SMARTHINKING | The leader in on-demand student support

Tallahassee Community College (TCC) has a strong history of developing innovative approaches to help improve student success and persistence. In 2002, TCC was one of 30 schools to be awarded a prestigious Pew Program in Course Redesign grant to use technology to reduce course cost and enhance quality. TCC elected to redesign College Composition, a required course for all degree-seeking students, which at that time had pass rates of less than 60% annually.

In addition, TCC also struggled to provide tutoring services to students in courses that are typically hard to staff by face-to-face tutors and online enrollments were growing in all disciplines.

TCC chose Smarthinking’s Online Writing Lab to help redesign their College Composition course. At the end of the grant, the course redesign was considered a success, resulting in reduced course costs, while increasing writing proficiency and course pass rates.

The success of that initiative gave TCC faculty the impetus to petition for more funding to expand Smarthinking. Today, Smarthinking is a vital component of TCC’s Learning Commons.

TCC also provides Smarthinking’s online tutoring services to students in courses that are typically hard to staff by face-to-face tutors. Students taking courses in health education, chemistry, American history, freshman composition, psychology and physics, among others, have access to Smarthinking’s 24/7 online tutoring.

Data collected by TCC shows (see table) that the more students access Smarthinking for assistance, the more successful they are in passing their class. These results support the continued use and growth of Smarthinking at TCC.

"Smarthinking offers students first quality online feedback and support. It complements our on campus resources and extends our ability to support student learning from developmental studies through college level courses. Students can get help at the moment they need it – not just when the Learning Commons is open to provide it."
Sally Search, Ph.D., Dean, Academic Support Programs