1

Tutoring Center

Peer Tutor Handbook

Revised 9/16

2

Tutoring Center Mission

The Tutoring Center at Pace University is committed to offering superior tutorial service in multiple subject areas by staying current with the best

tutoring methodologies. We are dedicated to hiring and training well-qualified undergraduate and graduate peer tutors who are drawn from the best students at Pace. The Tutoring Center maintains a caring, supportive,

and encouraging academic presence to the University community. The Tutoring Center continues to engage in partnerships across the University to

develop other tutoring strategies, including but not limited to, group tutoring, semester-end reviews, study skills workshops, online tutoring, and

peer-led team learning discussion groups.

TUTORING CENTER

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

3

Tutoring Center Calendar and Administrative Info

FALL 2016/Spring 2017 SCHEDULE

Monday 12:00pm- 8:00pm

Tuesday 12:00pm- 8:00pm

Wednesday 12:00pm -8:00pm

Thursday 12:00pm- 6:00pm

Friday 12:00pm- 3:00pm (Last two weeks)

Saturday 12:00pm- 5:00pm

Sunday 2:00pm – 6:00pm(Library-Last two weeks) Appointment based math tutoring is available M-Th 10am-12pm

Fall 2016 Tutoring Center Opens - Mon, Sep 19th

Rosh Hashanah- Mon Oct 3 (TC Closed)

Yom Kippur- Weds Oct 23 (TC Open)

Thanksgiving Break – Tues Nov 22(TC Closes at 5pm)

Wed Nov 23— Sun Nov 29 (TC Closed)

Tutoring Center Closes - Weds, Dec 21

Spring 2016 Tutoring Center Opens – Mon, Feb 1

Presidents' Day - Mon 2/20(TC Closed)

Spring Break – Fri Mar 10—Sun Mar 19 (TC Closed)

Passover– Tue, Apr 11 (TC Open)

Easter– Fri, Apr 14 – Sun, Apr 16 (TC Closed)

Tutoring Center Closes- Sun, May 14

Staff

Narendra Ramcharan Mitch Joseph Lead Tutors

Associate Director PT Math Tutorial Specialist Christopher Mitilian (Accounting)

The Tutoring Center The Tutoring Center Melissa Karner (Economics)

212-346-1329(Office) 212-346-1407 Lilay Hagos (Finance)

914-960-7242(Cell) mjoseph2@pace.edu Melody Farazmand (Math)

nramcharan@pace.edu Katrina Wu (MBA/MGT)

Ami Asakawa(Sciences)

Corraine Lisio Michael Rosenfeld

Administrative Assistant Director, CAE

Center For Academic Excellence Center For Academic Excellence

212-346-1386 212-346-1285

clisio@pace.edu mrosenfeld@pace.edu

4

PEER TUTOR JOB DESCRIPTION Role of a Tutor

-You main role as a tutor is to ensure that you know that the student understands at the end of a session

-Increase students’ knowledge, comprehension and confidence

-Ensure students can solve problems independently

-Model: problem solving/ studying strategies, (Not Problem Doers, Problem Solvers)

-Be knowledgeable, complete training

-Customer Service- Ensure that students feel welcome and comfortable. Professionalism

-Make sure that students accomplish something by every interaction.

-Maintain high integrity and confidentiality, without prejudice

-Tutor in accordance with the best philosophy and practices

-Help maintain records for each student tutored by ensuring students sign in/out using the TutorTrac computer

system

-Attend scheduled training sessions held throughout each semester

-Complete new tutor training

-Assist in distributing and collecting student evaluations of Tutoring Services

-Work on any additional projects as required

-Be passionate and take responsibility for role and responsibility

-Help improve the Tutoring Center services, by creating and establish resources for students

5

Policies and Procedures

-While you are here, you represent The Tutoring Center to anyone who visits the labs or the Center for

Academic Excellence. We expect you to conduct yourself accordingly.

-You are expected to treat each student and peer with respect.

- You are required to wear your Tutoring Center name tag(subjects listed) provided to you while you are

working, and you should keep it in your mailbox here at the Tutoring Center when you are not working

-Ensure student Logged in and out of TutorTrac

-Help Keep Rooms Orderly. Organize area before you leave.

-No eating in Rooms(tutors and students)

-Limit Cell Phone/Laptop use (no movies or no gaming). Don’t use while assisting a students. No headphones.

