved for Humboldt students working on related class material. Students and community members who are not working on related class material are asked to use other study areas in the Library or on campus.

Tutee Engagement: Expect to be actively involved in the learning process. Tutors will ask tutees to work out problems, recount concepts, and try out different learning strategies. Tutors are not substitutes for professors and are not responsible for re-teaching class material.

Eligibility for Tutoring: The Learning Center prioritizes supporting Humboldt students' progression to degree. Currently enrolled, matriculated Humboldt students are eligible for free tutoring, Supplemental Instruction, and other academic support through the Learning Center. Students can receive tutoring for classes they are currently enrolled in as well as projects related to professional and educational goals (such as preparation for the Graduate Record Exam and the Graduate Writing Proficiency Exam, internship and study abroad applications, personal statements for graduate school, etc.)

Community members, non-matriculated students enrolled through Extended Education, alumni, faculty/staff, and prospective students may be able to receive academic support for up to two sessions if the sessions do not interfere with matriculated Humboldt students from receiving support. 

Appointment Policies

Appointments: Make an appointment in advance to avoid waiting and unavailability. During peak periods, such as the weeks leading up to midterms, the General Tutoring Lab may be fully booked as early as a week or two ahead of time. If no appointments are available, the Science and Math Tutoring Labs offer drop-in tutoring six days a week.

Lateness: Students who are 10 minutes late for an appointment may have their appointment given over to anyone waiting. Habitual lateness may result in losing your tutoring privileges for the current semester.

Missed Appointments: Sessions may be canceled up to an hour prior to the scheduled session. If you need to cancel, please call the Learning Center Reception desk at 707-826-5217. After two missed appointments without canceling, you may be limited from booking further appointments for the current semester.

Limits: Students can schedule one 50-minute appointment per week. If tutors are not booked, you may be able to drop in for additional appointments. Excessive use of tutoring may be an indication of overreliance on tutoring, which may result in limited services as determined by staff.

Academic Progress & Effort: Students are expected to work on academic skills and assignments outside of center sessions. Students who do not demonstrate effort or academic progress over time may be restricted from receiving services. 

Codes of Conduct

Academic Integrity

To maintain academic integrity, tutors are not allowed to provide direct answers to homework problems. Tutors can, however, develop similar problems and work through those with students. As stated earlier, tutors cannot assist with take-home exams and quizzes without written permission from the instructor. The Learning Center follows the same standard of academic integrity in our academic environment as the university. Please see the Humboldt Academic Honesty Policy (https://studentrights.humboldt.edu/academic-honesty) for more information.

Respectful and Inclusive Environment

The Learning Center strives to provide an inclusive learning environment that fosters fairness, equity, and respect for social, cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity.

Share the Space Respectfully: Maintain respect for everyone within the center. Physical or verbal abuse, threats, intimidation, sexual misconduct, or any form of harassment will not be tolerated and may be reported to the Dean of Students and/or University Police. Disruptive behavior may be cause for dismissal or revocation of services.

Respect Facilities: Students are expected to tidy up their work stations so that others can comfortably use them. Please throw out trash and return white board markers, erasers, or any other resources to their proper place within the center.

Noise Level: Maintain a noise level that is conducive to a productive learning environment.

Educational Use of Computers: Computer use is limited to educational purposes. Inappropriate use of computers (such as playing video games, viewing non-educational videos, or visiting pages with pornographic, sexist, racist, homophobic content) is not allowed.

Violation of Policies and Codes of Conduct

The Learning Center reserves the right to limit or revoke service if students violate center policies or codes of conduct. Center policies are in accordance with Humboldt policy for attendance and behavior: https://studentrights.humboldt.edu/attendance-behavior , the Student Code of Conduct: https://studentrights.humboldt.edu/ , and the Academic Honesty Policy: https://studentrights.humboldt.edu/academic-honesty