Academic Support Programs

Welcome to CLUE

CLUE tutoring is more than a resource you can access when you're struggling in a class; it's a welcoming, inclusive space for students to connect, ask questions about various subjects, prepare for exams, and have support on homework.

Get tutoring  online or in-person, check out our calendar of live discussion sessions and exam reviewslearn about the subjects we cover, meet our tutors, and watch a video about in-person CLUE

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In person Drop-in Tutoring

In person tutoring takes place in Mary Gates Hall commons from 7 pm- 11 pm. Husky cards are required for after hours (after 5pm) access to the building. 

 

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Virtual Drop-in Tutoring

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Virtual Drop-in tutoring is available during CLUE hours Sunday- Thursday from 7 pm- 11 pm. Please check back then. Once you enter the portal and a tutor is ready for you, they will call you and a Zoom link will be provided via a banner notification.

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Discussion Sessions & Exam Reviews

Discussion sessions take place either in person (MGH 2nd floor) or virtually. Virtual exam reviews are offered for on-sequence introductory courses in the following subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Math & Physics.

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Biology Study Groups

Biology Study Gropus take place weekly in person in Mary Gates Hall 248. Study group signups are full for Fall Quarter and will reopen week 1 of Winter Quarter.

Hours, Updates & Cancellations

CLUE will run on an adjusted schedule in observance of Thanksgiving and Native American Heritage Day. Please see the updated schedule below:

  • Tuesday, November 26 (Virtual Only)
  • Wednesday, November 27 (CLOSED)
  • Thursday, November 28 (CLOSED)
  • Sunday, December 1 (Virtual Only)

 

Community Standards

CLUE provides a space for all students to be included, challenged, and supported in their educational journey. We expect that tutors and students alike enter into this space with respect for one another and treat others with kindness.

Contact Us

Do you have questions? Suggestions on what we can do better? Email us at clue@uw.edu

Feedback

Email us at clue@uw.edu.

Subjects

We can help with the following subjects and courses:

  • Introductory Biology: BIOL 180, 200, 220

Biology Drop-in tutoring is offered this quarter virtually on Sundays and Mondays and in-person in Mary Gates Hall on Mondays from 9pm, Tuesdays from 9pm, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Tutoring is available from 7 pm- 11 pm. It is a one-on-one tutoring session between you and a tutor.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s our approach to tutoring Biology?

Our goal is to engage you with the question, helping you work through it so that you feel confident in finding the solution on your own. You are expected to bring your own questions regarding your lecture material, course homework, exams, or practice problems. We will first ask you to explain your approach to the problem before we start helping you. This allows us to understand where you may have gone wrong and identify any concepts that need further clarification. Then, we will ask leading questions and hopefully guide you to a satisfactory answer.

We approach tutoring Biology with a growth mindset, aiming to clarify concepts and then practice applying them to new novel situations. We foster a discussion-based method of tutoring involving back-and-forth conversation between tutor and student that focuses on increasing overall biological understanding.

What should I bring to a tutoring session?

Bring a question or an attempted problem, along with a genuine desire to learn. We truly want to help you! However, if you are not actively engaged in the learning process and in working through the steps with us, we may not be able to provide the support you need.

Please bring any material related to your biology coursework. This includes class notes, practice problems/homework, previous exams, etc.  Additionally, please be prepared to discuss these topics in-depth, and bring a positive growth mindset to tutoring.

Meet the Biology Tutors

We can help with the following subjects and courses:

  • General Chemistry: CHEM 110, CHEM 120, CHEM 1X2 series (142, 152, 162), CHEM 1X5 series (145, 155, 165)
  • Organic Chemistry: CHEM 220, CHEM 22X series ( 223,224), CHEM 23X series ( 237, 238, 239), CHEM 24X series( 241, 242), CHEM 33X series (335, 336, 337) 
  • Biochemistry: BIOC 40X series (405, 406), BIOC 44X series (440,441,442), BIOC 45X series (450, 451)
  • Physical Chemistry: CHEM 45X Series ( 452,453)

Drop-in tutoring is offered during CLUE operating hours, 7 pm- 11 pm, Sunday-Thursday. It is a one-on-one tutoring session between you and a tutor. You are expected to bring your own questions and our tutors can help answer them. These sessions are typically 15-30 minutes long.

