Rules & Guidelines

Tutoring Limits

• Students may meet with tutors in real time (whether online, in a center, or a mix of the two) for up to four (4) hours per week and may request up to two (2) additional hours per week. Requests are reviewed on Thursdays in order to allow students time to use the additional hours if the request is approved. Requests are submitted using the Additional Hours Request Form. The weekly hours count resets at 6 PM CST / 7 PM DST on Sundays.
• The CLE contracts tutoring hours through Upswing to provide access to tutoring support after hours. All STC students are granted three (3) hours of tutoring with Upswing tutors at the beginning of each semester. Students who exhaust these hours and would like to request more may submit an Additional Hours Request Form. Tutoring with CLE tutors is not subject to the three (3) hours per semester limit. CLE tutors are clearly identified in the Upswing system by the ”STC TUTOR” banner on the tutor’s photo and a caption under that photo. The semester cap counter resets on the first day of classes each semester.
• Students are limited to three (3) asynchronous writing submissions per week, and requests for additional submissions are not considered. Students are welcome to meet with a tutor on campus or online in real time to seek assistance beyond the three (3) weekly submissions, at which point the real-time tutoring caps described above would apply.

Independent Study

Some instructors may ask students to study or work in the CLE on their own.  Students may study independently either on the main tutoring floor or in a CLE study room. Students can request documentation of the study time through a Single Student Attendance Report.

Here are the necessary steps to track Independent Study sessions:

• Students must sign in with the CLE front desk staff for independent study and must physically be at the campus CLE to do this.
• Students must inform front desk staff when signing in and signing out for independent study to document the full session time. Note: Student sign-ins may be canceled for failure to properly sign-out.
• To ensure your instructor or program can accurately see the different activities you are participating in (independent study, tutoring and/or academic coaching), students must sign in for each individual service.
• Single Student Attendance Reports can be requested in person at any campus CLE.  These reports are not accessible online.

Study Rooms

Study room procedures may vary by campus.  Any modification of the procedures shown below will be posted at the respective campus CLE. 

• Study rooms cannot be reserved and will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Users must provide a student or government photo ID to check out a study room.
• Study rooms may be used for a maximum of three (3) hours at a time. If a student needs a room longer than three (3) hours and no other student has requested the room, special permission may be given to extend the check-out time.
• Because study room spaces are limited, student groups are given priority over individual users, especially after the first hour of use.
• Only wrapped snacks and drinks with lids are allowed in study rooms.

Open Computer Labs

Open Computer Lab areas in the CLE are available for use by South Texas College students, faculty, staff, and community users. Please be aware that since tutoring and other student support services are occurring nearby, conversation is audible. The Open Computer Labs website provides information on the Computer Use Policy and the Printing Guidelines for computers in the CLE.

Textbooks

Some textbooks are available at all campus CLEs. Textbooks can only be checked out for two hours and must remain in the center. To ask if a specific textbook is available for check out, contact your campus CLE.

Student Accessibility Services

• The CLE does not provide interpreters or scribes for tutoring sessions. If you would like to request an interpreter or scribe for a session on campus, please contact Student Accessibility Services.
• Students seeking additional tutoring support must submit a request for additional tutoring hours each week as needed. Requests will be reviewed by a committee.

Community Users

Former students and other members of the community may utilize CLE facilities when available, and may arrange for services such as tutoring assistance and study room reservations. However, community users will not have access to Upswing tutoring services.

The CLE gives priority service and use of equipment and facilities to students currently enrolled at South Texas College. If you are a community user with limited time, please ask your campus CLE staff for recommendations on when services are more readily available. Learn how to obtain a Community User card, which is provided by the library, by visiting the Community Users section of the Library website.

Children Under 18 Years Old

Centers for Learning Excellence (CLE) tutors are trained to meet the developmental and content needs of collegiate courses, and do not provide tutoring for K-12 courses.  High school students are eligible for tutoring in their STC Dual Credit courses and academic writing.

The CLE holds a minor's parents or legal guardians responsible for the minor's actions while in CLE physical and virtual spaces. Children under the age of 18 who are not enrolled in STC classes may not be left unattended in the CLE. Parents or guardians of disruptive minors will be asked to take action to stop the disruption, which may include removing the minor from the CLE.

Disruptive Behavior

The following are examples of behavior that will not be allowed in the CLE in person or during online sessions:

• Any behavior that endangers the safety and health of others
• Violation of any college policy or local, state, or federal law
• Vandalism or deliberate destruction of CLE materials
• Theft of CLE materials or the personal property of other CLE users or staff members
• Deliberate disruption of CLE procedures
• Loud talking, laughing, or abusive language that could disturb others

Unattended Items

The STC CLE and CLE staff will not be held responsible for unattended items. Unattended items will be collected by STC Department of Public Safety staff to ensure safety and security of the items. Individuals may contact the Department of Public Safety to retrieve items.