Tutoring Program Background
Tutoring through the Academic Advising Office is available to all students who wish to improve their ability in one or more of their social science and/or humanities courses. Tutoring is offered by course (i.e., a student must receive tutoring for a specific course). We also coordinate tutors for ESL. Our office employs approximately 75 tutors, who work up to 4 hours a week tutoring students. The tutoring service is free to all students.
Students seeking tutoring in the Humanities and Social Studies fields should come to the Academic Advising Office. For help in other fields of study, students should contact Katherine McClelland (Math and Computer Science), Minna Mahlab (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) and Barbara Brown (Psychology). There are also 'labs' for some language departments; these are advised by faculty who work cooperatively with our Office.
Faculty Involvement in the Tutoring Program
There are two principle ways in which faculty input and assistance are vital to our program: 1) recommending students as prospective tutors; and 2) referring students who may benefit from individual attention to the tutoring program. At the beginning of the year, our office sends out a call for tutors, asking professors to recommend students who have a solid understanding of the material for one or more courses, especially at the introductory (i.e., 100 and 200) level. We rely on these recommendations in hiring our tutors for the year. Second, we hope that as the semesters progress and students are experiencing difficulty, you will be willing to suggest tutoring as a possible means of addressing this difficulty.
Expectations of Tutors and Tutees
All tutors participate in a training session in which they learn the logistics for working for our office, basic dos and don'ts of tutoring, and how to adapt their tutoring to accommodate individuals with different learning styles. Tutors are encouraged to contact the office at any time if they have questions or concerns about their tutees. Tutors are paid $7.50/hour, making them some of the highest paid student workers on campus. When a student wants a tutor, he or she comes to the Academic Advising Office and requests a list of tutors from Denise Bennett, Administrative Assistant for Academic Advising. The student is given then responsible for contacting tutors on the list, and finding someone with whom they can work effectively. Students are asked to prepare for each tutoring session, bringing specific questions or problems to work through. Tutoring sessions generally last about an hour, take place in a location mutually agreed upon by tutor and tutee, and students may meet with their tutors up to twice a week. Some students choose to work with tutors on a regular basis, while others may only visit with their tutors before an exam or assignment is due. In abiding by the academic honesty policy of the institution, both tutors made aware that they should not assist with take-home exams, or complete homework for students.