Exam reviews are offered for on-sequence introductory chemistry and organic chemistry courses each quarter For example, CHEM 237 is the on quarter course in the fall and CHEM 238 is the on quarter course in the winter. During the exam review session, tutors will present practice problems and detailed explanations for the answer. Sessions are typically 1.5 hours long.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s our approach to tutoring Chemistry?

Our goal is to engage you with the question, helping you work through it so that you feel confident in finding the solution on your own. You are expected to bring your own questions regarding your lecture material, course homework, exams, or practice problems. We will first ask you to explain your approach to the problem before we start helping you. This allows us to understand where you may have gone wrong and identify any concepts that need further clarification. Then, we will ask leading questions and hopefully guide you to a satisfactory answer.

What can you expect tutors to do when they work with you?

  • We can explain/walk you through a hard concept that you have encountered in class. 
  • We can assist you to approach and solve a problem by giving helpful hints and resources.   
  • We make sure students understand the concept behind each problem and know how to apply them when encountering similar problems in the future. 

What should I bring to a tutoring session?

Bring a question or an attempted problem, along with a genuine desire to learn. We truly want to help you! However, if you are not actively engaged in the learning process and in working through the steps with us, we may not be able to provide the support you need.

If I want to come back later in the night, how do I do that?

If you have more questions, feel free to put yourself back on the queue before 10:45 pm! It does help if you say what your question is in the signup (saying “aleks” is not as helpful as “I need help with related rates”).

How do exam reviews work and what can I expect?

Exam reviews are offered for general chemistry (CHEM 1x2) and organic chemistry (CHEM 23x). Check here to see if your course is supported this quarter! These exam reviews are led by 2 tutors from the CLUE chemistry team with problems from main course topics. This doesn’t guarantee they will appear on a test, just that it is an important concept that we would like for you to understand. We do not have access to the exam, so we base the problems we go over on what we see when students come in for Drop-In tutoring and what we see on your Canvas pages.

Typically we hold 3 exam reviews per quarter. 1 for each midterm, and then 1 for the final. The midterm reviews last ~90 minutes, but our tutors are more than happy to stay after for 15 minutes to answer any questions you have. An email is sent to any student in the relevant course regarding information about the exam review.

Meet the Chemistry Tutors

We can help with the following languages and courses:

  • Java: CSE 121, 122, 123, 142, and 143
  • Python: CSE 160 and163
  • R: INFO 201
    • The informatics tutor is not available every night. Please check with the front desk to see when there is a tutor on staff who can help with your course.
  • HTML/CSS/Javascript: INFO 340
    • The informatics tutor is not available every night. Please check with the front desk to see when there is a tutor on staff who can help with your course.

Drop-in tutoring for CSE is offered virtually on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and in-person in Mary Gates Hall on Mondays and Wendesdays from 7 pm- 11 pm. Check in at the front desk before seeing a tutor in MGH! It is a one-on-one tutoring session between you and a tutor. You are expected to bring your own questions and our tutors can help answer them. These sessions are typically 15-20 minutes long.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s our approach to tutoring Computer Science?

Our goal is to engage you with the question, helping you work through it so that you feel confident in finding the solution on your own. You are expected to bring your own questions regarding your lecture material, course homework, exams, or practice problems. We will first ask you to explain your approach to the problem and any code you have written before we start helping you. This allows us to understand where you may have gone wrong and identify any concepts that need further clarification. Then, we will ask leading questions and hopefully guide you to a satisfactory answer.

What can you expect tutors to do when they work with you?

You are expected to bring questions that you tried to code to the best of your ability. We will ask you about your approach and other follow up questions so we can understand the problem. Throughout the session, we will walk through your attempts, explain any missing pieces, and provide helpful hints and leading questions.

What should I bring to a tutoring session?

Bring your questions and a desire to learn! To gain the most out of the tutoring session, please have some familiarity with the language you are programming in, along with your attempts and thought process on the assignment you need help on.

How long are tutoring sessions?

