Hi Retrievers!

We are officially in the fourth week of the semester, which means it’s time to talk about one of the LRC’s lesser known programs! The Early Alert Program (formerly known as the First Year Intervention) is one of the many services that the Learning Resources Center offers UMBC students. The purpose of the program is to let students know that they are in danger of receiving a D or F in a certain course. From now through March 30th, you may receive an alert in myUMBC. So before you panic (and please don’t panic!), we are here to answer some of your questions about alerts!

Uh oh! Your professor sent you an alert because you are in danger of receiving a D or an F in that course. The first thing you should do is to contact your professor to figure out what your exact grade is and what you can do about it. Next, visit our Action Resource Center to see if there’s any services at UMBC that can help you improve your grade.

It is possible, but you could just barely be passing. If you are in a course that has a second level to it (such as MATH 150, or BIOL 141), you MUST receive a C or higher to move on to the next level. If you are trying to fulfill your GEP requirements with a course, you MUST have a C or higher for it to count. This is why we ask professors to let you know if you are in danger of receiving a D.

So remember, if you get an alert, don’t panic! Talk to your professor and figure out what you need to do to be successful in your course.

Did we miss a few questions? Ask them in the comments section below, or you can post them on our Facebook page!

Greetings Retrievers!

You all know that the Learning Resources Center offers free tutoring for UMBC students. You know that we have weekly appointment tutoring available to you for pretty much every 100-level and 200-level course at UMBC. You know about our awesome Writing Center and our amazing Math Lab, now in its new location on the first floor of the library. But do you know about our tutors? The exemplary UMBC students who devote their time and use their skills to help students just like you? Well, now’s your chance to get better acquainted!

Welcome to our new monthly feature called “Get to Know a Tutor!”

Our first profiled tutor hails from Ocean City, MD! Meet Maura Smith!

So, Maura, tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re studying.

I’m a Health Administration & Public Policy and Political Science double major, with an Information Systems minor. I’m also on track for the Accelerated Master of Public Policy.

That’s amazing! Are you involved with any other projects on campus?

I’m currently an IT and Research intern for Real Food UMBC, I’m on the finance board for The Garden, and I participate in Global Brigades.

I’ve been tutoring since the second semester of my freshman year, so that’s five semesters total.

I’m primarily a tutor for STAT 121, but I also tutor a variety of HAPP related courses and anything with a statistics component.

I became a tutor following a recommendation from my Statistics instructor, Bonnie Kegan.

My favorite thing about tutoring is having really productive sessions that both further the student’s understanding of the material and frame it in terms of the student’s major.

What do you recommend students bring with them when they attend your sessions?

In order to have good sessions, students need to come with specific questions and topics. We can go over homework or past quizzes, whatever the student wants. If a lot of students come, then we have mini-lectures. 

If you need help with Statistics, you can find Maura in the Math Lab every Monday and Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Before you begin your quest for academic excellence, let’s cover a few of the basics with a handy FAQ about Appointment Tutoring.

“How do I get a tutor?”

Sign up online through our website! Because it’s a Google form, make sure you log into myUMBC and check your mail, which will in turn sign you into your UMBC google account. Our form is UMBC exclusive, meaning that you will not be able to see it unless you are signed into your UMBC google account.

After you sign up for tutoring, you will receive a weekly (yes, weekly) appointment with one of our trained peer tutors. Our appointment tutoring is small group, meaning that no more than 3 other people will be tutored with you at the same time.

Bring your textbooks, your questions, and a willingness to learn! Our tutors are here to help you, but they can’t if you’re not prepared for an active learning session.

Unfortunately, no. The purpose of LRC tutoring is to help you learn the material, not cram for a test. We want you to be successful, not just in one class but all of your classes as well. The best way to do that is to learn the material now and work through it with consistent support.

Check your UMBC Google calendar! You should have a weekly event. If you can’t make it, you need to email the Learning Resources Center. Clicking “no” on the event isn’t enough.

The short answer to that question is to check our website. We tutor mostly 100-level and 200-level courses, with a few 300-level courses for good measure. If your course isn’t listed, you can always request it on our website.