Faculty and Staff Support

Partners in Student Success!

The Learning Center is pleased to support the academic success of all students.  In order to achieve our mission of enhancing the academic performance of Mizzou students and developing the growth of independent learners, we offer a variety of services to improve academic success and increase the retention and graduation rates of students who use our services. As a faculty or staff member, your support and involvement with the Learning Center is vital to student success.  We work closely with faculty and staff to support the success of students who are currently enrolled at Mizzou, partnering to:

  • Connect with students about available resources in writing, math, science and other subjects
  • Make recommendations for potential student staff (tutors and academic coaches)
  • Provide referrals for students who may benefit from our services or may need services from other campus partners

The Learning Center is committed to providing effective learning support for Mizzou students and welcomes comments and feedback concerning our services and how we can best serve our students.  Faculty and instructors who wish to discuss how the Learning Center can better support their specific academic goals should contact our office and arrange a meeting with the appropriate staff person.

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Collaborate with Us!

  • If you teach a course that we offer support for, submit your course syllabus/course calendar at the beginning of each semester. Having an up-to-date version of your syllabus helps our tutors better prepare to help students. We would also appreciate a list of your exams each semester, if not listed on your syllabus, so we can send targeted messages inviting your students to get assistance.
  • View our master class list to see which courses we support and how we support them.
  • Request a study skills presentation or Learning Center overview for your class or department. Please fill out the presentation request form or visit the presentation request page on our website for more information. 
  • Request a brief class visit where a Learning Center representative will talk to your class about specific support options tailored to your class. Please fill out the presentation request form or visit the presentation request page on our website for more information.
  • Add a blurb about our services to your syllabus or Canvas page. Find a list of syllabus blurbs here. This list is updated at the beginning of each semester.
  • Request an embedded tutor for your course. Please contact William Thomas at d.thomas@missouri.edu to discuss how an embedded tutor can support you and your students.
  • Refer your students to tutoring or academic coaching using MU Connect Early Alert. Our Tutoring Coordinators monitor and respond to the following referrals and tier 2 flags:
    • Learning Center – Academic Coaching Referral 
    • Tutoring Referral 
    • Low Exam Score (Tier 2)
    • Poor Class Performance (Tier 2)
  • Mention our services in class and encourage your students to use them. We have found that faculty buy-in is key in motivating students to take advantage of our services. 
  • Grab flyers for your office. Find digital copies here of our Tiger Tutors schedule, a general Learning Center resources flyer, or flyers specific to a subject area. We’re happy to bring physical copies over to you! Just send an email to lc@missouri.edu. 
  • Recommend students to work as tutors or academic coaches. Potential tutors are required to submit the name of a faculty member who can speak to their content knowledge in the area they would like to tutor. If you know students who would be excellent tutors or coaches, encourage them to apply or reach out to the appropriate Tutoring Coordinator: 
  • If we do not currently support your course, contact a Tutoring Coordinator to discuss how we might be able to support you: 
  • Share your feedback and questions.  We are always available to answer your questions, receive feedback about students’ tutoring experiences, or listen to ideas on how to improve our programming.  Please contact us at lc@missouri.edu.
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Tutoring – Did You Know?

  • Tutors do NOT do homework for students.  Tutors are trained to guide students to become independent learners.
  • Tutoring is not only for struggling students!  All students benefit from collaborative learning experiences, which enhance their study skills, learning strategies, and content knowledge.
  • Participation in tutoring increases when faculty and instructors encourage (and frequently remind) students to utilize the services.  Allowing tutors/staff to promote group tutoring through a class visit may help to ease potential reluctance to participate in tutoring.  Positive reinforcement of group tutoring may include recommendations to attend tutoring sessions in addition to posted office hours in order to receive timely assistance.
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Tutor and Academic Coach Training

Even though students may have mastered a specific subject area or the topics which they are coaching, they will still need to develop other skills to ensure they will be effective.  The training will teach tutors and coaches the following:

  • How to promote independent learning and set boundaries with students
  • How to be respectful of individual differences within students
  • How to recognize learning styles & possible learning obstacles and strategies to address those
  • How to motivate students
  • How to encourage students to take ownership of their academic experience by identifying individual challenges and developing plans for success
  • Content-specific tips (for tutoring math or science and for academic coaching)
  • Business/work protocols and how to work in a team environment
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MU Learning Center Statement on Academic Honesty:

Students who seek academic support through the Learning Center value the opportunity to work collaboratively with successful and more experienced peers. We train our tutors and coaches to help students develop their knowledge through questioning and resource usage, to provide critical feedback to work-in-progress, and to demonstrate problem-solving skills that can be applied to future academic work.

