The RGASC: A safe space for students seeking academic help
Writing Studio, Caribbean Black Writing Collective and Facilitated Study Groups are among many programs offered by the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre that provide support and academic aid for students.
The Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre (RGASC) at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) is a great place for students to visit. It serves as a great tool for those navigating challenging assignments or seeking support when a professor is unavailable.
The centre helps students with various academic needs regardless of their major. It hosts programs and offers appointments as well as drop-in events to help students enhance their learning and grammar skills among much more. Jordana Garbati, the director of the RGASC, says, “[The RGASC] supports the development of academic skills for student success and the development of instructors’ pedagogical practices.”
Students are able to drop by or book an appointment online via their website. In-person appointments are held on the campus’s Maanjiwe nendamowinan (MN) building on the third level.
Some programs at UTM recommend and offer booking appointments in certain classes to help with an upcoming assignment. CCT109 (Contemporary Communication Technologies) and CCT110 (Rhetoric and Media) are two examples. These courses typically reserve time slots with the centre for students in the class to come in and ask questions without having to book an appointment themselves.
The one-on-one appointments are popular within the centre among students and offer help with three specific fields: writing, numeracy, and study skills. Writing appointments offer help with essays, written assignments, and grammar. Numeracy appointments help students with precalculus, descriptive statistics, logic, and the application of mathematical approaches. Meanwhile, study skills appointments provide help when it comes to understanding lectures, learning how to take notes, and learning ways to make the most out of class time.
The RGASC also offers asynchronous an eTutoring program for English as well as several workshops and drop-in events for undergraduate students. Some programs hosted by the centre include the following:
Writing Studio offers drop-in sessions from September 16 to December 6 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., Monday to Friday. During the session, there will be writing instructors who will be offering help to those dropping in while working on their own writing.
Caribbean Black Writing Collective is held on September 23, October 7, October 21, November 4 and November 18 on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and offers a space for students looking to work on their writing. During these sessions, faculty members who have expertise in numeracy and writing instruction will be available for questions and concerns.
Program for Accessing Research Training is an online program for students interested in research and offers up to three CCR (co-curricular record) notations on their transcript.
English Language Learner Resources is a collection of online resources that provide students with support with things like punctuation and grammar.
Facilitated Study Groups are study sessions run by volunteer senior students who have previously succeeded in a course. These students do not teach content or provide answers but offer support in answering questions and helping others become better learners in a particular course.
Professional English Learning Skills is an online program that offers eight modules over eight weeks asynchronously to help students looking to improve their English language and academic skills, though all students are welcome. The program not only improves reading and listening comprehension for those seeking to learn but also helps develop confidence and comprehension in written and spoken English.
These programs are great for students as they offer various forms of help. Many students shared their positive experiences and success stories utilizing these resources.
One third-year criminology major said when asked by The Medium, “Whenever I have an assignment, like an essay, I always check it out. [The centre] helps so much every time. It brings me so much relief as well [and] really helps with my mental health.”
Another third-year CCIT (Communication, Culture, Information and Technology) major said, “I use [the RGASC] for big essays because I know they can tell me what to improve when I can’t see it for myself.”
Location on the third level in MN in room 3251, the RGASC is available for all students and is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. The centre can be contacted via email at academicskills.utm@utoronto.ca or phone at (905) 828-3858. Visit their website at www.utm.utoronto.ca/rgasc/ for more information.
