O'Neill Center for Academic Development

The O’Neill Center is operating in an online format throughout the remainder of Spring 2020. Onsite testing will not be available during this time. One-on-one tutoring is available online by appointment. To access the tutoring schedules and make an appointment, see below.

FAQs

Writing and Reading

Get one-on-one, online assistance with your writing and reading skills at any stage of the writing process.

Online writing support is available by appointment to undergraduate and graduate students, including students taking some OTA online and pre-professional courses. To use the online system, you must first register for an account. Then you are welcome to book an appointment on the appropriate schedule. At the time of your appointment, log in to the online system again and click on the appointment you made to start the session.

Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Your paper may be uploaded when you book the appointment or when you return for your session. You will be an active participant in the one-hour, synchronous session, which will occur online with a trained peer tutor who will collaborate with you, help with questions you have, and offer suggestions for going forward with your writing project.

Register or make/access appointments (writing support)

Instructions for online tutoring system

FAQ for students

FAQ for faculty

 

Students in OTA Online and Pre-Professional Courses

The drop-down menu at the top of each schedule lists the courses for which assistance is available. Choose the appropriate schedule to book your appointment. For more information, email daevon@stkate.edu.

Register or make/access appointments (OTA online/pre-professional support)

For support in CFA-BSN, DPT, RAD, or SON courses, email daevon@stkate.edu to be connected with a tutor.

Instructional Videos

Library Research and Citation Help

If you have a research question or a quick citation question that doesn't warrant a tutoring session, contact a reference librarian or consult the library's citation guides.

Writing and APA Instruction in ASL

View these video modules for ASL instruction on the topics of APA writing and citing.

Additional Resources

Discipline-Specific Writing Guides

Take advantage of the writing guides we have created for some of the programs taught at St. Kate's.

Math and Science

Get one-on-one, online assistance in math, statistics, chemistry, biology, physics, and more.

Online support is available by appointment on topics found in core math and science courses through the 2000 level. To use the online system, you must first register for an account. Then you are welcome to book an appointment on the appropriate schedule. The drop-down menu at the top of the math and science tutoring schedule allows you to sort tutors by subject specialty.

At the time of your appointment, log in to the online system again and click on the appointment you made to start the session. You will be an active participant in the one-hour, synchronous session with a trained peer tutor who will collaborate with you, help with questions you have, and offer suggestions for going forward in your work.

Register or make/access appointments (math and science support)

Instructions for online tutoring system

Student mentors are available to lead online study sessions on selected courses. These include

  • Human Anatomy and Physiology (BIOL 2610)
  • Pathophysiology (NURS 2182, NURS 3281)
  • Nursing Interventions (NURS 3291)

Need more information? Contact the O’Neill Center at oneill_center@stkate.edu.

Need to take Statistics, but not quite ready?
MATH 1010 is offered fall and spring terms, on-site and online. Successful completion of MATH 1010 ensures placement into Stats (MATH, PSYC, ECON or HLTH), CHEM 1010 and CHEM 1110/1120.

MATH 1010 is a 2-credit developmental math course designed for students who are under-prepared for college-level mathematics. The course utilizes a web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system, which identifies individual student’s deficiencies and permits each student to work on the mathematical skills and concepts that she needs to master. Each student works at her own pace in an instructor-supported, computer classroom. Class time and required lab component provide 3.5 hours per week of devoted practice time with professional assistance. Attendance and active engagement are considered essential elements of the curriculum.

Blood Flow Review

The following websites review the primary structures of the heart and how blood flows through the heart.

Cardiac Conduction

The cardiac conduction system is the electrical system of the heart. The following links review the structures and the steps of this system.

Respiration

The following links review the essential structures of the respiratory system as well as the process of gas exchange between cells.

Osmosis and Diffusion

Action Potentials

The following websites review how nerve impulses are conducted.

Immune Response

These links review cells, structures, and processes that are involved in immunity.

Urine Formation

The following links review the key structures and steps in the formation of urine.

Autonomic Nervous System

These sites review the divisions of the autonomic system and their roles in the nervous system.

Hormone Control

These sites define hormones, how they form, and how they work.

Muscle Contraction

These sites review the steps of muscle contraction.

Most exams in math and science involve problems where you must apply the concepts and techniques learned in the course to new situations.

Before the Exam

Set up a schedule so you make time to study every day. Cramming the night before will not lead to success.

Do all of the homework problems. For most students, the course grade or exam grade is directly proportional to the number of problems they do. Build confidence by mastering the easier ones before tackling the very difficult ones.

When you seek help from your instructor or the O’Neill Center, be prepared with a list of specific questions. Show the professor your attempts at the problem, and he or she will be able to offer more help.

Get plenty of rest the night before and eat something nutritious the day of the exam. (Fresh fruit is recommended to reduce stress.)

Arrive early for the test so you have time to relax and do not feel rushed.

During the Exam

First do the easy problems. Skip the questions that you cannot immediately answer; later the tougher questions might look more familiar or you may get clues from other questions on the exam. Read the problems carefully. Determine exactly what you are required to find. What does the answer look like? Is it a speed? A temperature? What are the units?

Estimate the answer before you begin to work the problem. It helps to have a rough idea of the size of the answer.

Include the units with all the answers and round them to the proper place (significant digits!) Remember that you do the rounding at the end of your calculation, not before.

Your professor will have worked problems in class and you have worked examples in your text. Try to see the exam problem as another example of a problem you have already solved or studied.

If you feel nervous, remember to take deep breaths to help you relax (nobody will notice). While you are taking deep breaths, replace any negative thoughts with positive thoughts. For example, repeat positive statements to yourself such as “I am relaxed,” “I will be OK; I can do this,” or “I am prepared.”

After the Exam

Go over every question of every test. Learn how to do the problems you have missed. The ideas in math and science courses build upon each other so that you really want to address any confusion that occurs along the way!

Disability Resources

We create and promote accessible and inclusive learning environments.

Testing

The O’Neill Center is not currently providing onsite or online testing.

For information regarding testing accommodations, contact the O’Neill Center at oneill_center@stkate.edu

Alternative Testing

Authorized students will be provided accommodations for alternative testing. This may include testing with extended time, or in an alternative format.

If you would like alternative testing accommodations, you must first reach out to and receive authorization from our Disability Resources Specialists.

Limited testing services are available for multilingual students with authorization from the Director of the O’Neill Center.

Make-Up Testing

No make-up testing is currently available. If you are unable to take your exam at the scheduled time, you will need to make arrangements with your professor.

Math Placement Testing

Information on Math Placement Tests

Study Skills

Improve your studying efficiency and comprehension, and reduce test-taking anxiety by consulting these resources. Contact the O'Neill Center if you need an appointment to go over any of them in more detail.