Generally 15-30 minutes. If there are not students waiting, we can spend a few more minutes with you. After your session, we expect you to spend at least 15 minutes independently thinking or coding a solution before re-joining the queue.

If I want to come back later in the night, how do I do that?

If you have more questions, feel free to put yourself back on the queue before 10:45 pm! It does help if you say what your question is in the signup (saying “python” is not as helpful as “I need help with linked lists in python”).

Meet the Computer Science Tutors

We can help with the following subjects and courses:

  • Precalculus: MATH 120
  • Calculus series: MATH 124, 125, 126
  • Differential Equations and Linear Algebra: MATH 207, and 208. 
  • MATH 209 to math major courses like 300 and 441
    • Only some of our math tutors are math majors. Please check with the front desk to see when there is a tutor on staff who can help with your course.

Drop-in tutoring is offered during CLUE operating hours, 7 pm- 11 pm, Sunday-Thursday. It is a one-on-one tutoring session between you and a tutor. You are expected to bring your own questions and our tutors can help answer them. These sessions are typically 15-30 minutes long.

Exam reviews are offered for the introductory Calculus series (MATH 124, 125 & 126). During the exam review session, tutors will present practice problems and detailed explanations for the answer. Sessions are typically 1.5 hours long.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s our approach to tutoring Math?

Our goal is to engage you with the question, helping you work through it so that you feel confident in finding the solution on your own. You are expected to bring your own questions regarding your lecture material, course homework, exams, or practice problems. We will first ask you to explain your approach to the problem before we start helping you. This allows us to understand where you may have gone wrong and identify any concepts that need further clarification. Then, we will ask leading questions and hopefully guide you to a satisfactory answer.

What can you expect tutors to do when they work with you?

  • We can explain/walk you through a hard concept that you have encountered in class. 
  • We can assist you to approach and solve a problem by giving helpful hints and resources.   
  • We make sure students understand the concept behind each problem and know how to apply them when encountering similar problems in the future. 

What should I bring to a tutoring session?

Bring a question or an attempted problem, along with a genuine desire to learn. We truly want to help you! However, if you are not actively engaged in the learning process and in working through the steps with us, we may not be able to provide the support you need.

How long are tutoring sessions?

Generally 15-30 minutes. Though they can tend to get a little longer if you ask a particular question that is rather nasty or there’s a concept that you’re really struggling with. If the night is really busy, we will be more strict to keeping to the 30 minutes and leave you to play around with what wisdom we dispense.

If I want to come back later in the night, how do I do that?

If you have more questions, feel free to put yourself back on the queue before 10:45 pm! It does help if you say what your question is in the signup (saying “webassign 1.61” is not as helpful as “I need help with taking the derivative with trig functions”).

How do exam reviews work and what can I expect?

Exam reviews are offered for MATH 124, 125, and 126. These exam reviews are led by 2 tutors from the CLUE math team with problems from main course topics. This doesn’t guarantee they will appear on a test, just that it is an important concept that we would like for you to understand. We do not have access to the exam, so we base the problems we go over on what we see when students come in for Drop-In tutoring and what we see on the Math Department’s Exam Archive.

Typically we hold 3 exam reviews per quarter. 1 for each midterm, and then 1 for the final. The midterm reviews last ~90 minutes, but our tutors are more than happy to stay after for 15 minutes to answer any questions you have. An email is sent to any student in the relevant course regarding information about the exam review.

Meet the Math Tutors

We can help with the following subjects and courses:

  • PHYS 11X & 12X Introductory Series (114-116, 121-123), and the 200-series
  • PHYS 300+ & 400+ on occasion

Drop-in tutoring is offered during CLUE operating hours, 7 pm- 11 pm, Sunday-Thursday. It is a one-on-one tutoring session between you and a tutor. You are expected to bring your own questions and our tutors can help answer them. These sessions are typically 15-30 minutes long.

Exam reviews are for the on-sequence 11X/12X courses, typically two days before the exam takes place. During the exam review session, tutors will present practice problems and detailed explanations for the answer. Sessions are typically 1.5 hours long.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s our approach to tutoring Physics?

