Kelly Williams Academic Advisor/Tutor Coordinator Setzer Student Center Room 242 (409) 880-7922 [email protected]
2015 TUTOR HANDBOOK
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What is Student Support Services? 3
Policies and Procedures 4
Academic Honesty 7
Family Education Rights and Privacy Act 8
Maintaining Professional Relationships 9
Tutor Expectations 10
Tutoring Sessions 10
Self Evaluations Form 12
Supervisor Evaluation Form 13
Tutee Evaluation Form 14
Acknowledgement of Receipt 15
SSS Staff Contact Information 16
TABLE OF CONTENTS TUTOR HANDBOOK
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Acknowledgement of Receipt
I have read and understand the contents of this handbook and will act in accord with these policies and procedures as a condition of my employment with Student Support Services. Signature: ____________________________________ Date: _____________
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WHAT IS SSS?
Federally funded program developed under the Higher Education Act
of 1965
Intent is to provide the support and resources that are necessary for
students from diverse backgrounds to achieve their higher education
goals
Designed to help first-generation college students, low income
students and students with disabilities who plan to complete a degree
MISSION OF SSS
The mission of the Lamar University Student Support Services program is to promote the attainment of knowledge and skills that enhance the retention and graduation of students from low-income, first generation background students and students with disabilities.
SERVICES PROVIDED BY SSS
Tutors who are available to SSS students only
Academic and personal advising sessions with an advisor who works
with a small number of students
Financial aid, scholarship and financial literacy assistance
Computer lab and student lounge available only to SSS students
Tools for success that are available, including laptops, scantrons, voice
recorders, text and reference books and more
Cultural trips
Mixers and workshops
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HOURS OF OPERATION The SSS Tutoring Center is open Monday-Friday from 8am-5pm. Tutoring is currently available during those hours.
LOCATION The SSS Tutoring Center is located in the Setzer Student Center, 2nd Floor, Room 248.
PAYROLL Student employees are paid on the 15th (or first business day after the 15th) of each month. SSS tutors will sign in on their time sheet at the beginning of their shift and sign out at the end. Tutor time sheets are located in the binder on top of the table in room 241A. Prior to the last day of the month, tutors should total their hours worked and sign their time sheet. Tutors are currently paid $10 an hour. This is subject to change depending on budget constraints. Any tutors who are paid through work study exclusively are paid the going rate that is predetermined by Financial Aid.
ATTENDANCE POLICY Tutors are expected to arrive at least 5 minutes before scheduled shifts to collect any pertinent paperwork or items needed for the session. Tutors are expected to be present and prepared for all scheduled shifts. Our students have expectations that they will receive a high quality service. Tutors who do not arrive on time or who cancel sessions are unable to meet those expectations. If you will be late or need to cancel a shift with less than 24 hours notice, call the Tutor Coordinator at (409) 880-7922. If there is no answer, leave a message and call the main office at (409) 880-7920. If you need to request time off, e-mail the Tutor Coordinator at least one week in advance. The Tutor Coordinator has the discretion to approve or deny any time off request.
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Each tutor must keep cancellations of scheduled work hours to a maximum of 3 days per semester. Excessive absences, tardiness or failure to give proper notification of absences beyond those 3 days allowed in a semester shall be considered sufficient cause for disciplinary action (see page 5, “Disciplinary Procedures”) or separation from University employment. In a situation of absence of more than 3 consecutive days for illness, the tutor must provide a doctor's statement upon return to work. It is understood that tutors are students too, and their first priority should be keeping their own grades up, but in order to provide reliable, quality services to our students, tutors need to maintain excellent regular attendance.
JOB DESCRIPTION Tutors provide individual and/or small group assistance in specific subjects, as well as support to enhance students' learning and study skills. It is important that tutors maintain accurate records of tutor sessions. Tutors will provide consistent performance by following established expectations and will perform office and administrative tasks, when assigned. The goals of tutoring are to promote independence in learning, personalize instruction to suit the student, facilitate student learning processes and insights into learning, respect individual differences and to provide a students perspective.
