Help Is a Strategy: Using Campus Support

The students who do best in A&P are not the ones who never need help. They are the ones who go get it early, with a specific question, from the right place. This chapter shows you where help lives at USC Upstate and exactly how to ask for it.

Why strong students ask for help early

Many students carry a quiet belief: "If I were really smart enough for this, I would not need help." That belief costs a lot of points in BIO 243.

Think about how skilled people actually work. A nurse who is unsure about a medication dose asks a pharmacist. A surgeon talks through a hard case with colleagues. Asking is not a sign of weakness in health care. It is a safety habit. College works the same way.

Researchers who study help-seeking separate two kinds. Adaptive help-seeking is asking for the help you need to learn something yourself: a hint, an explanation, a better way to study. The other kind is avoiding help altogether, often because asking feels embarrassing, or asking only for answers so the work gets done. Studies of students in classrooms have found that the students who would gain the most from help are often the ones most likely to avoid it, frequently because they worry about looking incapable in front of others (Ryan et al., 2001). Knowing that pattern exists can help you notice it in yourself and push past it.

Timing matters as much as asking. In BIO 243, the topics build on each other: chemistry supports cells, cells support tissues, tissues support everything after. And as the syllabus warns, it is very hard to recover from a low test grade. Help in week 3 can change your Exam 1 score. Help in week 12 can only change what is left.

It also helps to remember that struggling in A&P is common and usually temporary. Research on belonging found that when first-year college students heard that early struggles are normal and tend to improve, some groups of students went on to earn better grades over time (Walton & Cohen, 2011). Chapter 1 explores that idea. Here is the practical version: struggling does not mean you are in the wrong place. It means it is time to use your support.

Student hours: your instructor wants to see you

Student hours (often called office hours) are times your instructor sets aside to meet with students. Many students never go, often because they think they need a big problem first, or they feel they would be bothering the instructor. You are not bothering anyone. Student hours exist for you.

Check your syllabus or Blackboard for your instructor's student hours and how they work (in person, online, or both). If you work or have class during those times, email to ask whether another time is possible. Many instructors will try to find one.

Go with a specific question

The most useful visits start with something specific. "I don't get the nervous system" is hard to answer in fifteen minutes. "I understand the dorsal root carries sensory information into the spinal cord, but I mix up why the ventral root is motor" is a question your instructor can help you untangle in five.

Bring:

• Your notes or Reading Guide page for the topic, so your instructor can see how you are studying.
• The exact OpenStax figure or section you are stuck on.
• Your attempt: a flow chart, an explanation you wrote, a practice question you missed and why you chose your answer.
• After an exam: your exam wrapper (Chapter 10), so you can talk about patterns, not just single questions.

Supplemental Instruction and peer tutoring

Supplemental Instruction (SI)

SI Leaders are students who did well in the course and are trained to help others. They attend the class and hold regular weekly sessions focused on the hardest content. An SI session is not a second lecture. It is guided practice: working problems, comparing notes, drawing processes, and quizzing each other with someone who knows the material and remembers what it felt like to learn it.

How well does SI work? A large review of research on SI and similar peer-led study sessions found that students who attended tended to earn higher grades and were less likely to fail or withdraw (Dawson et al., 2014). The honest caveat is that most of those studies could not randomly assign students to attend, and students who choose to go may be more motivated to begin with. Even so, the pattern across many studies is consistent and encouraging.

To get the most out of SI:

• Go regularly, starting early in the term, not just before exams.
• Do the reading first, so you can work instead of just listening.
• Bring questions from lecture and your Reading Guide.
• Talk. Explaining an idea out loud to others is one of the best ways to find out what you actually understand.

Peer tutoring through QuadC

USC Upstate offers Peer Tutoring, scheduled through QuadC. Tutoring is more one-on-one or small group than SI, which makes it good for working on your specific trouble spots. Book a session as soon as you see a topic slipping, and book a regular time if you can. As with student hours, bring specific questions and your own attempts. A tutor can help you build skills, but a tutor will not do graded work for you, and should not.