- You are expected to dress appropriately. Revealing clothing is not considered appropriate attire.

-Don’t congregate by the Front Desk or Hallways

-Maintain a low tone

-If you are not on your shift/tutoring, please don’t distract those that are on their shift

-Keep friend visits short

-Don’t work additional time without permission

-Don’t criticize instructors

-Get to know each other’s strengths

-Be welcoming- don’t sit in a group, pretend/seem you’re busy. Face the door.

-Help direct students and (re)configure students

-Notify the Front Desk, Narendra and Mitch if you’re going to be late or absent or taking a break

-This should not be habitual. You are expected to be in the lab for the entire time you are scheduled to work. If

you are working a long shift, you may take a break at the appropriate time. Please let a staff member know.

- You are not allowed to have more than 2 absences per semester, in which your supervisors are only given less

than a day’s notice. Arrange with a manager for a substitute. This arrangement must be made at least a week

before. The substitute needs to be qualified to tutor in all your subjects

-The Associate Director maintains the right to terminate tutors on the basis of repeated lateness or absenteeism,

whether or not you call ahead or find a substitute. Decisions will be made at the discretion of the Associate

Director.

-You may be terminated based on performance

-The need to prepare for an exam is not valid excuse to be absent.

-You may do homework only when you are not involved in a tutoring session.

-Respond to all memos by the specified deadline.

-You are expected to regularly check your e-mail and respond to any notices.

-Use Blackboard for communication and document sharing

- Report any problems to the lab coordinator or to the Associate Director.

-Share Tutoring Responsibilities

6

OFFICE INFORMATION AND PROCEDURES Mailboxes

Each tutor will be assigned a mailbox in Room 204. Please check your mailbox every time you work. You

will find Narendra’s and Mitch’s mailbox by the front desk.

Reference materials

For your use, textbooks for most of the courses you will tutor, along with some solution manuals, can be found

in the cabinet across from the administrative/reception area. You must sign the book out before taking it into the

lab; you are responsible for signing it back in when you are finished. You are responsible for the book as long

as you have it signed out. Books are not to be signed out for students who request to borrow a book. Solutions

manuals are not allowed in the labs. Please let one of the lab coordinators know if there are resource materials

we don’t have and you’d like for us to get.

TutorTrac

When students come in for tutoring, ensure they signed in on the computers by the front desk. If they didn’t and

you’re not busy walk out to ensure that they do. When they are leaving, remind them of your name and to sign

out.

What to do if you are absent

If you cannot work because of illness or an emergency, you must notify The Tutoring Center IMMEDIATELY

by contacting one of the staff members: Narendra/Mitch then Corraine. Please give advance notice.

Attendance records

Your attendance is monitored. Occasionally tutors have been dismissed because of excessive or chronic

absenteeism or lateness.

Working additional hours

With the exception of substitute hours, do not work hours past your scheduled hours unless you get the

approval. You will not be paid for hours unless they have been pre-approved.

Getting Paid

The pay periods for all Pace University employees extend from the 1st of each month to the 15th, and from the

16th to the last day of each month. You will get paid twice each month, and your paychecks will either be sent

here or to your home address (you decide which you prefer) on the 15th and last day of each month. You must

sign in and sign out using the Kronos Timesheets computer-based system. The computer for punching in and

out of your shift is located in Room 204, outside the Associate Director’s office. If you haven’t gotten in on

Kronos, record your time on the sheet in your mailbox. This computer may not be used for any other application

than Kronos Timesheets.

Appointment Based Math Tutoring available, Monday – Thursday (10am – 12pm)

-More individualized attention.

-Email Mitch Joseph (mjoseph2@pace.edu) to make an appointment.

-Each appointment is 55minutes long.

-Please give 48hours notice.

-One appointment allowed per student, per week.

-Each tutor may assist a maximum of only two students.

-If the tutors have no appointments, walk-in students will be accepted.

7

Training As a new tutor you are required to participate in all content and tutoring technique training.

Within the first few week and throughout the semester you will meet the Associate Director, to discuss proper

tutoring technique, any challenges, your performance and to set goals.

Guidelines and Procedures for Conducting Reviews (Fall 2016)

Introduction

- The Tutoring Center coordinates and conducts pre-semester reviews, topic reviews, end-of-semester reviews, and class-specific reviews.

