Learning Commons

The Learning Commons is a flexible and collaborative environment located both in the main campus library and at the Elmira Center, promoting interactive and engaged learning across subjects, research, and project development. Our professional learning specialists and peer tutors are available for the individualized assistance you need to succeed in college. Students have free access to tutoring in math, writing, science, and many other subject areas.

Services include: in-person tutoring, online tutoring (including live video chat, screen sharing, document sharing, and collaborative whiteboard), in-person or online study groups, skills workshops, supplemental handouts and guides, video tutorials, student-use computers, printing, assistive technology, and easy access to library services.

The SUNY Corning Community College Learning Commons supports the college's vision and mission by providing our students with high quality academic assistance that fosters personal growth, critical thinking, academic success, and life-long learning. Our professional and peer tutors from across the disciplines offer respectful and non-judgmental consultation to individuals or small groups. We collaborate with faculty from all academic divisions, and our flexible learning environment provides academic, occupational, and technological resources that help students achieve their goals.
The Learning Commons has two locations to serve you. On the Spencer Hill (Main) Campus in Corning, the Learning Commons is located on the main/upper level (LIB 111) of the Arthur A. Houghton, Jr., Library. There is an additional location at the Elmira Center (318 Madison Avenue), located on the first floor up from the lobby (ELM 111). Click the LibGuide link that displays the ongoing, updated tutoring hours for the Library Learning Commons, the Elmira Learning Commons, and live remote help.
Drop-ins are always welcome, especially if you have a sudden question or need, but we encourage students to make appointments for all live tutoring sessions so as to guarantee our ability to help you in the most timely manner.

To make a tutoring appointment, use our easy-to-use LibCal appointment booking system, found on MyCorning. You can indicate the time and length of your session, as well as your preferred tutor and the location or mode for tutoring.

Alternatively, you can always email learningcommons@corning-cc.edu, call 607-962-9454, or drop in to get help in making those appointments!

In addition to in-person help in our library and Elmira Center locations, tutoring is also available through video chat and text chat platforms most days of the week, as early as 8am and as late as midnight.

GoBoard is a platform specifically developed for one-to-one or group tutoring. SUNY CCC has an institutional account that allows for up to five people in a room and no time limitations. In addition to video chat and text chat, it features an interactive white board with user-friendly tools that are especially helpful for math, science, business, accounting, writing, and more.

The tutor and the student can draw images (e.g. molecular bonds in chemistry), write math formulas, use an onboard graphing calculator or Wolfram Alpha, annotate student writing or other texts, pull up reference tables and other resources, and of course share screens and image files! Plus, the whiteboard and/or video of the session can be shared with the student for future reference. Check it out at SUNYCorning.GoBoard.com. The program is very easy and intuitive, but here is a GoBoard User Guide if needed. 

Google Meet remains available to students who prefer this platform for remote tutoring. It does not have as many onboard tools as GoBoard, but students and tutors can still video chat, text chat, share screens and documents, and interact through a live whiteboard (JamBoard) with one another.

Remember, with GoBoard or Google Meet, if you do not wish to share video of your face or home, it is perfectly alright to turn off the camera, to just share your screen, or to have the camera directed at your written work. We want you to feel comfortable when getting help!

Students may independently form their own virtual study groups of up to five people by using SUNYCorning.GoBoard.com. Log in as students using your CCC email and invite your classmates and/or your tutor/instructor if you want. The PDF of your shared whiteboard (as it looks at the END of the session) is sent to any student who participated in that session. If needed, a video file of your session can be requested from learningcommons@corning-cc.edu, and given only if you participated in that session.

This kind of assistance can be offered by any tutoring area, but it is most common with writing tutoring. If you would like feedback on a paper that you are currently writing, you can share a draft with us via Google Docs or as a Word document attached to an email. Share/send it to writingtutoring@corning-cc.edu, but please allow up to two business days turn-around time (not counting weekends) for us to get back to you with detailed feedback.

Please indicate what parts or aspects of your paper you want feedback/guidance with, the due date for the assignment, and, if possible, also share your instructor's written directions. We will not edit your paper, but we will provide comments in the margins pointing out trends of error, offering suggestions, and explaining general guidelines for writing and citation. You can also request to work together with a writing tutor in real time via Google Docs!

"Sharing Technology & Academic Resources - New York" Consortium: Remote online tutoring through partner SUNY colleges

Our college's membership in the STAR-NY Consortium allows all SUNY CCC students to get free online tutoring from 7pm to midnight, Sundays through Thursdays.

A professional SUNY college tutor assists the student for up to an hour per night in a live 1-on-1 tutoring session that uses both text-based chat and an interactive whiteboard, plus video chat coming in August 2021. In the summer and winter terms, only math and writing tutoring are offered. However, in the main Fall and Spring semesters, tutoring is available in the following subjects areas:

  • writing
  • math
  • chemistry
  • biology
  • physics
  • psychology
  • economics
  • computer science
  • nursing
  • accounting  
    Within the designated times, you can click the link below to log in for tutoring help: http://www.starny.org/tutoring_schedule

Learning Commons FAQs

Here's a Learning Commons introductory video about our free services and the different ways to access them, either remotely or in person. It includes a short demonstration of how students can book their own tutoring appointments and how to access other online resources.

Director of the Learning Commons: Keith Ward

learningcommons@corning-cc.edu

607-962-9454

 

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