Our goal is to engage you with the question, helping you work through it so that you feel confident in finding the solution on your own. You are expected to bring your own questions regarding your lecture material, course homework, exams, or practice problems. We will first ask you to explain your approach to the problem before we start helping you. This allows us to understand where you may have gone wrong and identify any concepts that need further clarification. Then, we will ask leading questions and hopefully guide you to a satisfactory answer.

We try to equip our students with general problem-solving skills that are transferable to classes beyond physics. There is obviously an emphasis on physics coursework, but many of our approaches to physics underpin a broad range of problems in STEM.

What can you expect tutors to do when they work with you?

  • We can explain/walk you through a hard concept that you have encountered in class. 
  • We can assist you to approach and solve a problem by giving helpful hints and resources.   
  • We make sure students understand the concept behind each problem and know how to apply them when encountering similar problems in the future. 

What should I bring to a tutoring session?

Bring a question or an attempted problem, along with a genuine desire to learn. We truly want to help you! However, if you are not actively engaged in the learning process and in working through the steps with us, we may not be able to provide the support you need.

How long are tutoring sessions?

On busy nights, we try to keep our sessions under half an hour, but if there aren’t many students in the queue, we tend to spend more time for each student.

If I want to come back later in the night, how do I do that?

If you have more questions, feel free to put yourself back on the queue before 10:45 pm! It does help if you say what your question is in the signup (saying “tutorial” is not as helpful as “I need help with single slit diffraction”).

How do exam reviews work and what can I expect?

Exam reviews are offered for introductory physics (PHYS 11x and PHYS 12x). Check here to see if your course is supported this quarter! These exam reviews are led by 2 tutors from the CLUE physics team with problems from main course topics. This doesn’t guarantee they will appear on a test, just that it is an important concept that we would like for you to understand. We do not have access to the exam, so we base the problems we go over on what we see when students come in for Drop-In tutoring and what we see on your Canvas pages.

Typically we hold 3 exam reviews per quarter. 1 for each midterm, and then 1 for the final. The midterm reviews last ~90 minutes, but our tutors are more than happy to stay after for 15 minutes to answer any questions you have. An email is sent to any student in the relevant course regarding information about the exam review.

Meet the Physics Tutors

CLUE Writing Center 3-2-1 Policy:

Our goal is to make appointments available to all writers and to nurture their independent learning. For this reason, we have a “3-2-1” policy for writing tutoring appointments:

Writers may have no more than 3 tutoring sessions to work on the same assignment. 

Writers may have no more than 2 drop-in tutoring sessions per day.

Writers may only work on 1 assignment per tutoring session.  After working with a tutor on an assignment, writers need to revise that assignment for 1 hour before returning to the queue to work on the same assignment.

At the CLUE Writing Center, we have one goal in mind: to help you become a better writer. To that end, we believe that writing is a process. Even the most talented writers cannot sit down in a vacuum and produce a polished text on the first try. Whether you need help talking through ideas, honing an outline you've been working on, evaluating a draft mid-composition, or looking through a final draft—we're confident we can help you write more efficiently and effectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of documents do you provide assistance with and what should I bring?

We will look at any piece of writing you bring in, including but is not limited to: papers, short response assignments, theses, cover letters, résumés, personal statements, scholarship applications, graduate school statements of purpose, memos, and lab reports.

To get the most out of your session, we suggest you bring the following:

  • If you are working on a draft, please bring a copy of your draft, either electronic (accessible by e-mail or flash drive) or on paper.
  • If your writing concern is related to a particular assignment, bring the assignment prompt.
  • If your writing concern is related to a specific scholarship or application, please bring the necessary prompts.
  • If you are writing a paper using other sources, you may consider bringing the readings; if not, bring notes, an outline, or even a list of questions to help focus the conference.
  • If you want to discuss feedback you have received from a teacher, bring a copy of the comments.

How do I sign up for a tutoring session?

We are a drop-in center, so it is first come, first served!

In-person: Check in at the front desk after 7pm. Enter the Writing Center through the double doors and scan the QR code inside the suite to get in line.

