The online tutoring services listed below are offered through the Learning Assistance Department. All services are free to currently enrolled CCSF students.

Scroll down to our "Online Tutoring Options" tab to access tutors' schedules  for City College Tutors, STAR-CA or NetTutor.

For more information on how to access additional tutoring support, please visit the CCSF Virtual Campus

Free Tutoring for CCSF Students

The Learning Assistance Center (soon to be known as The STAR Center) provides a welcoming environment that supports and celebrates students with diverse learning preferences, identities, abilities, backgrounds, and lived experiences. We offer tutoring and a variety of academic support services to supercharge your learning, such as college success courses, a TRIO Writing Success Project and access to the largest open-access Computer Lab.

All tutors are recommended by faculty and complete a tutor training course on tutoring best practices. Our Tutor Training Program is certified by the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) as Level 1 Tutors.

Tutoring Services
Online Tutoring Options

City College (CCSF) Tutors 

Students can attend drop-in sessions or schedule an appointment with a CCSF tutor in a variety of subjects. Students self-enroll in the Learning Assistance Canvas shell. All schedules are posted below and inside the Canvas course.

On the Homepage:

  1. Click the "Important - Start Here" red tab. Watch the video tutorials on how to book appointment and use the online platform technology.
  2. Click the "Meet our City College Tutors," for tutors' biographies, subjects tutored, and schedules.
  3. Click Online Tutoring on the left side of Canvas to attend a drop-in session or make an appointment.
  4. You will be asked to sign a "User Agreement" your first time.
  5. Choose City College Tutors at the top.
  6. Choose the subject you need tutoring for.
    • Students can attend one-to-one, 30-minute, drop-in sessions
    • Students can reserve a 40-minute appointment with a Math or Economics tutor.
  7. Tutoring sessions are conducted through CCSF's online tutoring platform, using audio or video and an online whiteboard.

Learning Assistance Tutors' Schedules

(Updated daily)

Log into Canvas' Learning Assistance

 Click on "Online Tutoring" to access services

STAR-CA

STAR-CA is a consortium of peer and professional tutors from participating California community colleges (CCC) who offer tutoring services to students.  Professional tutors from City College are part of this program. CCSF students can meet with tutors from this program. STAR-CA tutoring schedule for Fall 2020.

Students can connect with a live tutor and get private, one-on-one tutoring in real time. STAR-CA is entirely web-based. Students will be able to access STAR-CA using their desktop computer, laptop, or mobile device (smartphone/tablet). They do not need to download or install any software.  All tutoring takes place on an intuitive whiteboard interface and is facilitated with course specific tools and functions. 

Click on Online Tutoring in the left navigation of your Canvas course shells to access the service. Scroll down on the screen and click on "STAR-CA."

NetTutor

If a CCSF tutor is not available, students can access live online tutoring in many academic subjects through NetTutor’s trained tutors. NetTutor tutors are available for live sessions, to answer submitted questions, and to review papers 24 hours a day, any day of the week.

Click on Online Tutoring in the left navigation of your Canvas course shells to access the service. Scroll down on the screen and click on "NetTutor."

Tutoring is a one-on-one personal academic support system. Tutors share their knowledge of their subject matter. They work to provide an active learning experience for you by explaining difficult concepts and providing examples for exploration. Tutors encourage, motivate, inspire, and enable you to develop confidence in your academic abilities. The goal of tutoring is to enable students to become independent learners. Tutors are here to guide you, but they can not give you the answers or do the work for you.

Tutors assist students in their weekly assignments and study techniques and are available on a drop-in basis at scheduled hours. The following areas provide free tutoring.

Tutoring is a collaborative process between the tutor and tutee (that's you!) Tutors are here to work with you and help you better understand course material. To get the most out of tutoring, it is best to be prepared for your sessions and be open to learning alongside the tutor. These tips will show you how to prepare for those sessions.   

  1. Each drop-in session is 30 minutes in length when other students are waiting and reserved, online appointments are 40 minutes in length. To make the best use of your time, come prepared. This means having your course materials available to review during the tutoring sessions. This could include course syllabus, books, notes, or other materials. Treat your online sessions the same way you would treat your class and come prepared.  
  2. Stay to the agreed tutoring times.  If for some reason you, the tutee, needs to reschedule, please notify your tutor immediately and cancel your reserved appointment on the Canvas calendar. This way another student can get the help they need. 
  3. Ask questions.  It’s a good idea to come to each session with questions for your tutor about something you are curious about. These questions should be prepared prior to your session while you are studying. Make sure your questions are specific so that your tutor can answer you effectively.   
  4. Agree to the best method of communication with tutor and will stay within those boundaries.  If you prefer audio to video, let your tutor know. The tutor will respect your choices and your tutor deserves the same respect. Tutors are not available to answer ongoing questions through email. Email is used to set up, cancel or ask questions about your appointments.
  5. Get to work.  Learning is a collaborative and active process. Do not be afraid to make a mistake or try things on your own. Stay active in your sessions by working through problems or practice questions with your tutor.
  6. Think about how you learn best. There is a good chance that you and your tutor learn differently. If you don’t understand what your tutor is telling you, ask if the two of you can try a different approach. There are different ways to learn. 
  7. Your tutor is here for your benefit.  Your tutor is here to help you understand the material and retain it longer. A tutoring session is not about lecturing, teaching material from class or giving you answers to problems. It may take longer than expected to learn the material, but stick with it! 
  8. Be patient.  Have patience with your tutor and with yourself. Because learning is a process, the material is not likely to come all at once. 
  9. Stay engaged. Find ways to connect with your material. You may not always be highly interested in your subject, but you can still find ways to relate to the material.   If you’re having trouble, ask your tutor to help you connect material to something that makes sense to you. 
  10. Reduce distractions.  Keep your sessions in a quiet, secluded space and put away things like cell phones, excess materials, or anything that draws your attention away from your work. Maximize your 30-minute session by focusing.
  11. Provide feedback. We want to hear from you! You can share your feedback with us, using the Tutoring Feedback Form. This information is shared with our Department coordinators and tutors to help improve our Online Tutor Program.

The LAD provides free tutoring for City College students in over 25 different subjects. Tutoring is designed to support student learning of course materials. Drop-in sessions can run up to 30 minutes at a time and appointments are up to 40 minutes in length. To ensure a fair distribution of tutorial services and encourage independent learning, students can be limited, at the discretion of the Tutorial Coordinator, in the number of times and the amount of time being spent with a tutor each week or each day for two reasons:

  1. There are other students waiting to be seen.
  2. The student is relying too heavily on a tutor to carry them through the class.
  3. The student has missed two consecutive appointments.

Instructors expect their students to do their own work. Tutors are there to support understanding of course content and support learning. However, too much dependence on the tutor calls into question how much work students are capable of doing on their own.

There are two ways to get more information or help with tutoring services:

  1. Students can complete a Tutoring or Academic Support Information Request Form. 
  2. Students can visit Learning Assistance Virtual Counters and meet with one of our staff or faculty. Scheduled hours and access information is located on the right side of this page under LAD Virtual Counters.