On occasion, a student will request help with problems or questions that have been assigned as part of a take-home examination or quiz. Typically, students are unaware that this is inappropriate but, on occasion, a student is actively attempting to get help when they should be working independently.  Tutors are instructed to refuse help to students who request assistance with take-home exams or quizzes unless the instructions clearly state that outside assistance is acceptable.  However, tutors cannot always tell when a student’s questions derive from an exam and they may inadvertently help a student with work that the student is meant to do alone.  Because tutors are not able to have a comprehensive knowledge of each class, it is the student’s responsibility to alert tutors to class guidelines and procedures.

Despite our best efforts, we cannot always prevent this dishonesty without your help.  If you give a take-home exam or assign other work for which you do not want students to receive tutorial support, please let us know.  If there are specific guidelines for your online class, please let us know.  You can e-mail copies of these assignments or guidelines to lc@missouri.edu.  In this message, please let us know whether or not tutorial support is acceptable and for which courses/sections this applies.  We will pass this information along to our tutors.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

Tutoring is a great supplement to the support students receive in class and in office hours. Tutors provide a low-stress environment to reinforce course content, review material, and develop and practice study skills.

All tutors and coaches must attend Learning Center Orientation the Saturday after classes start, receive semesterly evaluations, and continue to participate in training workshops throughout their employment with the Learning Center. 

  • Tutors will attend the following sessions during orientation (subject to change):
    • Modeling Problem Solving 
    • Scenarios of Tutoring 
    • Group Management 
    • Learning Center Policies and Procedures 
  • Coaches will attend the following sessions during orientation (subject to change):
    • Learning Center Policies and Procedures 
    • Note-taking 
    • Goal Setting and Time Management 
    • Memory Techniques 
    • Self-Care and Wellness

All tutors and coaches also complete annual compliance training required for all university employees.

  • Raise a flag or referral in MU Connect.
    • Our Tutoring Coordinators monitor the Academic Coaching Referral and the Tutoring Referral, as well as the Low Exam Score and Poor Class Performance flags. 
  • Email lc@missouri.edu. 
  • Direct students to the Learning Center front desk (100 Student Success Center), where our front office staff can assist students with finding the services they need. 
  • For questions about Foreign Languages, Humanities, Accounting/Finance, and Economics please contact Caitlin Danborn at danbornc@missouri.edu or (573) 882-4826. 
  • For questions about Math (Algebra/Finite, Calculus, and Statistics) please contact Trey Brock at brockcd@missouri.edu or (573) 882-7919. 
  • For questions about Science (Biology, Geology, Pre-Health, Chemistry & Biochemistry, and Physics) please contact William Thomas at d.thomas@missouri.edu or (573) 882-0928. 
  • For questions regarding Academic Coaching, please contact Caitlin or Trey. 
  • You may also contact Director Dr. Chris Dobbs at DobbsCS@missouri.edu or (573) 882-3032. 

If you are interested in adding your course(s) to our Tiger Tutors lineup in future semesters, please contact Director Dr. Chris Dobbs at DobbsCS@missouri.edu.

Please see the Become a Tutor or the Become a Coach page for more information.

We are proud to offer Academic Coaching! This free service gives students the tools to succeed academically. Students can schedule a one-on-one meeting with an Academic Coach to learn and practice studentship skills, such as effective note-taking, studying strategies, time management, and identifying resources.

Please feel free to use one of the following pre-written statements or see the Syllabus Statements document for course-specific information.

  • Version 1:  The Learning Center is a valuable resource for personalized academic support.  They offer peer tutoring, academic coaching, and other resources that are valuable to your success in this class.  Research shows that peer-assisted learning leads to better grades and understanding of course material.  I strongly encourage you to seek out the Learning Center throughout the semester. Information can be found at www.learningcenter.missouri.edu.
  • Version 2:  Success in this course is directly related to your dedication and commitment.  Part of that commitment is the willingness to spend hours outside of class working to retain course material.  One way to do so is through the services of the Learning Center, located in the Student Success Center.  They offer peer tutoring, academic coaching, and other resources, all which can be found on their website at www.learningcenter.missouri.edu.  Successful students utilize campus resources consistently as a supplement to their study efforts and do not hesitate to ask for help.  As a student in this course, you are strongly encouraged to seek out such resources.

Please fill out the Presentation Request form in MU Engage. You can also visit the Learning Center Presentations page on our website for more information.

If you feel that a student would make an exceptional tutor or coach, please fill out our Referral Form in MU Engage. 

We often work in conjunction with the Counseling Center and the Disability Center to best serve students. Level II Academic Coaching aims to help students with issues around academic success. If you feel a student’s needs go beyond academic support, please contact one of those offices. 

  • Advertise our services and encourage your students to use them. 
  • Tell your colleagues! We often find that faculty buy-in is huge in supporting our services. 
  • Give us feedback. We want to hear from you! If your students are having good experiences or if there’s something we can improve on, we want to know. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any feedback. 

Updated 08/06/2025