Liz Rizzatto joined Virginia Peninsula Community College in 2016 as a math instructor assistant in the tutoring department, being assigned a temporary space from the start. That all changed at the beginning of the semester when the College’s tutoring center moved into Room 228B in Kecoughtan Hall, across from the Military & Veterans Services Center.
“Now, we have our own space,” said Rizzatto, who now is VPCC’s tutoring coordinator.
The center had been in the library, with math having a small room and writing in the library itself.
“We’ve been trying to get into a bigger space,” she said. “The old math center, it was nice … but all it took was two or three students and it was loud. It was hard to focus. The students just needed more space to spread out.”
The library’s technical services used Room 228B mainly for storage. Where the math center was now will be storage.
“We’ve kind of swapped out,” Rizzatto said.
The new space, which features tables and chairs, can accommodate about 30 students. The previous location had just six chairs. Six computers are available for student use, but Rizzatto said most students bring their laptops.
In the back of the room is the “Calming Corner.” It’s a lounge area with a small couch. Coloring books also are available.
“It’s an area to decompress,” Rizzatto said.
Among the students dropping by for the tutoring center’s open house Feb. 13 was DeMarco Fox. He has used tutors for English, ethics and computer science. He likes the new space because it’s “bigger, more flexible.” He recommends the center.
“You can learn more information and meet new people as well,” he said.
The space isn’t the only thing expanding. Rizzatto recently hired a tutor who can teach all levels of Spanish. She said she has enough tutors for English, writing, math and most of the sciences, but needs help in anatomy, physiology and information technology.
Math is the busiest subject, accounting for more than half the center’s requests, Rizzatto said.
“That’s always been that way and I think it will always be that way,” she said with a laugh.
Part of that, she noted, is the nature of the subjects. Brainfuse, an online tutoring service available to students, works well with subjects where students can submit papers and receive written feedback or talk with a tutor.
“Science and math, when all you have is a chat and a whiteboard, that’s a communication challenge,” Rizzatto said.
In addition to traditional tutoring help, Rizzatto’s team can assist with general study skills, including navigating Canvas. She said tutors spend most of their time the first few weeks each semester helping students find a lecture video or online textbook.
“A lot of students haven’t been in school, and if you haven’t been in school recently, you are not at all familiar with what is there,” she said. “I have students, they have resources but they don’t know that they are there.”
The tutoring center falls under library services. The hours of the Hampton library are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Thursday; and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday. At the Historic Triangle campus, library operating hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday.
For more information on library services, or to inquire about becoming a tutor, email tutoring@vpcc.edu.