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• Request and schedule appointments with advisors and tutors without having to contact or visit these offices
• Integrate Google Calendar with GradesFirst so that you can have all of your calendars in one place

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GradesFirst and Google Calendar

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• Integrating GradesFirst with Google Calendar – Integrate the class schedule, tutoring appointments, and advising appointments that appear in GradesFirst with your Google Calendar.
• Integrating Google Calendar with GradesFirst – Integrate your personal Google Calendar with GradesFirst so that tutors, professors, and advisors can see when you're available and when you're busy.  They will not be able to see the details of the events that you created in Google Calendar.

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Advising Centers

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• Scheduling a tutoring appointment using GradesFirst, for students
• Requesting a tutoring appointment using GradesFirst, for students
• Signing in and out of a kiosk, for students

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Changes to the ACE Lab

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NOTE:  Some professors may require their students to visit specific UWF tutoring centers, so check with your professor to be sure you are visiting the correct tutoring service.

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1. Attend all class meetings.  Tutors are not responsible for teaching you concepts that your professors discuss in class; the tutors should only help you understand the materials.  So, the more you attend class, pay attention during class, and take sufficient notes, the more likely that the tutors will be able to help you.
2. Know your class assignments and your professor's instructions before attending your tutoring session.  Sometimes, not understanding the assignments and your professor's instructions can keep you from learning and from completing your work.  Discuss the assignments and the instructions with your professor to make sure you understand them.
3. Complete as much of the homework on your own as possible, and study as much of the material on your own as possible.  You will make the most of your time and the tutor's time if you read the text, review your class notes, and prepare your questions beforehand.
4. Bring the appropriate materials (textbooks, assignments, class notes, handouts, calculator, syllabus, etc.) to your tutoring session.
5. Have your questions already written down.  If you can, write down specifically what you are having issues with.  Writing these down will help you determine what you do and do not know, and will assist your tutor in helping you.
6. Do not wait until the last minute to realize that you need help.  Budget your time wisely.  Understand that having smaller study sessions over a longer period of time is much better than cramming for several hours before a test.
7. Be prepared to talk as much as, or even more than, your tutor!  The best way for you to learn the materials, and the best way for the tutors to make sure you are learning, is to have you use your words to explain the concepts being discussed.  Keep in mind that choosing words that accurately reflect what we're thinking is a difficult, but necessary process.
8. Understand that you are the one responsible for your grades, not the tutors, not the professors.  Professors instruct.  Tutors and other student support services assists.  But you are the one who is ultimately responsible for making sure you are prepared for your classes.  Do your best to make sure you are prepared.

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Preparing for a Paper Reading Appointment

1. Review the seven tips above.
2. Determine which tutoring center your professor prefers.  For class credit or extra credit, some professors require that their students visit the ACE Lab while other professors require the Writing Lab; and there are some who don't have a preference.  At any rate, the tutors at either tutoring center are just likely to be proficient in helping you with brainstorming and research techniques, thesis statements, paragraph development, logical progression, word choice, and formatting.
3. Consider scheduling an appointment with the ACE Lab if an ACE tutor specializes in the specific course that you need help in.  Writing a good paper includes having a strong understanding of the course materials.  Just as with any other communication medium, a good paper will communicate a clear, concise message to its audience (the professor) and will show that you (the author of the paper) know what you're talking about.  
4. Consider scheduling an appointment with the Writing Lab if you need help revising the grammar of your paper.  Yes, some people view grammar as a needless set of trivial rules that distract from the "real meaning" of a message.  But the fact remains–in a culturally diverse society like ours, a society that consists of many language dialects, learning and following the conventions of Standard American English is one of the best ways to communicate clearly and effectively with English speakers from different backgrounds.  The Writing Lab tutors undergo continuous grammar training throughout their employment to make sure they can help you understand grammar and create grammatically correct sentences.
5. Know that your tutor will give two basic types of suggestions:  one that aims to correct grammar and formatting mistakes, and one that aims to improve the paper's style.  Grammar and formatting are almost always consistent, but stylistic choices differ widely, depending on the tutor, the student, the professor, and the writing situation.
6. Regardless of the type of suggestion, understand that anything the tutor suggests regarding your paper is just that, a suggestion.  You have the right to accept or reject any and all suggestions that your tutor provides.

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