- Reviews are intended to aid students by highlighting key course concepts. - Reviews are only a supplemental resource for students and are not meant to be the sole source of a

student’s exam preparation. - Reviews are between 1-3 hours long and usually take place in room 207. - The location, date and time of reviews will be displayed on the TV/monitor near room 207. - Tutors lead reviews. They are expected to adequately prepare for reviews and to apply appropriate

teaching methods during the reviews. - Tutors tasked with leading reviews will be compensated for their prep time.

Creating reviews…

- Tutors are strongly encouraged to create/suggest new reviews. If a tutor feels there is a need to hold a review session for a certain class (or for a certain subject), simply contact Mitch or your lead subject tutor to discuss its creation and implementation.

- Sometimes, a professor who desires a review to be held will communicate with a tutor directly. In such cases, the tutor leading the review should still contact Mitch several days prior to the desired review date.

- Reviews require (1) a need, (2) materials, (3) preparation, (4) a location, day and time, and (5) a good instructor (tutor).

Before the review…

- The Quant. Support Specialist (Mitch) and Lead Tutors coordinate with instructors/tutors to schedule reviews.

- Reviews are usually scheduled in a timely manner, but in some instances they may be scheduled with little notice.

- The assigned tutor will be given materials, or asked to help with creating materials. - The tutor should review the materials prior to the day of the review and, if applicable, should be aware

of the instructors’ methods and expectations. Stick with instructor’s method. - Tutors should rehearse reviews by speaking with a senior tutor, or with Mitch and Narendra, so that

they are properly prepared, and confident that they will address the key content points.

- Before the start of the review (a few minutes before is o.k.), the tutor should take an attendance sheet from the door in 204 B (or bug Mitch if no sheets are available).

8

During a review…

- At the beginning (and the ending) of the review, the tutor should remind students to fill out the attendance sheet, and to sign in/out of the Tutoring Center kiosk next to the front desk.

- The tutor should start with a clean/clear board, write clearly and orderly, and use multiple colors to

highlight key concepts.

- Tutors should inform students that reviews should not be a singular form of studying or test preparation. A review is only part of the process. Tutors should also remind students that regular walk-in tutoring is available, if students require additional help.

- Tutors should make eye contact, speak clearly and loudly, and engage the students.

- The tutor should strongly encourage students to take notes and to ask questions. If the time doesn’t allow

to answer all the questions students may have during the review, the tutor should ask the students to write

down their queries so that they can be helped later.

- Depending on the structure of the review, the tutor may ask for participation/ input from the students.

Good questions (a) encourage students to apply their understanding, (b) highlight connections/differences

between problems (c) encourage students to focus on proper problem-solving procedures, (d) require

answers that compel students to summarize important concepts, (e) turn wrong answers into a learning

tool, (f) allow the tutor to gather information about the student’s level of understanding.

- Tutors should ensure key concepts are emphasized, explain the proper procedures for each question type

and be sure to highlight the similarities and differences between concepts/questions.

- Tutors should advise students about effective study strategies (e.g. note-taking, making diagrams, studying

with a peer, and so on).

- The tutor need not answer every problem. The goal should be to demonstrate each type of problem and to provide students with the tools to build confidence and self-sufficiency.

- If applicable, tutors should use the methods given by the instructor. - Tutor should always be respectful- to students, their fellow tutors, staff and faculty. A tutor should not

verbally express her dissatisfaction with a particular instructor’s methods during a review. - The number of students who attend the review may range anywhere from 0 to 35. Be flexible and adapt to

the needs of your students. - If the tutor needs assistance, (s)he should politely pause the lecture, instruct the students to quietly work

on a problem, and then seek help. If time is a concern, a tutor may skip a difficult question and return to it at the end of the review. (For particularly unclear/difficulty problems, tutor should not hesitate to contact Mitch, Narendra, or the professor of the course for which the review is being held).

- Tutors should avoid confrontations with the students. If a difficult situation arises, they should ask the front desk to contact a supervisor.

At the end of a review…

- At the end of the review, the tutor should remind students to fill out the attendance sheet, and to sign in/out of the Tutoring Center kiosk next to the front desk.

- The tutor should bring the attendance sheet to the front desk. The office assistants there should scan and email the sheet to Mitch, and provide him with the original physical copy of the sheet.

- Tutors should give the managers (i.e. Mitch and Narendra) feedback about how the review went.

If you ever have any questions feel free to contact Mitch or Narendra.

