The Collat School of Business has invested heavily in the success of its students, and those investments are paying off.

Collat’s popular drop-in tutoring lab opened in 2014, providing students with extra academic help in business courses. This free service assists all business students, but places special emphasis on quantitative courses that are challenging for students.

Opening in January 2014, the Collat Tutoring Lab has assisted thousands of students in courses such as accounting, finance, economics and quantitative methods, and the program continues to grow.

“The student response has been incredible,” said Jennifer Wycoff, Ph.D., Collat’s student retention expert who runs the lab. “We’re seeing students get the help they need to be successful in courses before they fall behind. That is making a genuine difference in their overall academic success.”

The lab’s tutors are all upper-level business students who excelled the courses offered for tutoring and are highly regarded by professors. Tutoring is offered specifically for AC 200, AC 210, BUS 110, EC 210/ 211, FN 310, IS 204, IS 301, IS 321, MA105 and QM 214/215.

Students can drop in the lab any time without an appointment for assistance, or just use the lab as a quiet place to study.

The lab also offers pre-scheduled (by email to CollatTutorLoab@uab.edu) Skype sessions so students can access tutoring services from anywhere in the world, and the tutors created several videos that focus on challenging key concepts. These videos are available for anyone on demand on the tutoring lab’s YouTube playlist.

The lab is open during fall and spring semesters Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is closed on weekends and holidays. In the summer, the lab is open Monday through Thursday from 12 to 5 p.m.

The university also provides additional tutoring services to enhance student success. The Vulcan Materials Academic Success Center (VMASC) is a supportive environment and delivering academic services for undergraduates that includes tutoring, supplemental instruction, academic advising, success advising, workshops and study hours. VMASC is located in the Education Building, directly across from Starbucks in the Sterne Library.

The university also offers writing assistance through the University Writing Center (UWC), located in Sterne Library. The writing center is a friendly and professional one-on-one setting where students learn to use writing to discover, apply, and communicate knowledge. UWC services are free and available to all UAB students.