Frequently Asked Questions about SMARTHINKING.com

Q: When can I go online to SMARTHINKING.com and receive help?
A: Online Tutoring hours at SmarThinking.com are designed to be extremely convenient for busy students like yourself. You can use up to fifteen hours of tutoring at a time that is convenient for you.

Q:  What tutoring services does SMARTHINKING offer?
A:  The SMARTHINKING online tutoring service is designed for students who are taking core academic courses. Students can:

• drop into a real-time, subject-specific tutoring “whiteboard” with a SMARTHINKING e-structor (tutor);
• submit a writing assignment to the online writing lab for review;
• pre-schedule time with an e-structor;
• or help themselves to a host of independent study resources. 

Online learning assistance is available from our tutors in accounting, introductory anatomy & physiology, biology, chemistry, economics, introductory finance, mathematics (from basic math to calculus II in Spanish and English), physics, Spanish, statistics,and writing for all subjects.

Q:  How do use SMARTHINKING.com?
A: Find out more here. ^PDF

Q:  What is SMARTHINKING?
A:  SMARTHINKING is a Washington, DC-based organization that provides people, technology and training to help schools and institutions offer outstanding online academic support to their students. SMARTHINKING is currently working with more than 200 institutions supporting six different subject areas, including an online writing lab that covers written components for all courses in all subject areas.

Q:  Who are the SMARTHINKING tutors (“e-structors”)?
A: Unlike other online tutoring companies, SMARTHINKING e-structors are SMARTHINKING employees who are recruited, hired, trained, scheduled, managed and evaluated by SMARTHINKING’s staff. SMARTHINKING e-structors are recruited from a variety of sources, including graduate students, trained college peer tutors, community college faculty, and high school teachers. Only tutors with strong backgrounds in tutoring / teaching in their respective fields are hired by SMARTHINKING. Over 80% of our e-structors have a Master's degree or a PhD in their field.

Q: What are the technology requirements?
A: Please view SMARTHINKING technical requirements page. SMARTHINKING provides technical assistance to users through both a toll-free number (1-888-430-7429) and e-mail info@smarthinking.com.

Q: How does the Online Writing Lab (OWL) work?
A: SMARTHINKING views writing as an act of communication between a writer and reader. SMARTHINKING offers an Online Writing Lab (OWL) to assist you with papers from any of your courses. Go to Tips for Using OWL ^PDF for further details or view a sample essay.^PDF

A helpful way to enhance the writing of individuals at any level is to share it with others during the composing and drafting process. The SMARTHINKING Online Writing Lab provides asynchronous assistance with all types of academic writing, including help from technical writing, creative writing, and "English as a Second Language" specialists. Papers are critiqued and returned to a student’s inbox on their homepage at SMARTHINKING within 72 hours. Each paper submission counts for 30 minutes of tutoring time.

The SMARTHINKING Online Writing Lab e-structor is a supportive and critical reader poised to help students develop their writing, but will not give answers or rewrite papers. Tutor feedback will focus on larger issues (for example, thesis statements and overall organization). Surface-level features including grammar will be addressed as second order concerns. A tutor’s written response to an essay is designed to improve the immediate draft but, above all, to improve a student’s broader skills as a writer.

If you have more questions please call Tutoring at 410-777-2642, e-mail tutoring@aacc.edu or visit SMARTHINKING's User Guide.