Tutoring, Training & Student Success

SMARTHINKING’s online tutoring service is available 24/7 for assistance with UND coursework. To access SMARTHINKING, log into Blackboard and enter a Blackboard course. Select Tools or Student Tools from the menu on the left and click on Access SMARTHINKING.

Online tutors are available for the following subjects and skills:

  • Math (Basic through Calculus II)
  • Biology
  • Chemistry (General and Organic)
  • Human Anatomy and Physiology
  • Nursing and Allied Health
  • Physics
  • Statistics
  • Accounting (Introductory through Advanced, Cost, Payroll)
  • Finance
  • Microeconomics and Macroeconomics
  • Spanish
  • Microsoft Office
  • Reading Comprehension

  • Writing and Grammar (includes Online Writing Lab for detailed, personalized critiques of any written assignments as well as "live tutors" to assist with pre-writing techniques, research strategies, documentation, grammar, and mechanics).

Assistance is available in the following formats:

  • Connect "live" with an e-structor.
  • Submit writing for any subject and have it reviewed by an e-structor within 24 hours.
  • Pre-schedule an online personal session.
  • Submit a question and get a response, usually within 24 hours.
  • Search the schedule to find out when certain tutors are on-duty.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I access SMARTHINKING?

To access the SMARTHINKING 24/7 online tutoring service, log into Blackboard and enter a Blackboard course. Select Tools or Student Tools from the menu on the left and click on Access SMARTHINKING.

Use of this service for courses not offered by UND or misuse of the service will result in termination of your account.

PRINTABLE QUICK START GUIDE

How much time are students allotted and how can more be requested?

Students are given 5 hours (300 minutes). More time can be requested by contacting UND Tech Support.

Do students have to pay for SMARTHINKING?

There is no fee to use SMARTHINKING.

What hours are SMARTHINKING available?

SMARTHINKING offers live, online tutoring 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Students may also submit their written work (paragraphs, essays, papers) to SMARTHINKING for review and critique 24/7. With the exception of major holiday periods, a response will typically be received within 24 hours.

Visit SMARTHINKING for additional information on hours of service for specific disciplines/subjects.

How much time is needed by tutors once a student submits written material?

There is no guarantee, but most items are returned in less than 24 hours. When return times are longer, SMARTHINKING adds staff to bring the response times down to their target of under 24 hours.

How does the tutoring session work?

All tutoring services are provided within the SMARTHINKING platform. Live tutoring sessions provide for direct interaction between the tutor and student using the SMARTHINKING whiteboard.

Students may also upload their papers to the system, and return to their SMARTHINKING account to retrieve essay reviews.

Students can also submit questions for a later response.

Is telephone access to tutors available?

Telephone access to tutors is not available at this time.

What is the required level of training/education for tutors?

All tutors must complete SMARTHINKING's online training program, and are regularly evaluated for the quality and consistency of the tutoring they offer. The training is a minimum of fifteen hours of training modules and monitored practice sessions or returned essays. Each academic area is led by one of SMARTHINKING's directors or subject-area supervisors, all of whom are former college teachers, and experts in their disciplines. 90% of tutors hold masters or doctoral degrees in their fields, and they average 9 years of teaching experience.

What other tutoring resources are available?

  • UND Student Academic Services - If the subject area for which you need tutoring is not available online through SMARTHINKING, please contact the UND Student Success Center for guidance on study skills and/or tutoring assistance available in other academic areas.

  • UND Writing Center - You also may receive writing assistance from the UND Writing Center by scheduling an appointment. You can access online writing style guides to help you properly format your papers.

Hoonuit provides online training solutions that answer “How do I do that?” questions through an extensive library of short, easy-to-understand video tutorials. Faculty, staff, and students will be able to stay on top of the latest technology applications and get answers to software question 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

To log in, enter your NDUS.Identifier and password. Visit the NDUS.Identifier page for username and password questions.

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Starfish is a tool that provides an efficient way to quickly offer coordinated support to all students ensuring they receive the right type of assistance/intervention to keep them on track.

For more information on Starfish visit the UND Starfish Support Page.