Director’s Welcome
Welcome to the Center for Academic Support! The CAS staff of professionals and peer tutors is dedicated to helping Missouri Western students succeed by providing a wide range of free tutoring services. Our services include one-on-one and small group tutoring in math, writing, and discipline-specific course content. We also offer Supplemental Instruction for designated courses each semester. The CAS clientele ranges from first-year students to graduate-level students, from students who are struggling academically to students who have 4.0 GPAs and want to keep them. Our ultimate goal is to provide a helpful environment where students can work to become independent learners and thinkers. –Susan Garrison, CAS Director
Our Mission
The Center for Academic Support provides Missouri Western State University students with quality, academic assistance and educational resources to prepare them to become successful, efficient, and independent learners.
Client Profile
The CAS provides services for all currently enrolled Missouri Western students free of charge in both one-on-one and small-group settings. Students who take advantage of these services are as diverse a population as that of the entire student body; such as students with high GPAs who wish to maintain them, students with lower GPAs who wish to improve them, and everyone else in between.
During Fall and Spring semesters, the CAS is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please refer to our homepage for our summer hours. Online tutoring sessions are available daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. based on the tutor’s schedule.
We are located on the east end of the library building (Hearnes 213). Look for our entrance with the CAS logo. See the campus map for building location. See the CAS layout for details of our center space.
Any MWSU student can receive tutoring for courses he/she is currently taking.
Appointments are strongly suggested for math and writing, but we do take walk-ins if slots are available. Appointments are required for all content and online tutoring. Appointments can be scheduled via TracCloud.
If you are unable to make it to the scheduled appointment or if you are going to be late, if at all possible, please call (816) 271-4524 and let us know. This helps us when we are scheduling other appointments.
When you come to the CAS for an appointment, you should bring your MWSU ID and any materials that will be useful for your tutoring session: textbook, class notes, assignment sheet, calculator, etc.
Making an appointment with a math tutor is the first step. In-person appointments with math tutors for MAT110E-MAT167 can be scheduled by calling (816) 271-4524 or stopping by the CAS. Online appointments can be scheduled via TracCloud. We also take walk-ins if slots are available. Appointments for math courses above MAT167 can be made with a content tutor. See the content tutor list.
Math tutors will assist with concepts presented in class, calculator questions and will work additional example problems with the student. The tutors rotate among students offering assistance in these areas and then give students time to process and practice the concepts on their own. Tutors will then return to check again with students for understanding. The goal is to help students become independent learners.
Many of our math tutors can help with calculator questions for particular models. Stop in or call to make an appointment to meet with one.
To make an in-person appointment for writing, you can call (816) 271-4524 or stop by the CAS. We also take walk-ins if slots are available. Online writing appointments can be scheduled via TutorTrac.
Writing tutors will assist you with any phase of the writing process, including help with correctness. What happens during a 30-minute appointment will depend on where you are in the writing process. Tutors could assist with any of the following:
- Topic choice
- Pre-writing strategies
- Organization
- Supporting detail
- Adherence to assignment guidelines
- Editing techniques
At the end of the session, tutors will encourage clients to make the appropriate revisions and then come back for a follow-up appointment. A Writing Tutorial Summary describing what occurred in the session will be sent to the student’s instructor after each appointment, unless the student wishes for the appointment to remain confidential.
Writing tutors also assist clients with non-class-related writing such as resumes, cover letters, applications for scholarships, or personal statements for admission into graduate school.
Absolutely! At the top of this page, there is a tab titled “Content.” Click the range of course names under this tab to view the list of current tutors for each course. Click on “Schedule a Content Appointment” to access TutorTrac and instructions for scheduling appointments. TutorTrac will allow you to search and schedule in-person and online tutoring appointments based your schedule and the tutor’s availability.
If the class you need help with is not listed, call or stop by the CAS to request a tutor for that class or fill out a Content Tutor Request form. It takes several days to find, hire and train a tutor, so if you think you will need a tutor, request one early!
Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a series of weekly review sessions for students taking historically challenging courses. SI is provided for students who want to improve their understanding of course material and improve their grades.
Attendance is voluntary. The SI leader does not teach the session but acts as a guide and resource for learning. SI is a chance for you to get together with other people in the class to compare notes, discuss important concepts, develop strategies for studying the subject, and to test yourself before your professor does, so that when he/she does, you’ll be ready. View a current list of our SI meeting times.
Study groups do meet in the CAS. They are often, although not always, led by a content tutor. If you are interested in using our facilities for a regular study group meeting, please contact us at (816) 271-4524.
Yes, English Language Learners can work one-on-one with a writing tutor to receive assistance with papers.
When clients come for writing assistance, we complete a Writing Tutorial Summary, documenting what was covered in the session. A copy of the summary is mailed to the instructor, unless students prefer their instructors not know about the visit. If students want their professors to know they have come in for other tutoring, we can provide that information as requested.
Some professors do ask us whether or not students have used the CAS. For example, some math professors want to know which of their students have come for math tutoring. We send those professors weekly usage reports.
No. All in-person tutoring takes place at the CAS during our normal operating hours.