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FAQ

Upcoming ULC Hours

Closing at 5pm on Wednesday March 27th. No services Thursday-Sunday (office will be open Thursday 8am-5pm). Services resume at 9am on Monday April 1st.

Frequently Asked Questions

STEM Services offers the STEM Lab, which covers many popular Math, Science, and Computer Science courses, as well as one-on-one and small group tutoring appointments for select courses. Check our online appointment system or call or email the ULC to see whether one-on-one or small group appointments are offered for a specific course.

Writing Services appointments, and the Writing Lab, are available for all academic writing needs across the curriculum. All undergraduate and graduate students may use Writing Services.

Tutoring Services offers one-on-one and small group tutoring for high-demand courses, including many University Studies courses. Refer to this list of currently covered courses.

Supplemental Instruction (SI) offers support for certain courses with high D/F/W rates. One-on-one tutoring is not provided for courses covered by Supplemental Instruction. Refer to this schedule of currently ongoing SI sessions.

Study Sessions (link includes current schedule) offer active group study environments that cover a range of popular courses, including World Language, Math, and Business courses.

Academic Achievement Services offers peer mentoring support that is tailored to your specific needs, including but not limited to topics such as organization, note-taking, testing strategies, and time management.

The ULC provides peer academic support. This means that our ability to provide academic support is dependent on the availability of qualified UNCW students to work as peer consultants, leaders, mentors, and tutors. We cannot guarantee the availability of academic support.

In general, the ULC offers two main kinds of help: appointments and drop-in.

Appointments must be made at least 24 hours in advance:

Drop-In services are available during scheduled hours:

  • STEM tutoring is available on a walk-in basis during STEM Lab hours.
  • Writing help for quick, specific questions is available on a walk-in basis during Writing Lab hours.
  • Supplemental Instruction and Study Sessions are offered weekly and any student in the supported courses can drop in to any of these sessions.

Asynchronous services are available whenever the ULC is operating:

  • You can submit a paper for any course for review through our Online Writing & Learning (OWL) service at any time during the semester.
  • How long this process takes depends on the volume of submissions we are receiving. Always submit your paper as early as possible.

No. Since all tutoring is collaborative, with the ultimate goal being your development as an independent learner, we will not go over your work in your absence. However, you are welcome to submit papers through our Online Writing & Learning (OWL) service.

There is no limit to how often you can visit the STEM Lab and work with a STEM tutor. For STEM courses, you can schedule a one-on-one tutoring appointment up to twice per week per course during the Fall and Spring academic semesters. Check our online appointment system or call or email the ULC to see if one-on-one tutoring is offered for a specific course.

There is no limit to how often you can visit the Writing Lab. For all courses, you can schedule a one-on-one Writing Center appointment up to twice per week per paper or course during the Fall and Spring academic semesters. You can submit a paper through our Online Writing & Learning (OWL) service at any time during the semester.

For Tutoring Services course tutoring, you can schedule an appointment up to twice per week per course during the Fall and Spring academic semesters. These two appointments should be scheduled on different days. A two-hour session on one day is not permitted. There is no limit on the number of courses.

There is no limit to how often you can attend Study Sessions or Supplemental Instruction.

For Academic Achievement Services mentoring, you can schedule an appointment up to twice per week per course during the Fall and Spring academic semesters.

Summer STEM, Writing, and Tutoring Services tutoring appointment eligibility is a maximum of one appointment daily.

ULC services are conducted during center hours in DePaolo 1056 or online.

The Peer Educator will begin by assessing the needs / concerns you have about the course. In a Writing Services appointment you will be asked to read your paper aloud.

In a Tutoring Services or STEM Services appointment, you may be asked to demonstrate what you already know. These processes help the Peer Educator to assist you in identifying mistakes, omissions, and opportunities for revision.

The Peer Educator may stop you along the way to ask a question or discuss an idea. Peer Educators are trained to help you master the concepts and / or skills you need to effectively manage your own learning. 

Instead of correcting homework or proofreading papers, you can expect your Peer Educator to guide you toward skills that will help you avoid repeating mistakes, allow you to correct erroneous thought processes, and imagine new approaches to your work.

To assist in this process, be sure to bring with you the tools you will need, such as the course syllabus, textbook, writing assignment description, etc.

View Preparing for Your Appointment

View the Best Approach to Using the Stem Lab

If the appointment is more than 24 hours away, log in to our online appointment system and cancel the appointment. You can find detailed instructions on our Appointments page. If you are having online difficulty, call or email the ULC front desk staff.

If the appointment is fewer than 24 hours away, call or email the ULC front desk staff immediately. Appointments canceled fewer than 24 hours in advance will be counted as missed appointments.

Please familiarize yourself with our Attendance Policy.

To request a group appointment for a service that offers them, email the ULC with the course (e.g. SPN 201), and the names and 850 numbers of the students that will be attending. You can also request an appointment through our online appointment system and manually note that it will be a group appointment (also include the other students' names and 850 numbers in this case). The Attendance Policy applies to group appointments, so dropping in to a friend's appointment is not allowed.

No. Classes supported by SI are not supported by Tutoring Services. Exceptions are only made for students who have verifiable class conflicts or documented work conflicts with the scheduled SI sessions.

No. You must currently be enrolled in the UNCW course in order to be assigned to a tutor.

Yes. Select UNCW online courses are supported. Refer to each service page to see whether your course is supported, or call or email the ULC.

You can submit a paper for any course for review through our Online Writing & Learning (OWL) service at any time during the semester.

Please see our Online Services Policy as well as our Online Help page for more information about the online resources available.

For help preparing for the writing portion of a standardized test, make a Writing Services appointment, and bring any sample prompts or assignments you are able to.

For help preparing for the math portion of a standardized exam, math tutors are available in the STEM Lab on a drop-in basis to help, if you provide sample problems.

UNCW's Office of Continuing and Professional Education also offers a variety of stantardized test preparation resources.

The University Learning Center does not provide academic support outside the university community. The Education Lab in the Watson School of Education does offer some tutoring of grade school children. For more information, call 910.962.3633.

Contact Us

Regular office hours:

Monday - Thursday: 8:00am - 9:00pm

Friday: 8:00am - 5:00pm

Sunday: 2:00pm - 9:00pm

Hours vary by service

Services are only available during Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters, when on-campus classes are in session; limited hours during exams

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