FAQ

We are your resource for any help you might want in your courses at Cumberlands, whether you are on campus or in a far away land. We offer our services both in-person in our space in the Patriot Success Center (basement of the Grover M. Hermann Library), but also virtually. Those services include workshops, resources, study groups (yes, including virtual study groups), and tutoring. We are here whether you simply want to do your best or if you are completely overwhelmed and confused.

Academic Fellows are our rock-star team of students and staff who are here to help you navigate your courses. The Fellows organize study groups and events, and are also available for individual or group tutoring. They are also here to offer the occasional snack, warm welcome, chat about how to contact faculty, or even commiserate on homesickness. In short, we are a very friendly group who want nothing more than to make your program a little easier.

Take a deep breath. You are not alone! If you are having a hard time in one or two courses, schedule a session with a tutor in your content area. And if you are enrolled in the History of Bavaria and don’t see a tutor fit, just shoot us an email at tlc@ucumberlands.edu and we will figure it out. If all of your classes feel overwhelming, please shoot us an email (again, tlc@ucumberlands.edu) and we will create a plan to get you back on track.

Are you a human being who is currently enrolled in some form or course at the University of the Cumberlands? Do you like cookies? Then TLC is for you! Even if you don’t like cookies, although if you see us in person we might try to give you one. TLC is here for students who are excelling in their courses, as well as those of us who are having a harder time. You can access our services without any referral. 

Nope. That is not how we roll. But please bring your dog by, if you get a chance. We will lovingly pet your pooch while keeping our lips sealed.

Not at all! We offer all of our services online, so you can enjoy them with your laptop propped up in front of you in bed while wearing your jammies if you like. We don’t even care if you are in the next building over.

Snacks. Great study space. Friendly people. Did we mention the snacks? We schedule tutoring sessions around your availability. Additionally, the open study area is open the same hours as the library. For assistance with study support resources or to schedule a tutoring session, please email us at tlc@ucumberlands.edu

There is never any costs associated with our services. Nada. Zip. Nunca. 

Please introduce your awesome self to our director, Emily Coleman at emily.l.coleman@ucumberlands.edu. You can also find her in the Patriot Success Center during business hours.

We are located in the basement of the library. You can also find us here.

Planning ahead and want to schedule a session with one of our Writing Fellows? You can choose to meet virtually or in-person. Visit https://www.ucumberlands.edu/learningcommons/writingcenter for instructions on how to schedule! 

We will help you improve your writing skills, which should improve your paper. We will not edit your paper for you.  If we did that, it wouldn’t sound like you, and we want your voice to shine through your writing! 

Our Writing Fellows can help you with all levels of writing, citing, and research and maybe even tips on how to make the perfect smoothie. You can get advice on planning your writing project, gathering research, managing that research, drafting, revising, and citing your sources. We can chat about issues you are having with your project, or you can submit a document for feedback. 

Grammarly to the rescue! Grammarly is a program that can help you spot trouble areas in your writing (all kinds of writing, not just papers!) with grammar, punctuation, word choices, spelling, sentence structure, even plagiarism checking.  Wow, right? Grammarly is a grammar fanatic, but nicer about pointing out all your comma splices.  And no one else has to know how many comma splices you had in your paper before Grammerly so gently pointed them out and showed you how to fix them. 

Download Grammarly

Lucky for you we have style guides that can help you check your citations.  Use the Library’s style guide to check your citations and your format. Sure, you can find some citation checkers online, but user beware! They are not created equal, and none of them can create all your citations correctly. If you really want to be sure it’s right, or you have one of those weird sources to figure out, upload your paper for a citation review or email us at tlc@ucumberlands.edu

Take a deep breath and tell your self ‘you got this’. And then check out the Library’s research guides.  Still can’t find what you’re looking for?  Email The Learning Commons at tlc@ucumberlands.edu, and we can brainstorm a solution together!

First, pat yourself on the back for being so successful in your class so far! Then check out our resources for graduate students.  You can browse through tip sheets and other resources, submit documents for feedback, and connect with a Writing Fellow in-person and online. 

Are you using Academic Writer to help you write and manage your papers and sources? The Writing Center can help you learn how to use Academic Writer to help you excel in all your graduate classes.

Bravo! Don’t worry; we have resources to help you hone your English skills that will help you in your studies. Check out our ESL specific resources: 

Grammar, Reading, and Writing

• English for learners - Grammar, Vocabulary, Idioms, Proverbs, Business | Learn English Today (learn-english-today.com)
• Common ESL Errors Workbook (pearsoned.ca)
• BBC Learning English - BBC Learning English - Homepage
• OWL // Purdue Writing Lab

Listening and Speaking

• The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories | American English (state.gov)
• Listening | LearnEnglish (britishcouncil.org)
• BBC Learning English - BBC Learning English - Homepage