Tutoring Resources

Zoom (Virtual) Tutoring is a great resource for students who’d like to review Math problems with a tutor or talk with a tutor without having to come to the SF campus. Zoom Tutoring is a video-chat service that allows you to work one-on-one with a tutor, or in a group using the ZOOM web-conferencing platform.

Students with learning disabilities can access specialized services by contacting The Office of Disability Resources & Academic Accommodations at 415-442-7862 or gguds@ggu.edu

Scheduling an Appointment

Before your first appointment, please make sure to download and install the ZOOM client.

Appointments Encouraged but Drop-Ins Welcome!

• Schedule a ZOOM Appointment 15 minutes in advance
• Cancel a ZOOM Appointment 30 minutes in advance

Connecting to a Tutor via Zoom

• Connecting to Zoom via computer: Go to https://zoom.us/j/154380467
• Connecting to Zoom via phone: Enter the Math Lab Meeting ID: 154-380-467

Eric Easton, Math Tutor

Eric has a master’s degree in statistics from California State University, and he joined our math tutoring staff in 2015.

In Memoriam: Shoshana Asher, Math Tutor

Shoshana was a UC Berkeley graduate with an MA in mathematics. She taught and tutored math at GGU for over twenty years and helped more students than we can count. She passed away Jan. 3, 2022, and will be sorely missed by her students, friends, family, and colleagues.

Do I have to make an appointment?
Yes, appointments are required for ZOOM tutoring.

Can students from the same class come for tutoring together?
Yes, we welcome groups from the same class. Appointments can be made for up to 4 students from the same class.

How can I prepare for my math tutorial?
The tutors have been instructed not to do your homework for you, nor can they be expected to provide a lecture that you have missed. However, they can help with homework when you are “stuck.” Be prepared with questions about specific concepts, problems, or concerns.

Can I bring a take-home exam to the math tutors?
It depends on your instructor. They have the right to prohibit take-home exams from the lab. If not prohibited, then you may ask the tutor questions about the exam topics in general, but tutors will not assist with specific exam questions.

What if the tutor doesn’t know the answer to my math problem?
We wish we could solve every single math problem, but it’s not possible! Tutors deal with over a dozen different classes, textbooks, and teachers; we do our best, but sometimes we get “stumped” too. If this happens, your best resource is always your instructor.

• Schedule a ZOOM Appointment 15 minutes in advance
• Remember to Cancel a ZOOM Appointment 30 minutes in advance if you cannot keep it
• Before your first appointment, please make sure to download and install the ZOOM client.
• Connecting to ZOOM via computer: Go to https://zoom.us/j/5919072630
• Connecting to ZOOM via phone: Enter the Writing Lab Meeting ID: 591-907-2630

Keep in mind that submitting work to the OWL is just one step in writing a successful paper. After tutors return a student’s submission, the student will need to review it carefully. OWL tutors provide feedback and point out problem areas, but they do not “correct” errors or edit papers: it is the students’ responsibility to make corrections and edits. We encourage students to submit work multiple times, for feedback on grammar, organization and development, and documentation. Students should submit all papers via the Submission Form.

Students with learning disabilities can access specialized services by contacting The Office of Disability Resources & Academic Accommodations at 415-442-7862 or gguds@ggu.edu

Submission Form

• Use the Submission Form each time you submit a paper, or portion of a paper to the OWL.
• Make sure your own e-mail address is correct.
• Identify one category for tutor feedback: grammar and mechanics; organization and development; or documentation.
• Instructors are cc’d when tutors return papers to students. If you do NOT want your instructor cc’d, write “n/a” in place of your instructor’s e-mail address. ITM & OP students must provide their instructor’s email address.
• Students may submit work directly to owltutors@ggu.edu, if the Submission Form is not working.

Submission Guidelines

• Please limit submissions to two within a 12-hour period, 1000 words per submission
• Submit Your Paper any time: The OWL is open around the clock, 24 hours days, 7 days/week, including weekends and holidays.
• E-mail owltutors@ggu.edu if more than 24 to 48 hours have passed with no response from the OWL.
• Only GGU students enrolled in GGU courses may submit work to The OWL
• Tutors spend approximately 30 minutes per submission.
• If you’d like feedback on your entire paper, please work with a ZOOM tutor.
• Graduate students in specialized fields such as tax, accounting, finance: Please consult with the tutors regarding Grammar & Mechanics only. Confer with your professors or departments for feedback on documentation and content issues.