9

Reviews Summary

Be aware of upcoming reviews. Promote them.

Encourage Participation in Review/Regular Tutoring.

Reviews or Tutoring is should not be the only form of studying

Complete the material beforehand. Stick with instructor’s method.

Understand the key concepts that need to be emphasized.

Meet with Narendra, Tian, or a Lead Tutor to discuss how best to structure the review.

Plan how to structure the session.

Practice proper delivery(volume, eye contact, questions)

Take attendance

Depending on the material/students it may be best not to field questions. Refer them to regular tutoring.

10

The Tutoring Session

The best tutoring occurs when the tutor doesn’t necessarily know the answer.

Rather, modeling how to find an answer (instead of just explaining how to do a

problem) is one of the best long-term positive outcomes of tutoring.

11

Development of cognition Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956)

Deep learning strategies foster the development of cognition.

Bloom’s Level Characteristic Cognitive

Order/Novice-

Expert

Type of Learning

Knowledge rote memorization to aid

in the identification and retrieval of information

Low - Novice Surface/Strategic

Comprehension ability to interpret, classify, summarize,

explain, or compare/contrast

information that is memorized

Low - Novice Surface/Strategic

Application ability to execute or

implement knowledge to a

new scenario

Intermediate -

Novice

Deeper

Analysis ability to differentiate, find coherence, or

attribute information

Intermediate - Expert

Deeper

Evaluation ability to critically analyze information

High - Expert Deeper

Synthesis ability to critically analyze information to generate

new ideas (such as hypotheses)

High - Expert Deeper

12

BEGINNING A SESSION

At the start of a session, you want to accomplish three things: • Create a comfortable atmosphere

• Asses the student’s problems and needs • Let the student know what to expect from the session

I. Create a comfortable atmosphere and establish rapport

The student often enters a tutoring session with concerns that make the experience very

different for him or her than it is for you. While you may be wondering what the student needs help with, he or she may be worrying about how “good” you are as a tutor,

whether or not you know what you’re talking about, if you’re nice, or if her or she can trust you enough to show you their weaknesses.

These worries disappear over time, but there are some things you can right away to put

the student at ease:

• Generally, be aware that the student may be a little nervous or uncomfortable. First-

time users may be especially anxious. • Smile and be friendly.

• Tell the student your name. • Make eye contact with the student.

• Learn the student’s name and make an attempt to pronounce it if it is unfamiliar.

II. “Get the picture” Assess the student’s problems and needs

After you put the student at ease, you need to assess his or her needs. Students come to the lab with different degrees of ability to identify what they don not understand or

what they need. Some students can tell you exactly what the problem is, while others either can’t or won’t. For example, some students may begin a session with statement

like the following:

• “I just don’t get it.”

• “I don’t understand anything.” • “My professor made me come.”

• “I don’t understand this professor at all; he’s horrible.”

Those students who are vague or unable to tell what they need require more work on your part. While all the above statements may be true so some degree, in order to make

a session productive and yourself effective, you need to help the student articulate what he or she does not understand as specifically as possible. When he or she can’t do this

on his/her own, you need to ask questions that will help the student identify and articulate problems. For example, you might ask:

• What have you covered in class so far?

• How many chapters have you covered?

13

• Was there a point in the course when you were finding the material easier?

• When did the course start getting difficult? • “Can you show me a specific example of a problem or assignment you don’t

understand or can’t do?” • “What was the last type of problem you could do before you got confused?”

Beginning the session by asking questions that help the student fully identify his or her

problem is important for several reasons:

• It allows you to determine what the student does or doesn’t know. • It enables you to identify any underlying weakness in basic skills.

• It engages the student in the session by making him or her take responsibility for his or her own difficulty.

It is important to your success as a tutor that you listen carefully to how the student

responds to your initial questions. Be alert not only to what the student says but to how

the student says it. Be sensitive to any messages the student is sending other than those he or she intends to send. For example, be alert for reluctance to be there,

uneasiness, embarrassment, shyness, nervousness, or anxiety, and to whatever the student may say about a past history using the Tutoring Center.

III. Let the student know what to expect

Let the student know how you work as a tutor and what you typically like to do. That is,

let the student know that you will give him/her time to work alone, that you will be thinking about how well he/she knows the concepts behind the problems, and overall

your job is to help the student learn to understand the material. Let the student know that you may have to work with other students.

