TUTOR PROGRAMME, SELECTION AND TRAINING Prof. Jacqui Kew

TODAY’s OUTLINE Why is a tutoring system important What needs to happen before tutorials can be offered What happens in a tutorial? Tutor selection Tutor training Tutor evaluation Is it all worth it?? Questions Staff: Quickly recognise what students do not understand Focus in lecture on understanding WHY something is happening Tutorials will focus on the WHAT is happening Become more outcomes based in your lecturing approach Tutors: Can become interested in academia – grow your own timber Improve their own understanding Responsibility – pervasive skills Students: Continuous work, need to keep up to date Recognise whether they are behind or ahead of the curve Individual attention Can discuss/debate issues Small class versus large class teaching

WHO BENEFITS STAFF TUTORS STUDENTS Staff: Quickly recognise what students do not understand Focus in lecture on understanding WHY something is happening Tutorials will focus on the WHAT is happening Become more outcomes based in your lecturing approach Tutors: Can become interested in academia – grow your own timber Improve their own understanding Responsibility – pervasive skills Students: Continuous work, need to keep up to date Recognise whether they are behind or ahead of the curve Individual attention Can discuss/debate issues Small class versus large class teaching

PLANNING A TUTORIAL SYSTEM Champion and buy-in from all course convenors The academic stuff up-front: Tutor selection, tutor training, developing a tutorial pack, creating solutions The admin stuff up-front: Venues, sign-up strategy (VULA), funds to pay student tutors Weekly: Tutor meeting, solutions prepared/checked Per semester: Tutor evaluations – by staff member and by students Staff: Quickly recognise what students do not understand Focus in lecture on understanding WHY something is happening Tutorials will focus on the WHAT is happening Become more outcomes based in your lecturing approach Tutors: Can become interested in academia – grow your own timber Improve their own understanding Responsibility – pervasive skills Students: Continuous work, need to keep up to date Recognise whether they are behind or ahead of the curve Individual attention Can discuss/debate issues Small class versus large class teaching

TUTOR MEETING Weekly – 45min Run by course convenor or lecturer doing that section Provide tutors with guidelines on what the students will struggle with, how to approach the tutorial Scaffolding important Tutors need to guide not just answer – need to figure out what the issue actually is – the STUDENTS not the TUTOR need to be working Staff: Quickly recognise what students do not understand Focus in lecture on understanding WHY something is happening Tutorials will focus on the WHAT is happening Become more outcomes based in your lecturing approach Tutors: Can become interested in academia – grow your own timber Improve their own understanding Responsibility – pervasive skills Students: Continuous work, need to keep up to date Recognise whether they are behind or ahead of the curve Individual attention Can discuss/debate issues Small class versus large class teaching

IN A TUTORIAL Students need to come prepared – hand in work prior to tutorial Tutors need to mark a small section – to understand the issues Tutors need to be well prepared Optional extra – objective tests Can give seen and unseen tutorials, tutorial activities Run for 1 - 1.5 hours Staff: Quickly recognise what students do not understand Focus in lecture on understanding WHY something is happening Tutorials will focus on the WHAT is happening Become more outcomes based in your lecturing approach Tutors: Can become interested in academia – grow your own timber Improve their own understanding Responsibility – pervasive skills Students: Continuous work, need to keep up to date Recognise whether they are behind or ahead of the curve Individual attention Can discuss/debate issues Small class versus large class teaching

WHAT IS A TUTORIAL NOT ... It is NOT a mini-lecture It is NOT a space to merely be given the solution It is NOT a space in which the tutor does all the talking and thinking It is NOT a space that replaces the need for students to work on their own It is NOT a space in which the students do the tutorial hand-ins for the first time Staff: Quickly recognise what students do not understand Focus in lecture on understanding WHY something is happening Tutorials will focus on the WHAT is happening Become more outcomes based in your lecturing approach Tutors: Can become interested in academia – grow your own timber Improve their own understanding Responsibility – pervasive skills Students: Continuous work, need to keep up to date Recognise whether they are behind or ahead of the curve Individual attention Can discuss/debate issues Small class versus large class teaching

TUTOR SELECTION AND TRAINING Attitude Focus of interview Focus of tutor training Knowledge Presentation skills Facilitation skills

THE INTERVIEW Focus of interview Attitude Knowledge Presentation Why do they want to tutor? Describe an excellent and/or bad tutor you have had How would they prepare for a tutorial Attitude Focus of interview Knowledge Presentation skills Deep learning Conceptual understanding WHY not only WHAT Make thought process visible Clarity Listening Time lines Examples Facilitation skills

Focus of tutor training Attitude Weekly hour long meeting Knowledge Presentation skills 3 day training course Facilitation skills

Preparing for a tutorial Diversity Student issues ?ing Marking Preparing for a tutorial 3-day workshop Listening skills Reflecting Giving feedback Board work

MAKING YOUR THOUGHT PROCESS “VISIBLE” Where did you get stuck? Why? Why answering in this particular way? What theory was relevant? Why? HOW are you approaching the tutorial? What mistakes could tutlings make? Why What is the tutorial asking me to do? Scaffolding

REFLECTING ON A TUTORIAL Where the students engaged? Student questions? How did I respond Did I complete the tutorial? Type of questions and to whom? Did they learn? What did the learn? How much did I/students talk? What worked well/did not work well?

EVALUATIONS If students think tutors are wonderful – they may not be!!! Easiest way to get brilliant evaluations is to give the students everything they think they need i.e. Mini-lecture, write out the solution, don’t make them think/ask questions/stretch them Why do they think the tutor is good – this is important to understand in the evaluations Visit the tutorials/allow the tutors to visit your tutorial Staff: Quickly recognise what students do not understand Focus in lecture on understanding WHY something is happening Tutorials will focus on the WHAT is happening Become more outcomes based in your lecturing approach Tutors: Can become interested in academia – grow your own timber Improve their own understanding Responsibility – pervasive skills Students: Continuous work, need to keep up to date Recognise whether they are behind or ahead of the curve Individual attention Can discuss/debate issues Small class versus large class teaching

FEEDBACK FROM TUTORS Weekly feedback What did the students struggle with i.e. common marking errors or common questions What did the students understand What did the tutor do well, what could they have done better i.e. what worked and what did not work Staff: Quickly recognise what students do not understand Focus in lecture on understanding WHY something is happening Tutorials will focus on the WHAT is happening Become more outcomes based in your lecturing approach Tutors: Can become interested in academia – grow your own timber Improve their own understanding Responsibility – pervasive skills Students: Continuous work, need to keep up to date Recognise whether they are behind or ahead of the curve Individual attention Can discuss/debate issues Small class versus large class teaching