Virtually: Sign-up begins at 7pm virtually. Go to our main website, select Drop-in Tutoring, and Virtual tutoring to get in line for Writing (or any other area) . When you are next up and a tutor is ready to see you, you will get a notification on the main check-in page letting you know who is calling you and what their zoom link is. Go ahead and click that link and you'll be sent to that tutor's zoom room.

You will have 5 minutes to respond to the tutor virtually calling you. If you do not show up in the tutor's zoom room after 5 minutes, or after being called twice, we will delete your name from the list. This is only fair to the other students waiting to access the Writing Center. 

What is a typical tutor session like?

At the CLUE Writing Center, our aim is always two-fold: to help you with your concerns about the paper at hand and to better familiarize you with universal writing strategies that will help you address similar concerns in future assignments. To achieve these goals, most sessions begin with a tutor asking you a series of questions regarding the assignment, your professor's expectations, and any specific concerns or areas of inquiry you would like to address during the session. In almost every instance, the tutor will ask to see the assignment prompt, so please bring it!

Once the tutor has a strong grasp of your writing assignment and your specific concerns/needs, the tutor will typically spend 20-30 minutes reading (or having you read) all or part of the draft that you have both agreed to focus on. During this time, the tutor may make some instructive notes in the margins (please note that they won't "fix" grammar, punctuation, and style) that they will then discuss with you. This discussion will frequently involve asking you more questions about your ideas and/or getting you to talk through problems arising in the draft. The tutor will model example solutions for some of the concerns you are working to address as well as explain relevant conventions affecting their suggestions. If you have not yet written anything, the tutor will help you brainstorm and organize your ideas.

At the end of each session, you can expect to spend time developing a plan for further writing and revision. You can also expect to take copious notes and/or outline if necessary.

Each session typically lasts 45 minutes, but can be a little shorter or longer depending on your needs. Sessions cannot exceed one hour in length in order to be respectful toward other students.

Meet the Writing Center Tutors

CLUE Frequently Asked Questions

CLUE uses our Queue platform along with Zoom to facilitate online tutoring. You must be logged in with your UW NetID and password to access CLUE.

  1. When CLUE is open, log into CLUE using the Queue virtual check-in system and you will be placed in a queue. 
  2. In the queue, you will be prompted to let us know what class you would like support with, if you want to see a particular tutor, and if you would like to opt-in for text message notifications. 
  3. Then you will see an estimated wait time to meet with a tutor. You will also be able to see what place you are in line. 
  4. When a tutor is ready to meet you, you will get a pop-up notification with a Zoom link. Access that link within five minutes of receiving it and you will be seen by a tutor.
  5. If you accidentally click out of the link, simply check your Notifications page to see the pop-up again.
  6. Please be sure that the name you use in Zoom is the name you enter in the queue check-in. This will help your tutor know they are meeting with the right student.
  7. If you have questions or concerns email us at clue@uw.edu.

If you want to attend in person, just bring your Husky Card and the assignment you are working on! Mary Gates Hall requires Husky Card for access after 5pm.

A personal computer or tablet with internet access and sound is necessary to access virtual CLUE.

  • If you do not have access to a laptop/tablet, please go to UW's Student Technology Loan Program website to request technology. Supplies are limited. 
  • Make sure you have the most current version of Zoom downloaded on your device. Once you log into your Zoom account, please go to zoom.us/download to download the latest version. If you have any issues with Zoom, you can get support from UWIT.

If you have any questions about accessing CLUE, please email us at clue@uw.edu.

Meet Our Tutors

Andrew (Lead), Math, he/him

Andrew (Lead), Math, he/him

Senior, Math

I've taken

MATH 207, 208, 224, 300, 301

Ask me about

Rock Climbing, Weightlifting, origami

Notable academic failure

Getting a bad grade in 300 and making it up by studying more for 301.

Hayley, Chemistry, she/her

Hayley, Chemistry, she/her

Senior, Biochemistry Major, Chemistry Minor

I've taken

CHEM 237/237/239/241/242

Ask me about

Books, rock climbing, and basically anything to do with outdoors!