Study groups that actually work

Not all help comes from an office. A good study group can be one of your best resources, and the BIO 243 syllabus says it plainly: studying together is wonderful. The key word is studying. A group that spends two hours rereading slides together, or chatting with the textbook closed, mostly feels productive. A group that quizzes each other actually is.

A few habits make the difference:

• Keep it small. Three or four people is plenty.
• Everyone comes prepared. Each person does the reading and brings two questions they wrote themselves.
• Take turns teaching. One person explains the stages of an action potential with the book closed; the others check it against OpenStax.
• Draw on a shared board. Have each person draw a process, like the reflex arc, from memory, then compare drawings.
• Stop at graded work. Study together, then answer Guided Practice, the Reading Guide, CircleIn posts, quizzes and exams on your own.

If you commute or work and cannot meet in person, an online group works too. A short video call after the kids are asleep, with everyone bringing five flashcards to quiz the others, can do more than an hour of studying alone in front of the same notes.

CircleIn and Starfish

CircleIn: help built into the course

CircleIn is the study-community app that USC Upstate pays for, with no ads. In BIO 243 it is also graded, so check your syllabus for what counts. You can make flashcards, share notes, and ask and answer questions with classmates. Answering someone else's question is one of the best ways to test yourself, and asking a question there is a low-pressure first step if student hours feel intimidating. Remember the rule from Chapter 11: CircleIn posts are graded work, so write them yourself.

Starfish: when the university reaches out to you

Starfish is the system instructors and advisors use to share how you are doing. You might receive a flag (a concern, such as missing work or a low score) or a kudos (recognition that you are doing well). Messages come to your USC Upstate email, so check it every day or two.

A flag can feel like a punishment. It is not. It is an invitation: someone noticed early and wants to help while there is still plenty of time. The right response is to read it, reply or follow its suggestion, and make one change. Ignoring a flag is the only truly bad response.

The rest of your support team

Course help is only part of the picture. Plenty of students who leave A&P understand the material fine. Something else in life got in the way. USC Upstate has offices for those problems too:

• Disability Services (864.503.5199) arranges accommodations such as extended testing time. Accommodations are not retroactive: they start after you register and share your letter, and they do not change past grades. If you think you may qualify, contact them in week 1, not after your first exam.
• IT Help Desk (864.503.5257, helpdesk@uscupstate.edu) helps with logins, Blackboard problems and technology issues. If something breaks during a quiz, write down the time and the exact error message, then contact the Help Desk and your instructor right away.
• The Library has a late-night computer lab and 24/7 Ask a Librarian for research help.
• The Student Success Center connects you with academic support services and study help.
• The Writing Center helps with lab reports and papers in any course.
• Counseling Services (864.503.5195, counselingservice@uscupstate.edu) supports your mental health, with 24/7 after-hours crisis support for enrolled students. Chapter 12 covers when to reach out.
• The Dean of Students Office helps with documentation for absences and with situations like illness, family emergencies or other crises that affect several classes at once.
• Your academic advisor helps you plan your path, including what BIO 243 means for your program and what to do if a semester goes badly.
• Financial Aid should be part of any conversation about dropping or withdrawing, because those choices can affect your aid.
• Career Management can help you connect your coursework to jobs, shadowing and your future health career.

How to email your instructor

Email is how a lot of college business gets done, and a clear email gets a faster, better answer. Instructors often teach several courses and sections, so help them help you.

Email basics

• Use your USC Upstate email, or Blackboard messages if your instructor prefers them (check the syllabus).
• Put the course and section in the subject line, plus a few words about the topic.
• Start with a greeting and your full name. "Dear Dr. [Last name]" or "Hello Professor [Last name]" works well.
• Be specific and brief. One clear question beats five vague ones.
• Allow time. Expect a reply within a business day or two. Emailing at 11 p.m. the night before an exam is too late for most help.
• Follow up politely if you have not heard back after two business days. People miss emails.
• Keep sensitive details short. You do not need to share your medical history to report an absence. "I was ill" or "I had a family emergency" is enough, and the Dean of Students Office can handle documentation.

