Faculty and Staff Resources

The StAAR Center works collaboratively with faculty and staff to provide academic and writing support for all students.

The StAAR Center works collaboratively with faculty and staff on supporting undergraduate and graduate students throughout their academic journey at Tufts. Our resources include peer tutoring, academic success coaching, writing support and customized workshops for specific groups of students.

To learn more about our individual programs, please explore:

Connecting Students with Our Resources

Please include the StAAR Resource Statement in your syllabi and tell your class about these resources. As our partners in student success, the StAAR Center asks you to mention our support to all students, even if they don't appear to be struggling.

Students may sign up for peer tutoring, writing support, and academic success coaching through Tutor Finder, our online scheduling tool. Please share this link with students: go.tufts.edu/tutorfinder. Tutor Finder is a student-facing resource; therefore, faculty and staff are not able to view or make appointments for students.

If a student is having trouble making or finding an appointment:

Encourage them to check back later in the week, as other appointments do become available.
Recommend attending drop-in hours, which do not require an appointment. The schedule is available on Tutor Finder.
Share the StAAR Center email address – they can always email us with questions: staarcenter@tufts.edu.

Workshops and Workshop Requests

The StAAR Center holds workshops throughout the academic year on a variety of academic skills and writing-related topics for undergraduate and graduate students. Students can register for workshops on Tutor Finder. Topics include:

Time Management & Planning
Test-taking and Test Anxiety
Reading and Note-taking Skills
Process-oriented Writing Skills
Writing in specific disciplines and genres
Accountability groups

We are excited to work with faculty, staff, and student groups to provide a workshop on one of these topics or to collaborate on a topic that serves the needs of your course or group. Fill out the workshop request form and a StAAR Center staff member will contact you to arrange the details.

Support for Students who are Struggling

If a student is struggling academically and wishes to be directly connected with a writing consultant, peer tutor, or academic success coach, please complete the Student Support Portal. This form goes directly to our office, and we will contact the student directly to connect them with the requested resources. If you have questions about what kind of resources might be helpful, contact Senior Associate Director of Academic Support, Katherine Swimm (katherine.swimm@tufts.edu).

Canvas Pages

The StAAR Center has created a variety of resources for students including asynchronous workshops and videos; downloadable planning tools, guides, and other handouts; informative infographics; and a workshops and events calendar. Students, faculty, and staff may access our resources by enrolling in our Canvas page; the enrollment link is: https://canvas.tufts.edu/enroll/KAAMMB.

The StAAR Center also has a canvas page specifically for faculty, which includes workshop lists, handouts for students, and additional information for working with StAAR. Enroll here: (link coming soon)

Ways to Get More Involved

Faculty Advisory Board

The StAAR Center actively seeks members for our Faculty Advisory Board. The FAB offers opportunities for faculty and StAAR Center staff to collaborate on programs and policies that support the diverse learning needs of Tufts students. The FAB meets twice per academic year, with occasional project work and correspondence between meetings, and FAB members are expected to serve for at least one academic year. For more information or to join the StAAR Center Faculty Advisory Board, Kristina Aikens, Senior Associate Director of Writing Support.

StAAR Departmental Liaison

The StAAR Departmental Liaison is a faculty position that shares information, news, and updates from the StAAR Center during departmental meetings and serves as a point person for providing departments with best practices for working with StAAR and for contacting StAAR with questions and concerns from their departments. Time commitment is intended to be minimal and focused on communication, and Department Liaisons are expected to serve for at least two consecutive academic semesters. For more information or to become a Department Liaison, email Kristina Aikens, Senior Associate Director of Writing Support.

Writing Fellows Program

The Writing Fellows Program is designed to provide students with additional support on their writing by matching them with undergraduate peer writing tutors, building in draft deadlines, and encouraging revision of drafts. The program also provides faculty with support around integrating writing into their courses and creates a forum for faculty to share ideas on writing assignments that improve critical thinking. For more information, visit the Writing Fellows Program Information for Faculty page or email Hannah Weildon, program coordinator.

Universal Design for Learning Fellows Program

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Fellows Program is a year-long program that provides Tufts faculty with dedicated space and time to infuse the principles of UDL into their courses, with the goal of increasing access for all students. For more information, contact Kirsten Behling, Associate Dean of the StAAR Center.