Welcome to STAR-CA:
The Tutor Exchange
STAR-CA: The Tutor Exchange (STAR-CA) is an independent consortium of California Community Colleges (CCC) and Link-Systems International, Inc. (LSI) where participating colleges exchange tutors and share LSI technologies and services. STAR-CA offers live, drop-in tutoring. Students can connect with a live tutor and get private, one-on-one tutoring in real time.
Decentralized, yet highly coordinated
Program administration is led by LSI. This includes synchronizing and publishing tutor schedules, verifying access to NetTutor and Pisces, providing marketing and promotional materials, monitoring and distributing usage reports, and managing costs. LSI administration also includes tutor training, quality control of tutoring sessions, and technical support.
Easy access for students
STAR-CA is entirely web-based. Students can access STAR-CA using their desktop computer, laptop, or mobile device. They do not need to download or install any software, as STAR-CA integrates with Canvas through the existing NetTutor access.
Who can join?
Any California Community College is welcome to join.
Tutor training
Each college is responsible for providing qualified, trained tutors to the exchange. Technical training for how to use Pisces is provided by LSI and aligns with ACTLA Online Tutoring Standards.
Our story
On November 1, 2019, four member colleges contributed hours of tutoring coverage using the Pisces® tutoring platform. Local tutor availability was supplemented by NetTutor® to ensure online tutoring was available when students needed help. This marked the launch of the Sharing Technology and Academic Resources in California (STAR-CA) online tutoring consortium.
Spring 2025 Tutoring Schedule
You can access STAR-CA tutoring by simply logging in to Canvas at your college and clicking the link to NetTutor. Students of STAR-CA member colleges will see an option to select STAR-CA or NetTutor. Schedule is subject to change.
Resources
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Presentations
- April 26, 2019 STAR-CA presentation slides from ACTLA Conference
- Nov 2019 webinar (Community Dialogue w/STAR-CA Members Panel)
- Jan 2020 webinar (Community Dialogue w/STAR-CA Tutors Panel)
Forms
Flyers
Videos
The STAR Model
- STAR-CA is modeled after STAR-NY (www.starny.org).
Member Colleges