MAKING TUTORING ASSIGNMENTS Each tutor must submit their availability for the semester to the Tutor Coordinator when requested. If changes are made to the tutors availability, notify the Tutor Coordinator as soon as possible. Students may submit their tutoring requests throughout the semester, but priority scheduling is given to those who turn the request in early. Tutoring sessions are scheduled in 1 hour increments and are weekly assignments. A student may request up to 3 hours of tutoring per week, per subject, but the actual number of hours assigned will depend on availability of the tutor.
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Tutors will be notified of new tutoring assignments via email, and tutors are expected to confirm with the Tutor Coordinator that they received their new assignment. The tutor schedule is posted in Room 241A for reference and provided through email for each tutor as it is updated. Once a tutor session is scheduled, there will be no day/time changes unless requested by the tutee and approved by the Tutor Coordinator.
TUTORING PROCEDURES On the first tutoring session held with each student, the tutor will go over the tutor/student contract which outlines expectations for tutoring for both the student and the tutor. This document will be placed in the students’ file for our records. Each tutor must maintain Contact Logs for each student, and for each class, to maintain accurate records of tutoring sessions. The Contact Log is to be kept in the tutors’ folders and the tutee must sign it each time they come for tutoring. If a tutee misses a scheduled session, the tutor must have the Tutor Coordinator sign the contact log. Each tutor must keep a copy of their tutees’ syllabus for each class they are receiving tutoring for. With this knowledge you will be more prepared for the session in the event that student is not and be able to direct their session into time well spent. Tutoring hours from the contact logs are entered weekly by the Tutor Coordinator and returned back to the tutor’s folder.
TUTOR EVALUATIONS Evaluations are done at the end of each semester. Forms used are on pages 12, 13 and 14.
COMMUNICATION POLICY Effective communication is the key to effective tutoring. Tutors should maintain professionalism when representing SSS. Tutors are not allowed to share personal contact information with students. This policy is in place to protect tutors. Feel free to share the department’s contact information with a student if he/she requests additional assistance. 15
HOW TO MAKE A 5 DAY STUDY PLAN
Break the material into chunks. If it can be divided by chapter, use
that. If not, make up your own chunks based on the structure of the
material.
Plan to spend about two hours studying on each of the five days.
You work on the material in two ways. You prepare, and you review.
EXAMPLE OF A PLAN
KEYS TO THE PLAN
Start early and have frequent, short study sessions
During each day, you prepare material for a new chapter, and then review previous material
Use active learning strategies (writing, reciting) to study the material
Use self-testing techniques to monitor your learning
Saturday
Prepare Ch. 15 1-1/2 hours
1. Review notes from reading.
2. Make flash cards.
3. Make a definition sheet.
4. Do all the examples and problems assigned.
5. Review study guide.
Review Ch. 14 1/2 hour
1. Go over flash cards.
2. Self-test on definitions.
3. Review all examples and problems assigned.
4. Review study guide.
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FACILITATE PROBLEM SOLVING Have the student identify possible parts to the task, ask questions or
use restatements to help the student determine the tasks, rather than
provide them for him/her.
Help the student identify a general approach for whatever the partic-
ular task is rather than just providing an answer.
Utilize information sources, such as textbooks, class notes, and
handouts.
Help the student learn how to learn from relevant information
sources.
Make sure the student understands the “why” behind what they do
Allow adequate wait time for student responses. Give the student
time to process and answer than answering for them. The general
rule if 5 to 7 seconds, use your judgment based on the situation. The
goal is to make the student think…don’t be nervous with awkward
silence.
SESSION WRAP-UP AND CLOSING Provide opportunity for the student to explain the thought processes
he/she used—wait for the student to finish summary before inter-
jecting any comments.
Determine if the student’s understanding of the content would allow
the completion of similar tasks independent of tutoring.
ACADEMIC FEEDBACK Offer positive reinforcement and confirm that the student is
improving.
Help the student anticipate what he/she will learn next that might
connect to the current task.
Help the student understand how information from class, tutoring
and resources are connected.
CLOSING AND GOODBYES End session on a positive note and walk student out of tutoring room.
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Tutors need to regularly communicate with SSS professional staff members. The Tutor Coordinator tracks absences, tardiness, and rescheduling for the program data. Keep us involved and up-to-date. Tutors may use a variety of methods to communicate with staff (e.g. face-to-face, phone, e-mail). Email will be the main method of communication the Tutor Coordinator uses for scheduling, so check your email regularly.
