CLRC Building

Tutoring Program

Learn more about the Cartwright Learning Resource Center's Tutoring Program!

The Tutoring Program

The College recognizes tutoring as an important component among the reasons for student success. The tutoring program at Santa Barbara City College is free for all students. Tutors are selected based on a peer model, in which many of the tutors are students or near-peers. Therefore, tutoring not only positively impacts the student but also develops the skills of the individual serving as the tutor.

Students are able to make appointments with or drop in to see general tutors in the Writing Center, Math Lab, EOPS Lab, STEM Center, Academic Achievement Zone, Multimodal Lab, Raices, DSPS, and designated Tutoring Commons (in the Cartwright Learning Resources Center and the Luria Library during specified days and times). Some tutors are assigned to specific class sections and may work with the class instructors and students during class as well as outside of class time in one of our tutoring areas. In order to match the needs of the students, SBCC tutors are located throughout campus and online.

Tutor Schedules

Explore the Program

The role of a tutor is to assist or guide an individual toward becoming an independent learner. Tutors integrate subject matter and guidance in a way that expresses and models self-reliance. In the tutoring environment, tutors and students are both teachers and learners.

An embodied tutoring approach allows tutors to adapt their tutoring sessions to the needs of the individuals they work with.

The areas below select their tutors through an application and interview process:

Outside of these areas, tutors are screened and selected by Instructors, Departmental Tutor Supervisors, or SBCC program directors. Tutors are not hired directly by the Tutorial Center.

Students who are interested in tutoring for a specific class, subject, or program but have not yet been recruited by an instructor, tutor supervisor, or program director are encouraged to submit the Interest in Tutoring Google form.

Tutors are hourly workers employed by SBCC. They are paid at the rates outlined in the SBCC Tutor Hiring and Work Experience Guide.

Prospective tutors must meet the following qualifications:

  • If they are an SBCC student, they should be in good academic standing.
  • Be eligible for employment by the district.
  • Be available for the hours approved by the department’s or program’s tutoring budget administrator. See Line-of-Sight Supervision and Collecting Apportionment for Tutoring for more information about schedule limitations.
  • Be available to participate in 12-16 hrs of tutor training in their first semester working as a tutor and 2 hours each subsequent semester of tutoring. Tutor training is mandated by the state education code. Tutors are paid for the training they participate in. More information is available on the Tutor Hiring Information page.

Ways to Find Tutors:

  1. Recruit from among the students in your classes. Many faculty keep an eye out for students who seem like they might be a good fit as tutors for future classes. If you can hire a recent student, this has many advantages. Since they have taken your class, they will have an inside experience of it; you can expect that tutoring for you will benefit them in their learning, their skill building, and their economic support; and other students will relate to them as peers in a way that supports those students' learning.
  2. Recruit from among your former students. Just because a student is no longer attending SBCC, that does not mean that they cannot continue to tutor for you. Many tutors are former SBCC students who continue to work as hourly staff tutors after they have transferred or moved on otherwise. Remote tutoring, in particular, has made this a more common practice.
  3. Ask your colleagues for recommendations. Someone in your department or a related department may know of someone who would make a good tutor.
  4. Recruit non-students. You may know someone through professional connections who would make a good tutor for your class, department, or program and who could tutor as an hourly staff employee.
  5. Recruit from among the tutors already hired by SBCC in recent semesters and are available to tutor for additional classes or programs. Contact the Tutorial Center Coordinator for a link to the list of tutors who have let the TCC know they have this availability. 
    The advantage of this list is that, since these tutors have already completed the hiring process, the approval of an additional work position should be a relatively quick process. Also, you know that at least one other faculty member has found this person qualified enough to tutor since they have already been hired for at least one department or service.
  6. Recruit from among those who have said they are interested in tutoring at SBCC. This is a list maintained by the TCC. Some are students. Some are former tutors. Contact the TCC for a link to the list so that you may contact those listed to see if they might be a good fit based on the details they've provided.

The Tutor Hiring Process

  1. Once a tutor has been selected, the instructor/tutor supervisor/program director should verify the number of hours the tutor can work. This should be done each semester the tutor is working. Below is a list of the budget administrators for each area:

    Accounting

    Cornelia Alsheimer-Barthel

    Allied Health and Nursing

    		  

    Art

    Chandler Hubbard

    Biomedical Sciences

    		  

    Biology

    		  

    Chemistry

    Jess Estrada

    Communication

    Darin Garard

    Computer Applications

    		  

    Computer Science

    		  

    Drafting

    Stephen Strenn

    Earth Sciences - Geology and Geography

    Eiko Kitao

    Earth Sciences - Astronomy

    Sean Kelly

    Economics

    		  

    Engineering

    		  

    English

    		  

    English as a Second Language

    Betsy Cassriel

    Graphic Design

    Abril Orozco

    Library Computer Area

    Corrie Bott

    Learning Resource Center Computer Lab

    Regina Reese, Therese Schweidler

    Mulitmedia Arts and Technology

    Abril Orozco

    Math

    Nina Grimison, Alba Romero

    Physics

    		  

    Psychology

    Leida Tolentino

    School of Modern Languages

    Luis Hernandez

    Sociology

    		  
  2. The tutor submits a Semester Assignment form EACH SEMESTER THEY TUTOR.
  3. The tutor’s SBCC employment status is determined.
    1. New SBCC employees and those who have not been actively employed at SBCC within the last two years will need to complete hiring paperwork assigned by Human Resources.
    2. Tutors with a recent employment history (non-tutoring jobs included) at SBCC must have their tutoring position approved each semester.
  4. The tutor’s employment position is reviewed by the Tutorial Center Coordinator and approved by Human Resources.
  5. The tutor is given access to general employee resources, such as SBCC’s Time and Attendance System.
  6. The tutor is connected to tutor-specific recourses, such as
    1. A licensed Zoom account for online tutoring. The license expires at the end of each term.
    2. Access to our tutor tracking tools, including Accudemia.
    3. Access to SBCC’s Central Tutoring Schedule.
    4. The tutor is added to the Tutorial Center’s Canvas shell to complete required training.

Are you hiring a tutor? Email tutoring@sbcc.edu for more information regarding your tutor’s employment approval status. Tutors MUST have a valid EPAF before they can begin to work.