14

TUTORING DURING THE SESSION The tutoring session is a combination of what you know, i.e. your expertise in a subject

area, and how you help someone else understand it, i.e. your tutoring method.

Your tutoring methods should facilitate learning and active engagement. They should not reinforce passivity, encourage laziness, or generally take responsibility away from the

student. Three key methods to accomplish this are:

• Explaining, demonstrating, and modeling

• Asking questions and listening to answers • Giving the student time to work alone

I. Get the student involved: explain, model, and ask questions

After you understand what a student’s needs are and have engaged him or her in the

process by asking questions, you will be able to move on to providing explanations and demonstrating right methods for solving problems. Show them how to solve problems,

find answers, use information, etc.

Explaining and documenting are necessary and important parts of any tutoring session, but giving mini lectures or doing the problems for the student is not. The tutoring

session should not consist entirely of you talking to or at the student, or of you explaining concepts, working problems, or making corrections to the student’s work.

Sessions like this reinforce passivity, encourage dependence, and result in boredom, The

difference between explaining concepts or demonstrating how to solve problems and tutoring lies in whether or not you follow-up and how. Asking questions is the key

element to being an effective tutor and every explanation you offer and every solution you demonstrate should be followed by questions you address to the student.

There are different types of questions that serve different purposes during a session:

Those that encourage the tutee to start thinking:

“Where do you think we should start?” “What are the steps involved in working this problem?”

“What is the definition?”

Those that help you determine how fully the student understands your explanation:

• “Can you solve this other similar problem?”

• “Can you paraphrase what I just explained?” • “Why did you solve the problem that way?”

“What will happen if what you said is true?” “What made you think that?”

“You’re correct. The answer to this question is false. What would be needed to make it true?”

15

Clarifying questions that probe an answer more deeply:

Can you be more specific?

What did you mean by that? Anything else?

Those that invite the student to think or make connections between problems or examples:

• “How is this problem like the other ones you could do?” • “How does this problem build on the ones you did before?”

“What is the opposite of this position?” • “What’s the new concept/skill in this problem?”

• “Can you see how solving this problem depends upon your ability to solve the earlier ones?”

Those that ask the student to recall information that can be used as a tool:

• “What do you know that might help you solve this problem?”

• “What is always true about the square root of a number?” • “What do you need to know in order to solve this equilibrium

equation? • “What is the key thing to remember about this kind of problem?”

Those that help the student become aware of his/her process:

• “How are you solving this problem? What strategy are you employing?”

• “Did reading that section in the textbook help you understand how to solve the problem?

• “Do you think you stopped trying too soon on this problem? • “What do you need to remember when solving this kind of problem?”

• “What helps you memorize this information?”

Those that allow you to gather information about the student’s study habits

and skills: • “Did the professor go over this kind of problem/this concept in class?

May I see your notes from class?” • “Did you read the section in your textbook that explains the

concept?” • “How many problems did you do to practice this concept?”

• “Do you ever ask the professor questions in class?” • “Did you miss class that day?”

Asking questions is a key tutoring method because questions include the students in

learning process. Asking questions:

• Forces the student to recall information, use information, and process information. • Breaks the familiar pattern inside the classroom of passive listening and instead allows

or forces the student to engage subject matter and his or her own process.

16

• Asks students to verbalize what and how they think. When students talk about what

they know, what they are learning, what they don’t understand, and what they think, they rather than the teacher or the material become the center of the learning process.

• Allows you to determine if your approach is working and if an adjustment is necessary.

II. Listen

One very important key to being an effective tutor is listening to the student. In fact, your ability to tutor will be determined in large part on how well you can listen. Here are

some things to remember:

• When you ask a question, wait for the answer. It may take a student some time before he or she can answer you. Don’t immediately interpret the student’s silence as an

indication of that he or she can’t answer or that there’s something wrong with the question. Silence can mean that the student is thinking, which is exactly the thing we

want to happen! Silence may mean that the student can’t answer, but give the student

enough time before you help out by clarifying or asking a different question.

• Try not to get distracted. Don’t begin to formulate a next question in your mind while the student is thinking how to respond. Focus on what the student says and listen

for cues that the student does or does not understand. Paraphrasing what the student has said is a good listening practice. This shows the

student that you are listening and that it matters to you that you understand what he or she is saying. This is an especially good practice given the fact that not all students

express themselves clearly. By paraphrasing, you may give the student an opportunity to reformulate what he or she wants to say in a much clearer and more productive way.