CONFIDENTIALITY Confidentiality is a crucial component to SSS. Students need to trust that our office won’t share private information with anyone outside of our department. You should not share any personal information about the students whom you tutor with persons not affiliated with SSS, unless you have express permission from the Tutor Coordinator. If you ever suspect that a student is in danger of harming him/herself or others, you must report it immediately to a professional staff member.
STUDENT ABSENCES When a student is unexpectedly absent from tutoring, the tutor must have the Tutor Coordinator sign the Contact Log, and then ask for an office assignment, so the tutor can earn their full hour of work.
ACADEMIC PROGRESS Tutors are academic role models and therefore should maintain appropriate academic progress. The minimum cumulative G.P.A. requirement for all tutors is a 3.0. Any tutor whose GPA falls below a 3.0 will be placed on probation for one semester. If the tutor still cannot maintain a 3.0, the tutor will be dismissed from their position.
MANDATORY ATTENDANCE
All meetings, training events, and special tutoring events (study nights) are mandatory. The only excused absences will be for class related
purposes. If unable to make a meeting or training, then the tutor must give advance notice and schedule an individual session with the Tutor
Coordinator.
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DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES First offense will result in a verbal warning. Each following offense will result in a written warning. Third written warning will result in termination.
RELATIONSHIP POLICY It is inappropriate for a tutor to be personally involved with his/her student.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Lamar University expects all students to engage in academic pursuits in a manner that is above reproach. Students are expected to main-tain complete honesty and integrity in their academic experiences both in and out of the classroom. Any student found guilty of dishonesty in any phase of academic work will be subject to disciplinary action. As academic support personnel, it is imperative that tutors follow the Academic Honesty policy and ensure that students who receive tutoring are abiding by it as well. If you have any questions regarding this policy or whether something constitutes academic dishonesty, please talk to the Tutor Coordinator. The following text is taken directly from the Lamar University Student Handbook, which is available at http:/dept.lamar.edu/studentaffairs/handbook.htm
23.1 FORMS OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
From the Lamar University Student Handbook: The University and its official representatives may initiate disciplinary proceedings against a student accused of any form of academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work which is to be submitted, plagiarism, collusion, and the abuse of resource materials. Cheating includes: copying, without authorization from the instructor, another stu-
dent’s test paper, laboratory report, other report, or computer files, data listings, and/or programs;
using, during a test, materials not authorized by the person giving the test;
collaborating, without authorization, with another person during an examination or in preparing academic work; 13
TUTORING SESSIONS It is important that all tutoring sessions have a level of uniformity. While the students and subjects may be different, there are certain things that should be the same at all sessions. This section will outline expectations for the first tutoring session with a new student, as well as the appropriate components for every tutoring session. It is essential that these processes are followed. Tutors will be evaluated, in part, on the basis of meeting these guidelines.
1ST TUTORING SESSION
MAKE INTRODUCTIONS Be friendly and help the student feel comfortable.
Make sure tutoring area is appropriately set up.
Sit next to student—this initiates collaboration and makes
student feel equal.
For group tutoring, make sure all students can see you, any
materials you use (dry-erase board, chalkboard), and if possible,
the other students.
IDENTIFY TASK Use transitions and questions to focus a session after the small
talk, Example: “I’m glad you had a good weekend, but we better
get down to business so we can make sure to cover whatever
you want help with today”.
Give student the opportunity to indicate what he/she would like
help with during the session.
Follow-up with questions, restatements and time to clarify the
student’s needs and to acknowledge what the student already
knows, Example: Student says, “I need help with my writing.” Tu-
tor says “Okay, you need help with your writing”.
Before moving to the next step in the cycle, make sure you un-
derstand exactly what the student needs help with—it will save
TUTOR EXPECTATIONS Tutors will arrive at least 5 minutes early and will be prepared
for each tutoring session. The tutor will meet with the student at the specified times. The tutor will maintain confidentiality of a student’s personal
information by not sharing it with anyone outside of the SSS staff, unless directed to do so by the Tutor Coordinator.
The tutor will not complete any class assignment for a student. The tutor will report any knowledge of academic dishonesty. The tutor will provide consistent performance by following the
established expectations for each tutoring session. The tutor is expected to maintain accurate records of tutoring
sessions and will meet with the Tutor Coordinator as needed to review those records.
