For students who cannot attend tutoring sessions in the Writing and Learning Commons (WaLC), tutoring support is available through Smarthinking, a free, online academic tutoring service for subject areas and writing. Students can also use the WaLC's online writing resources and learning resources.

What is Smarthinking?
The Writing and Learning Commons, Office of the Provost, and Educational Outreach sponsor Smarthinking online academic support in the following disciplines for distance education and Asheville program students: Math, Bilingual Math, Biology, Intro Human A&P, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics, Economics, Accounting, Introduction to Finance, Statistics, Spanish, and Writing. New subject areas include Nursing and Allied Health. Smarthinking service is not available to residential students who have ready access to the on-campus Writing and Learning Commons and the WCU Math Tutoring Center. 

Who are the Smarthinking tutors?
Smarthinking tutors hold Masters or PhD degrees in the subject areas for which they provide support. They undergo extensive training and on-going professional development in working with students.

How do I access Smarthinking?
All distance education and Asheville program students have been pre-registered by Smarthinking. To access services, visit Smarthinking's website. Your username is your complete catamount e-mail address and your password is "Western" (Do not use quotation marks). In your Web browser, allow pop-ups for the Smarthinking Web site (http://www.smarthinking.com/). We do not recommend disabling your pop-up blocker entirely.  Once logged into Smarthinking, follow the screen prompts.

Log in to Smarthinking:

Go to http://services.smarthinking.com and log in, based on the following guidelines:

• Your username will be your Catamount email address, and your password will be Western.
• If you are having trouble logging in, contact Carrie Hachadurian at (828) 227-7197

For papers longer than 10 pages:

Login to your personal Smarthinking account.

Click on "My Account."

Click on the little red schoolhouse to extend your account.

Enter the following information in the spaces provided:
         1.  Username:  wcuncgraduate
         2.  Password: learn

Click Add.

Go back to your student homepage.

When you submit your writing, be sure to select Essay Center - 1 hour from the drop-down menu.

What kind of subject help can I expect from Smarthinking?
The full list of subjects and hours of service for scheduling live help is available online.

What kind of writing help can I expect from Smarthinking?
Students can receive feedback on any aspect of academic writing, including help with organization, idea development, documentation, writing style, punctuation, and grammar. Nursing and Allied Health students can submit essays by choosing Nursing or Allied Health essays from the Submit Your Writing drop-down menu.

Get Technical Support

Please contact the Smarthinking Technical Support team via phone or email:

Call toll-free: 888-430-7429, ext. 1
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. ET

Email: support@SMARTHINKING.com, and receive a response within 24 hours.

Is more detailed guidance for using Smarthinking available?
Yes, there is. More detailed information is contained in the faculty and student handbooks linked below:

Please give us feedback
Please take a few minutes to complete the Smarthinking survey.  Your valuable information will help us better our services to our distance education students.