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Student Mentors
Student Mentors are hired by SET to help students with some of the more challenging SET classes and to increase the quality of education in general. Mentors help explain concepts, troubleshoot code, and advise on improving their grades. They share time equally between all of the students who need help.
Mentors may be able to help with the following classes:
- TCSS 305
- TCSS 321
- TCSS 342
- TCSS 343
- TCSS 371
- TCSS 372
- TCSS 380
Student mentors can be contacted via email at UWtechMentors@uw.edu
You can find the current mentor schedule by click the button below:
Want to be a mentor?
Help your peers
If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please email Monika Sobolewska, Mentoring Faculty Advisor, at monikaso@uw.edu. For job description and qualifications, click the button below.
Academic Support Seminars (390 Workshops)
TXXX390 (ie. TCSS 390, TME 390, etc.) courses are workshop-style courses that can help you succeed in some of the toughest courses for each of the SET majors. Workshops offer the opportunity to practice and discuss problems related to specific courses in the core curriculum and are overseen by a faculty member and a student mentor. 390 Workshops can help you solve problems and also develop a deeper understanding of the material.
390 Workshop Details
Data shows that students enrolled in 390 workshops outperform their peers in core courses. Previous 390 students have experienced the following:
- Better grades
- Clarified concepts
- Improved study habits
- Multiple problem-solving approaches
- A consistent peer group
- Helpful feedback on material
- Better lecture preparedness
- Community building
- Low-pressure setting
- Improved critical thinking skills
- Improved communication skills
Sessions involve working on problems in smaller groups.
Groups then share and discuss their solutions.
A student facilitator helps find problems to work on helps when groups get stuck.
Time commitment
The time commitment for each workshop is significant and should be considered carefully. Depending on your time commitments in other parts of your life (job, family, etc.), you might not be able to commit to the time that the workshop is offered.
Paired with two 5-credit classes, adding a workshop is considered a full-time load for financial aid purposes. We recommend this course load for transfer students during your first quarter at UW Tacoma to give yourself the opportunity to adjust to your new setting.
Your comfort zone
Discussion and enthusiastic participation are important features of the workshops. If you are uncomfortable talking to or assisting other students and don't necessarily want to challenge yourself with intense interaction right now, then perhaps the workshops are not for you. On the other hand, the workshops are intended to be a safe place to interact; this could be a good place to challenge yourself.
Results not guaranteed
There is no guarantee that participation in the workshop will improve your grade in the associated lecture course. In both, what you get out of the work is mostly dependent on what work you put in.
Teaching and Learning Center (TLC)
Support for all UWT students
The Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) provides academic support in math, science, statistics and writing to all UWT students. Consultants collaborate with students to develop the skills, strategies, knowledge, and confidence necessary for academic success. They also offer support in using software and calculators for math and statistics and developing the study skills.
Frequently Asked Questions
To master the related course material.
It is sometimes difficult for students to find the time to work on extra problems. It is also sometimes difficult to find other students to talk to. The workshops provide both of these.
The workshops are:
- A place to practice solving problems and reconstruct or rehearse the thinking process from the textbook and lecture.
- A safe place to do this with other people who are there for the same reason.
- A likely way to help you earn a better grade in the related course.
- An opportunity to develop study skills — problem solving, working with others, presenting ideas to others — that will benefit you throughout school and beyond.
- A good way to build a 12-credit course load, which might be important for financial aid purposes.
Identify which workshop is associated with the lecture class you are taking. The UWT Time Schedule will state which workshops support your lecture course. Then enroll into the correctly associated course via MyPlan.
No. Workshops are specifically for students who are enrolled in the course.
No. The students who enroll in the workshop have paid student fees to do so. The salary for the facilitator who runs it is partially paid by those student fees. It would be unfair for others to benefit from their time and effort without paying for it.
No. Workshops are to reinforce concepts that you have learned in class and deepen your understanding of those concepts. This means that you need to work on more than just problems that are assigned to you as homework.
Yes. In the workshops, students start immediately with solving problems. The first week of class is often spent reviewing important material from previous courses. Also, since the quarter only last 10 weeks, it is important to get into the routine of the quarter immediately.
Yes! See SET Student Resources and UWT Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) pages to see what resources you can access, in detail.
An underutilized resource is the instructor of the course you are taking! Get to know your instructor’s office hours. Go to them and ask questions. If you can’t make those office hours, arrange another time with your instructor. You will be amazed at how productive such time with your professor can be. See the SET faculty directory for contact information, or your course syllabus for office hours.
Talk to your SET Academic Advisor or talk to the CSS workshop manager (listed as an instructor for TCSS 390 in the UWT Time Schedule).
