Learning Commons: Writing & Speech

Do you have a quick question about writing or English? 

• You can visit us in the Learning Commons on the Gallatin campus during our hours of operation listed in the box below.
• No appointment is necessary for in-person tutoring.  

For drop-in Zoom tutoring

• First, call 615-230-3657 to check tutor availability. 
• Writing Zoom room link is here: Writing Zoom Room

NOTE: Drop-in help is on a first-come-first-served basis, so if you are not able to wait, you might want to make an appointment under the "To Schedule Tutoring Sessions" tab above.

To meet the needs of students who don't have the time for a live tutoring session, the Volstate Learning Commons has provided an essay dropoff service where students can submit essays to an eLearn Dropbox for feedback from a writing tutor in the Learning Commons. 

Submitting your Essay

Click on the "Essay Dropoff Service" button below and following the instructions in the first "Announcement."

For more information, watch this video: How to Submit an Essay for Review Video Walkthrough

Essay Dropoff Service

Essay Review Timeline

Essay submissions are reviewed in the order they are received.

An essay submitted:

• Monday through Thursday BEFORE 12:00 PM (noon) should be returned within 48 hours of submission.
• Friday through Sunday should be returned within 48 hours of Monday 12:00 PM (noon).

  CAUTION: Tutor review and return times are approximate. In many cases, essays may be returned within a few hours of submission, but please allow for 48-72 hours during busy parts of the semester.

Academic Coaches are available to help you with things like managing your time, staying motivated, dealing with procrastination, or even how to take notes and study.  This is a free service for Vol State students!

Coaches are available to meet with you via Zoom or face-to-face.  Use the button below to book an academic coaching appointment (when asked on the form, make sure to select coaching, not tutoring).

Use the button below to book a Learning Commons Study Room.

Study Room

For help with Zoom:

• Visit the Zoom Help Center: Frequently Asked Questions or use the Vol State Zoom articles.

For help with eLearn 

• Email elearn@volstate.edu or click on the link to book an appointment with an eLearn specialist: eLearn Help Appointments

For help with Tutor.com

• Contact Delois Reagan at 615-230-3681 (Monday – Friday from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm) or email Delois.Reagan@volstate.edu. 

For technical assistance & troubleshooting

• Contact Vol State IT Helpdesk.

For non-technical questions or concerns

• Email one of the following writing specialists:
  • Gallatin/Springfield: Diana Hardin at diana.hardin@volstate.edu
  • Cookeville: Kenny Westmoreland at lester.westmoreland@volstate.edu

All Vol State students have free access to the online tutoring service Tutor.com.

Tutor.com is available 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The tutoring service covers Math, Business, English, Writing, Science, Health Sciences, Computers, and Foreign Language.

The link to Tutor.com is in eLearn. You can click "Academic Support" then Tutor.com to get there, or look for this under the class announcements.

If you have problems or need help with Tutor.com, please contact Delois Reagan at 615-230-3681 (Monday – Friday from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm) or email Delois.Reagan@volstate.edu.