Welcome to Glendale Community College Learning Center

We're glad you're here and wish you every success as you pursue your educational or vocational goals.

Among the many free College Services offered to students of Glendale College is the GCC Learning Center

We're here for you! We're here for any student, professor or staff member...anyone who wants to improve or build academic skills.

How can we help?

-We offer free peer tutoring in most subjects in our Tutoring Center. If you feel you need extra support in some subjects, we arrange it so that a student who has already passed the course and perhaps had your teacher, can work with you in the Center.

-We offer help in writing in our Writing Center. Our tutors work with you through each step of the writing process, from brainstorming for ideas, forming a thesis, making an outline, and completing a draft. They won't write the paper for you, but they will help you write and revise your work yourself.

-We have an excellent Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) Lab with complete review courses in Reading, Writing, and Math. We offer one-unit mini courses in Vocabulary Building and Grammar using these materials. Access to the Internet is also available in the CAI Lab.

-We have a videotape and DVD library of instructional materials left by instructors for student use. All can be viewed at stations in the Center...some may be borrowed for home use.

-The Learning Center is a place where students dissatisfied with their initial assessment test scores may take Challenge exams for the English Class Placement. The Center is also one of two places on campus where instructors may arrange students to take make-up exams outside of the normal class time.

The Mission of the Tutoring Center is to provide Glendale Community College students with an efficient and effective tutoring service at no cost. We aim to help students become independent learners which leads to student success.

Tutoring is available for many classes, but primarily, students come to the Center for help in English and Mathematics

An important part of our tutoring service is the Writing Center, which offers students help in writing for any class, including paragraphs, essays, business letters, research papers, and abstracts. Enrollment in an English or ESL course is not necessary. In fact, tutors often help students in social science and other classes that require reports and essays with everything from works cited pages to college application essays.

Since instructors often work with hundreds of students each week, they may not have the time to give individual attention to each and every student. The Writing Center is best for students who want help in specific areas of their writing and have some writing samples available to show their tutor. Students should also bring any assignments to their session.

Our tutors will not do the assignment for you; they are not allowed to proofread or edit your work. They are not supposed to "correct" your work as an instructor might. Instead, the Writing Center staff will use your written work as a way to help you learn to edit, revise and correct your OWN work. Tutors will also assist students in clarity, organization, development, and mechanics.

Tutors are recommended by their instructors and approved by Learning Center staff. Tutors also undergo training though our Student Development 150 class.

Currently we limit sessions with tutors depending on availability. It is best to make an appointment to make sure you have the time you need.

Peer tutors are no substitute for actually talking with your professor during his or her office hours; tutors cannot rescue you if you are not showing up or putting in the work needed to learn in a class. But our tutors are here to support and help you.

You may make an appointment for tutoring in 2 ways:

You can drop in room AD 232 and make an appointment at our appointment desk.

Or you can call the tutoring center at 818-240-1000, extension 5333.

The Computer Assisted Instruction Lab is another free service in the Learning Center. It features software which helps students practice their skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. Complete comprehensive self-paced courses are available. Students may work on particular skills or follow a curriculum based on self-administered diagnostic tests.

If you are taking an ESL class, a Reading course or an English composition course like English 120,192, 191, 190, 189 or 188, it's likely your professor will assign some of these materials for lab work. Outside of class assignments, any student may drop-in and use the lessons.

Do you think you could have done better on your Assessment Tests? Do you believe that you should be in a higher-level class? Come to the Learning Center and talk to staff to arrange to take the Written Challenge exam. Make an appointment with us, giving you at least 2 hours without interruption. The Challenge exam consists of a short essay on a subject given to you just before the test starts. Three English professors will read your paper and if they agree that your challenge was successful, you will be notified and you will be permitted to register in the higher class.

We also help instructors by proctoring make-up tests. These must be arranged between the professor and learning center staff.

Things to Remember About the Learning Center

-Did we say it's free, free, free for currently enrolled student?

-Always check-in at the door whenever you use the Learning Center or any of the services. We use the records to keep track of how better to help students. Also, professor often give credit for lab hours done in the Center and we provide class reports for professors who ask for them. You'll need to have a GCC student I.D.Card.

-Our hours are posted at the door.

The goal of tutoring offered in the Center is to help you become an independent learner. So there are some things that a tutor cannot do:

A tutor cannot violate the professor's policies.

A tutor cannot do your homework. You need to have reviewed your notes/text and attempted your homework assignment before you meet with the tutor. You should make a note of concepts with which you are struggling so that the tutor can review those with you and help you to work similar problems.

A tutor cannot take the place of the professor or the professor's lecture. A tutor cannot help you if you are not attending class, paying attention in class or attempting to take notes.

A tutor cannot rescue you. If you haven't been studying regularly, a tutor cannot provide a solution for a quick recovery. You should meet with a tutor or talk to your professor as soon as problems develop.

A tutor cannot have the answer to every question. Tutors are knowledgeable in their subject area, but they are not a substitute for the professor and they cannot be expected to know everything. However, they will make every effort to find the answers to your questions and model the steps that successful students use to find solutions.

You can only receive tutoring for classes in which you are enrolled.

We cannot provide tutoring for the GCC Placement Test; if you need to "brush-up" in preparation for this test, you may use our Computer assisted Instruction materials or our video library.

-Any questions ...come and talk to our staff, or see Professor Doyle, the Director of the Learning Center.

Every year thousands of students use the Center to aid their academic success...You can be one of them.

Remember: We're here for you...

Check out the Glendale College Web page at