While many of the following points will apply to tutors in both the Tutorial Program and the Writing Center, there are some points more specific to one of the programs. Please feel free to reach out to your program supervisor if you have specific questions about your role and responsibilities.
Differences between the Tutorial Program & the Writing Center:
- The Tutorial Program and the Writing Center are both peer academic support programs housed within the Learning and Academic Resource Center (LARC).
- The Tutorial Program offers subject-specific and course-specific tutoring (i.e., Biology, Math 165, Chem 115, etc.), while the Writing Center supports students’ academic writing across the disciplines as well as nonacademic writing.
- Subject-specific and computer science lab tutors are both employed through the Tutorial Program. Subject-specific tutors work with 1-3 students through scheduled appointments and support specific courses such as Biol 130, Math 165, etc. Computer Science Embedded Lab tutors primarily work in a lab assigned to a challenging CS course and assist multiple students’ with their projects. CS lab tutors may also hold a drop-in tutoring lab outside of the assigned course lab, and/or have scheduled hours in the LARC.
- MESA tutors work as part of the Tutorial Program, and offer support for many of the same STEM courses. They are members of MESA as well, and have additional responsibilities through that program.
- Writing Center tutors are employed through the Writing Center. Like their Tutorial Program/MESA peers, they work with 1-3 students through scheduled appointments. They do not work in specific subjects or genres, but rather in all writing, both academic and non-academic.
- Both subject-specific and writing tutors may also work as embedded tutors. Embedded tutors attend class sessions for a specific course section to provide immediate support, and have in-LARC hours available for booking through WC Online. They may host drop-in-tutoring sessions as well.
General Work Expectations:
- Schedules will be set within the first week or two of the semester based on the availability you provide us. If issues come up with your schedule, please let your program supervisor, and the Admin Coordinator, know as soon as possible.
- You are expected to be in the LARC on time for your shift, and to stay for the entire time listed on the schedule. If you are running late or unable to come in, you must notify us as soon as possible, following the procedures outlined under staff expectations.
- You will scan your schedule regularly to check for new appointments, cancellations, and any appointments that are scheduled incorrectly (like a Math 165 appointment with a writing tutor).
- You will complete a Client Report Form at the end of each tutoring session, or during downtime in your schedule.
- You may be asked to help with special projects, or with workshops, usually focused on writing. Guidance will be provided for both. Any workshops will take place during LARC business hours, and will be offered to those already working during that time first (if they are not scheduled for tutoring sessions), and then will be offered out to the larger group on a first-come, first-serve basis.
- You will participate in observations. Observations and debriefs are an important part of supporting you and your ongoing training and development:
- Tutors will be observed at least once per semester. The observation(s) will be conducted by a professional staff member or TP/WC advisor. You may also have a fellow tutor observe your session during the semester, and you may be asked to observe another tutor's session.
- After observations by professional staff or TP/WC Advisors, you will meet for a debrief where you will get feedback on all the great things you are doing and any areas for growth.
How courses are selected for Tutorial Program support:
- The Tutorial Program prides itself on being a student-centered service and tries to reflect that through providing support for courses where we see the most demand, usually sciences, math, and economics, though other courses are offered as well.
- If there is sufficient demand for additional course support, Tutorial Program staff will reach out to faculty or a department for possible tutor recommendations. Staff will also check in with current tutors to see if they feel capable of supporting students with specific needs, such as time management, basic skills, and note taking.
Who the tutors are and what they do:
- Tutorial Program tutors are students who have demonstrated competence in the course (or courses), and have great people skills. Writing Center tutors are students who have demonstrated a passion for writing, and for helping others develop their writing skills.
- Subject-specific and computer science lab tutors are both employed through the Tutorial Program. Subject-specific tutors work with 1-3 students through scheduled appointments and support specific courses such as Biol 130, Math 165, etc. Computer Science Embedded Lab tutors primarily work in a lab assigned to a challenging CS course and assist multiple students’ with their projects. CS lab tutors may also hold a drop-in tutoring lab outside of the assigned course lab, and/or have scheduled hours in the LARC.
- Writing Center tutors are employed through the Writing Center. Like their Tutorial Program/MESA peers, they work with 1-3 students through scheduled appointments. They do not work in specific subjects or genres, but rather in all writing, both academic and non-academic.
- Both subject-specific and writing tutors may also work as embedded tutors. Embedded tutors attend class sessions for a specific course section to provide immediate support, and have in-LARC hours available for booking through WC Online. They may host drop-in-tutoring sessions as well.
- The Tutorial Program Coordinator is responsible for selecting and training tutors and evaluating the Tutorial Program. The Writing Center Faculty Director and Writing Center Assistant Director are responsible for selecting and training tutors and evaluating the Writing Center.
- All tutors receive ongoing training, which covers such topics as how students learn; strategies aimed at strengthening student academic performance, referring students to on-campus resources, as well as general professional development.
- All tutors will help collect data for the LARC. This data helps identify areas for potential growth, and helps us determine how well we are serving the student population.
- This is done through two methods for both the Tutorial Program and the Writing Center:
- Client Report Forms: these must be completed for each tutoring session. Please see the section on Client Report Forms for more details.
- End-of-semester surveys: tutors will share these, using a provided QR code, with their tutees during the last few weeks of each semester.
- This is done through two methods for both the Tutorial Program and the Writing Center:
Overview of How Tutoring Works:
- Once the schedule is crafted and has gone live, students can book appointments through the LARC-WC Online tile in their Student Portals. Appointments can be booked one hour to two weeks in advance.
- Subject-specific tutors and writing tutors can tutor up to three students per scheduled session. Embedded computer science lab tutors will float around their assigned lab(s) and help multiple students as needed.
- LARC policy is that a student can schedule up to two 1-hour appointments per week per program (i.e. two Tutorial Program and two Writing Center appointments per week). There is no hourly limit for computer science embedded lab tutoring.
- Engl 99T students (Writing Center only) will have recurring weekly appointments throughout the semester. These will be scheduled early in the semester by Admin staff, and we will attempt to distribute them evenly among the writing tutors. Note: There will be some exceptions to this policy - other students may occasionally have recurring appointments on either schedule, but these must be approved in advance by a member of the Admin team.
- Tutors are paid for their entire scheduled shift, regardless of student cancellations/no-shows.
- Tutoring sessions are held both in-person in the LARC (most common), and remotely through Zoom (very limited).
- Students will schedule and access their Zoom appointments online through our scheduling system, which can be accessed through the LARC-WC Online tile in their Student Portals.
- Students will come to the LARC for in-person appointments. In-person sessions will be held in the LARC during our regular business hours (Monday-Thursday 9:00am-5:00pm, Friday 9:00am-4:00pm).
- Remote (Zoom) sessions may take place outside of those business hours, primarily during the evenings and on weekends. Zoom tutoring availability will be limited, as most tutoring will be in-person.
- Drop-In Math tutoring, which will be starting again in Fall 2023, will normally take place in the LARC, in a designated area. It may occasionally take place outside of the LARC in another location on campus as well.
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