Five scripts you can adapt

Replace everything in brackets. Keep the tone; change the words to sound like you.

1. Asking for help with a concept

Subject: BIOL U243 Section [#]: question about the cranial nerves

Dear Dr. [Last name], I am [Full name] in BIOL U243, Section [#]. I have been practicing the cranial nerves and I keep mixing up the trochlear and abducens nerves, even after rereading OpenStax 13.4. Could I come to your student hours this week to go over how to tell them apart? If those hours conflict with my work schedule, is there another time that might work? Thank you, [Full name]

2. Missing class because of illness or an emergency

Subject: BIOL U243 Section [#]: absence today

Dear Dr. [Last name], I am [Full name] in BIOL U243, Section [#]. I was unable to attend class today because I was ill. I will review the posted materials and the OpenStax reading. Is there anything else I should do to catch up, and should I contact the Dean of Students Office about documentation? Thank you, [Full name]

3. A technology problem during a quiz

Subject: BIOL U243 Section [#]: Blackboard error during Quiz [#]

Dear Dr. [Last name], I am [Full name] in BIOL U243, Section [#]. While taking Quiz [#] at about [time], Blackboard showed this error: "[exact message]," and I could not continue. I have also contacted the IT Help Desk. Please let me know what I should do next. Thank you, [Full name]

4. After a disappointing exam

Subject: BIOL U243 Section [#]: reviewing my Exam [#]

Dear Dr. [Last name], I am [Full name] in BIOL U243, Section [#]. I was disappointed with my Exam [#] score and I want to do better on the next one. I completed an exam wrapper, and most of my misses were on [topic, such as muscle physiology]. Could I come to student hours to talk about how to study that kind of material? Thank you, [Full name]

5. Sharing an accommodation letter

Subject: BIOL U243 Section [#]: accommodation letter

Dear Dr. [Last name], I am [Full name] in BIOL U243, Section [#]. I am registered with Disability Services, and my accommodation letter has been sent [or: is attached]. I would like to make sure my accommodations are in place before our next quiz and exam. Please let me know if you need anything else from me. Thank you, [Full name]

Notice what these emails have in common. They are polite, they say who you are and which section you are in, they ask one clear thing, and they show that you are already taking action. Instructors notice that, and it often makes them more eager to help.

When help does not click the first time

Sometimes you work up the courage to ask, and it does not go the way you hoped. The SI session moved too fast. The tutor explained the brachial plexus the same way the book did, and it still did not land. Your email sat unanswered for three days. That is frustrating, and it is also normal. One awkward experience is not proof that help does not work for you.

Try these moves before you give up on a resource:

• Ask for a different angle. "Could you show me that with a drawing?" or "Can we try a practice question instead?" Most helpers are glad to switch approaches.
• Try a different person. Another SI Leader, another tutor, or student hours instead of tutoring. Explanations click differently with different people.
• Come back better prepared. If a session felt over your head, do the reading first next time and bring your attempt.
• Follow up on emails. A polite second message after two business days is normal and expected.
• Tell your advisor if scheduling makes every option impossible. Advisors often know about online sessions or other options you have not heard of.

Also be honest with yourself about one trap: going to help and then only listening. Sitting in an SI session while others answer can feel like progress. Real progress comes when you try a question out loud, get it wrong in a safe place, and fix it. That is uncomfortable for almost everyone at first. It gets easier quickly, and it is exactly the practice that makes exam day feel familiar.

Make help-seeking part of your system

The best way to use campus support is to plan it, not to wait for an emergency. Put help into your weekly template from Chapter 2, the same way you put in study blocks:

• Weekly: one SI session or tutoring session, on the same day each week.
• Every week or two: one visit to student hours, even a short one, with one specific question.
• Daily: check your USC Upstate email and Blackboard announcements.
• After each exam: an exam wrapper, then a student hours visit if your score surprised you.
• The moment life gets hard: one email to your instructor, and a call to the right office.

In week 1, help-seeking is about setting things up. By week 9, it is about checking your course and adjusting while there is still time. Either way, the message is the same: asking is not what struggling students do. It is what successful students do, on purpose.