Tutors will maintain a professional and friendly demeanor.
Tutors will keep up with scheduled hours and not exceed those
hours. Have a positive attitude. Attend all required training and meetings. Ask questions when it’s needed. Be willing to give and accept constructive criticism.
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knowingly, and without authorization, using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, soliciting, copying, or possessing, in whole or in part, the contents of test or assignment that has not been administered or assigned;
substituting for another student, permitting any other person, or otherwise assisting any other person to substitute for oneself or for another student in the taking of an examination or test or the preparation of academic work to be submitted for academic credit;
bribing another person to obtain a test not yet administered or information about such
purchasing, or otherwise acquiring and submitting as one’s own work any research paper or other written assignment prepared by an individual or firm. (This section does not apply to the typing of the rough and/or final versions of an assignment by a professional typist).
FAMILY EDUCATIONS RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT (FERPA)
From the Department of Education: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/
guid/fpco/ferpa/students.html
FERPA is a Federal law that is administered by the Family Policy Compli-ance Office in the U.S. Department of Education. It applies to all educa-tional agencies and institutions that receive funding under any program administered by the Department.
Once a student reaches 18 years of age or attends a postsecondary institution, he or she becomes an "eligible student," and all rights formerly given to parents under FERPA transfer to the student. The eligible student has the right to have access to his or her education records, the right to seek to have the records amended, the right to have control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information from the records, and the right to file a complaint with the Department. The term "education records" is defined as those records that contain information directly related to a student and which are maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a party acting for the agency or institution.
FERPA generally prohibits the improper disclosure of personally identifiable information derived from education records. Thus, information that an official obtained through personal knowledge or
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observation, or has heard orally from others, is not protected under FERPA. This remains applicable even if education records exist which contain that information, unless the official had a role in making a determination that generated a protected education record.
Under FERPA, a school is not generally required to maintain particular
education records or education records that contain specific information.
Rather, a school is required to provide certain privacy protections for
those education records that it does maintain. Also, unless there is an
outstanding request by an eligible student to inspect and review
education records, FERPA permits the school to destroy such records
without notice to the student.
Employees, who fail to take proper measures to safeguard this
information, place Lamar University at risk. Such employees may be
denied access to University data systems. The penalty for FERPA violations
could result in the loss of federal funds for the University, including the
ability to provide Federal Financial Aid to our students.
It is your job as a tutor to protect tutee information that you know or have
access to.
MAINTAINING PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS http://ddi.cs.uni-potsdam.de/Lehre/WissArbeitenHinweise/
teachingassistant/hand/skills.html
When meeting with students, leave the door open If you feel a student is "coming on to you", make it clear by your
reactions and/or verbal response that you are not interested. If the behavior persists, seek advice from someone you trust, who will take the problem seriously and can help you deal with the problem, preferably your supervisor. You, or your supervisor, can also call the Vice President of Student Affairs for confidential information and assistance.
Mutual attractions do occur between students and tutors. If you wish to have a personal relationship with a student you must wait until the student has completed any course work and is no longer under your direct assessment or control.
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If this is not possible and a relationship develops, you must declare a potential conflict of interest to the SSS Tutor Coordinator or the SSS Program director who will assist in reassigning you to other students or ceasing your services to the program.
If a student approaches you with personal problems that may
undermine the professional relationship, direct them to the appropriate area on campus that can help them (e.g.. Student Counseling Service, Student Health Service, etc.).
When carrying on conversations with students, both in and
outside the class, avoid commenting on student dress and appearance.
Discriminatory jokes and slurs have no place in the Tutoring
Center. Because many students will be offended by such remarks, put a stop to them immediately.
Make every effort to use gender neutral language in your
tutoring sessions to avoid students feeling excluded and alienated.
If a student comes to you because they are being harassed by
someone else, take the complaint seriously. Offer support and provide information. It is your responsibility to handle this problem quickly and appropriately. Report it to your Tutor Coordinator or SSS Program Director in writing, if possible.
You, too, are vulnerable to being sexually harassed. Also, you may find yourself being given a hard time because of your gender, feminist stance, sexual orientation, or racial or ethnic origin. The Human Resource Office, your SSS Tutor Coordinator, and/or SSS Program Director can offer information, support, and help you think through possible ways to resolve the problem.