Notable academic failure

"Notable challenge: I switched my major to Biochemistry at the end of my first year at UW, and had to manage completing all of the major requirements while still being able to graduate on time. It has definitely taught me some good time management skills and efficient study habits! Notable failure: My first General Chemistry exam was a MUCH lower score than I had ever gotten on a test before. Although it was super discouraging at the time and made me feel like a horrible student, it was definitely the wake-up call I needed to form some new study habits!"

Shivi (Lead), Biology, she/her

Shivi (Lead), Biology, she/her

Graduate/Professional Student, MS in Genetic Counseling

Ask me about

Cooking, trying new coffee shops, practicing yoga, going to the gym, painting, dancing, and exploring new places

Notable academic failure

Dealing with balancing two jobs, school, and an undergraduate thesis simultaneously during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It forced me to become more comfortable with asking for help from my mentors as well as approach new academic resources at my previous institution.

An-Doan, Chemistry, she/her

An-Doan, Chemistry, she/her

Senior, Biochemistry

I've taken

Chem 237, 238, 239, 241, 242; Bioc 440, 441, 442, 426

Ask me about

Baking, Painting, Cafe-hopping

Notable academic failure

During the first week of Spring quarter, I usually find myself burnt-out from Winter quarter. Even though we have Spring break, I've realized that a week-long break is not enough for me to recuperate my energy, so starting Spring quarter is often difficult for me. During that time, I make it a goal to hang out with friends and to take the first week of Spring break easy. I try not to stress too much about assignments and just enjoy myself while easing into the new quarter. I usually like to go to new cafes or new restaurants with friends or just by myself! Even though I it's important to be ambitious and on top of things, something I've learned throughout college is that taking breaks and having a work-life balance is just as important. As a CLUE tutor, I not only hope to help students with assignments and coursework but to also help them maintain this balance in their lives so that they don't get burnt out and exhausted.

Anthony, Math, he/him

Anthony, Math, he/him

Junior, Majors: CS and MATH

I've taken

MATH 13X, MATH 33X, MATH 394, MATH 395, MATH 318, MATH 340

Ask me about

world history, piano, strategy games, video games

Notable academic failure

"In Winter 2024, I had a ton of schoolwork that I never had before. I initially struggled but over time, I was able to better allocate more time to harder courses and complete easier coursework faster. This experience was pretty mentally taxing and it taught me to not be too ambitious with my academics, so I settled on a more modest academic load the next quarter."

Parker, Math, he/him

Parker, Math, he/him

Sophomore, Majors: Mathematics/Computer Science

I've taken

MATH 207, 208, 224, 300

Ask me about

Literature, music, board games, cooking

Notable academic failure

I took on a much heavier course load than I should have one quarter. This made it difficult to maintain a healthy school and life balance, which in turn made it difficult to find motivation to focus on my academics. It was the hardest quarter I have been through, but it taught me the importance of having a balanced schedule.

Chenab, Math, he/him

Chenab, Math, he/him

Junior, ACMS Data Science

I've taken

MATH 207, 208, 394, 407

Ask me about

outdoor stuff : hiking, sailing

Notable academic failure

Adapting to the new academic system in the United States as an international student.

Devyn, Writing, he/him

Devyn, Writing, he/him

Junior, Psychology, intended Political Science double major

I've taken

GEN ST 161, LSJ 367, ENGL 131, SOC 300, PSYCH 209, POL S 202, POL S 204

Ask me about

In my free time I like making and designing clothes and fashion collections, learning about foraging local wild plants, hanging out with my dog, and baking.

Notable academic failure

All throughout my academic career, I have struggled with time management, and still do. There were many quarters where I performed so badly in my classes I had to drop them. I especially struggled with STEM classes with their heavy workload. I get easily distracted especially since I have many creative pursuits that I like to get caught up in, so it can be hard to buckle down and get work done. This year, I started making sure to study for tests over at least 4-6 days rather than all at once. This is what got me through biopsych as well as my first 300 level psych classes. One thing I found helpful was using an app that lets you grow virtual trees for every set time period that you focus for, and gives you coins you can use to unlock more kinds of trees with every session. It also blocks off apps on your phone so they don’t distract you. This app is called forest (this is not sponsored, I just really like this app). It’s also helped me to get consistent sleep, check in with my support network, and reward myself with treats such as strawberry matcha lattes.