The Communications Lab is not just for help with English essays and papers. It’s for help with any writing assignment, said Student Receptionist Rachael Colbart.

“Students can come in to use computers and get help with any form of communication including psychology, history, and sociology, among others,” she said.

Colbart said it’s a lab with friendly instructors and assistants who find various ways to lend a helping hand.

One-on-one tutor sessions are available for free after checking in at the front desk, she said. Assignment guidelines, outlines, and brainstorming sessions are used to help get students on the right track.

Online tutoring is available for students who can submit their essays and have them reviewed through Echo 2.0 service. Echo 2.0 helps students through video chat sessions as an alternative to visiting the Communications Lab.

Students can receive this access by contacting tutors during the lab’s operating hours. Students can submit papers anytime using Echo.

“Here at the lab we do not edit papers,” Colbart said. “As tutors we point out what needs to be revised and help bring clarity to students through our teaching methods.”

The tutors are well skilled in dealing with the different methods for writing as well as test preparation, Colbart said. To accommodate a wider range of students, more tutors have been hired recently, she added.

Colbart said before she started working in the Communication Lab, she was a student at OCCC who had a difficult time with writing and came to the lab regularly for assistance. She referred to the Communications Lab as a “haven” that was there to guide her in her class work as well as provide uplifting emotional support.

“Working here in the lab means everything to me because of the personal connections made with students through the assistance provided,” Colbart said.

“The lab is available to students as well as community members,” Colbart added.

Business major Joseph Dunn said he likes using the lab.

“If you need any sort of help, the tutors are great at making students feel comfortable and can help make writing seem less complex.”

Dunn added that the increased amount of feedback through proofreading also helped him in the lab.

Lab hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday; and 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.Saturday.

For more information, visit www.occc.edu/comlab, or call 405-682-1611, ext. 7379.

To contact Micah Bedsole, email onlineeditor@occc.edu