Email: owltutors@ggu.edu
Phone: 415-442-7044

• If you do NOT want the OWL to cc you when we return your students’ work, please direct your students to write “n/a” in place of your e-mail address on the Submission Form.
• If you REQUIRE students to include your email address, please remind students to provide your correct email address.
• GRADUATE STUDENTS IN SPECIALIZED FIELDS, SUCH AS TAX, ACCOUNTING, FINANCE should consult with the tutors regarding Grammar & Mechanics only and should confer with professors or departments for feedback on documentation and content issues.

• How to make and cancel appointments
• For a list of abbreviations that tutors use in their responses, check out this handout: OWL tutors generally spell out a word or phrase on the first use. Subsequent references to words and phrases are usually abbreviated. Links to websites on the issue and page numbers for Keys for Writers (Raimes, 2014) are included after each abbreviation.
• Just 4 Rules is a quick look at how to document sources, APA style.
• What to Expect from the Writing Tutoring Services prepares students for their tutoring sessions and helps them apply tutor comments and feedback.
• Guide to Grammar and Writing
  Similar to a grammar handbook, with information on Sentence Level issues (verbs, punctuation, clauses) and Paragraph and Essay Level issues, this site by Capital Community-Technical College also offers Interactive Quizzes and an “Ask Grammar” feature which allows you to submit a question about English grammar or usage.
• Paradigm Online Writing Assistant
  Offers students help with writing all types of essays, from informal to argumentative to exploratory writing, providing guidance on organization, development, and thesis statements. A content-oriented site, it’s an extraordinarily useful guide through the writing process.
• Purdue University
  An award-winning site, Purdue offers a variety of resources for you, including handouts. It also has a Business Writing section, with information on general business writing issues, such as memos, letters, and resumes.

What do I do if I don’t get my paper back?
If you don’t receive your paper back within 24-48 hours, please send an inquiry to owltutors@ggu.edu and we will track down your submission and send it out to you ASAP.

Can anyone submit a paper to the OWL tutors for review?
Any GGU student, including students at the regional campuses and alumni, may submit a paper for review. We cannot accept papers from non-GGU students, and we cannot respond to papers for courses at other schools.

Why do I have to fill out the Submission Form?
The OWL Tutors want to get as much information about your assignment as possible, so that they don’t have to waste time asking you to clarify the scope of the assignment. When you submit a draft for review, please fill out the instruction box, letting us know what areas you’d like feedback on, and we’ll do our best to focus on your specific needs.

Do I need to fill out a Submission Form every time I submit a paper?
Yes! Even if you’ve already filled out a form and you are just re-submitting the same paper, you still need to fill out the Submission Form. We have seven OWL tutors working in 12-hour shifts, so it’s necessary for students to fill out a complete Submission Form every time a paper is submitted, even if they are sending in a paper for a second or third time.

Why is there a 3-page submission limit?
Why are students limited to 2 submissions within a 12-hour period?
Why can’t OWL tutors respond to my entire paper at one time?
We limit your sessions to provide all students an opportunity to receive tutoring services. If a student submits a 10-page paper, or even a five-page paper, an OWL tutor cannot respond to all of that material within 30 minutes. As with the Writing Lab, we keep sessions to 30 minutes, per student. We do allow students to submit more than once during a 24-hour period–but please do not submit more than 2 papers within 12 hours.

We have a second reason for limiting submissions: sometimes it’s a fine line between providing feedback to a student and editing a student’s work. When a student turns in a long paper and wants input on the entire piece, then we begin to worry about this fine line. At what point does a tutor begin to have too much impact a student’s paper? We believe that limiting submissions will require a student to do the actual work on a paper — OWL tutors provide guidance and feedback, but we are NOT an editing service.

Who are the OWL tutors?
We are professionals with graduate degrees in English or Writing and have several years of tutoring and teaching experience. Many of the tutors are published authors and some tutors also teach at GGU, both in the classroom and online, and/or tutor in the Writing Lab.

Can I send my work through my eLearning class conference page?
No. We are separate from eLearning, so please submit your work using the OWL Submission Form.

Can any GGU student use the OWL?
Yes. All undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral GGU students in any GGU course may submit papers, cover letters, resumes, letters of application or other writing they would like help with.