• Acknowledge the answer. Even if the student gives you a wrong or partially correct

answer, engage what they say. Don’t dismiss or ignore it.

III. Give the student time to work alone

Create time during the session for the student to work independently of you. Give the

student a few problems to work on, or have him or her identify other problems that are similar to those you’ve talked about and worked on. Try to give the student enough time

alone to engage the topic or problem. It is good practice to walk away from the student and literally leave him or her alone for some period of time and return when you feel her

or she is ready. Depending upon how long a student remains in the lab, you may repeat the cycle or working with the student and having the student work alone.

Types of independent tasks:

• Have the student try one problem or a group of problems. • Have the student read a section of the text that explains a concept.

• Have the student look for errors he or she has made in solving a problem or answering a question.

• Have the student attempt part of his or her homework assignment.

17

Giving the student time to work independently is important for several reasons:

• It discourages dependence and passivity. • It gives them an opportunity to “test” how well they understand what

you are explaining to them. • It forces them to use any tools you are giving them.

• It allows them to make mistakes or get stuck while they are in the lab and therefore gives them the opportunity to learn from those

mistakes. • It helps build confidence when they are able to perform the task

alone. • It helps prevent the student from think you will sit with them the

entire time and work with them only.

18

CONCLUDING A SESSION

The tutoring session does not necessarily end the moment the student indicates that he or she must leave or that he or she is done. You need to extend the session by just a

minute or so to invite the student to think about how the work he or she has done in the session is connected to his or her study habits or classroom experiences beyond the lab.

This might be done by:

• Summarizing what the student’s problem was and what you and he/she did to address it.

• Emphasizing the strategies you and the student developed for handling difficulty, i.e. what questions were helpful to the student,

what steps were helpful, how the student used his or her textbook more effectively.

• Reminding the student of new note-taking or study strategies. • Asking the student what he or she will do the next time he or she

encounters difficulty.

• Asking the student if he or she will come back and what might be the next thing to work on.

Encourage the student to see the progress her or she has made in the session. Even if

the progress is not remarkable, it and the student’s effort should be validated. Some suggestions are:

• “You asked really good questions today.”

• “You accomplished a lot today.” • “You have really gotten that concept down and that’s an important

step.” • “You are working really hard.”

• “You did a lot of good work on your own here today.”

19

TUTORING DOS and DON’TS DO be dependable. Come to work on time when you are scheduled to work. Students, fellow tutors, and administrative staff depend upon you to be there.

DO maintain confidentially. Don’t talk about the students you tutor or that you see using

the lab to other Pace students.

DO encourage the student to communicate his or her difficulty to and seek help from his or her professor. Remind the student that the professor is his or her best resource and

that better communication with him or her will be to their benefit.

DO be professional. Your job is not to make friends with the students you tutor, nor is to make sure that these students like you. Your goal is not to use the tutoring situation

to feel good about yourself. While I hope you will be likeable and friendly, your goal is

to be helpful and to do that you need to maintain appropriate distance between yourself and the student.

DO maintain high integrity. If you use resources provided by the instructor(s), which are

meant only for the tutors to enhance their tutoring sessions, it should not be shared with tutees.

We do not want to jeopardize the faculty’s trust and respect of the Tutoring Center.

DO ask for help when you need it. You most likely will run into a question that you can’t answer or a situation that you can’t handle or that makes you uncomfortable. We don’t

expect you to know everything or to know how to handle everything, so please don’t have those expectations of yourself. Ask a lab coordinator or the Associate Director for

help when you need it, either during or after a session.

DO protect your own time. We expect you to work while you are scheduled to work, but

you are under no obligation to grant a student’s request for tutoring if it means you need to work additional hours.

DO admit mistakes. We all make them, and you will make some while you are here.

DO be encouraging, but DON’T give false hope about a grade a student might expect to

receive after working with you. If a student directly asks you what grade you think he or she ought to receive, tell the student that the question is impossible for you to

answer.

DON’T assist students with assignments that are meant to be done individually (for example take-home tests or manipulations of these tests/questions). It is also important

to be mindful of the material students bring into the Tutoring Center for assistance. If this occurs, explain to them that you can’t help, and if they persist bring it to the

Director or Lab Coordinator’s attention.

20

DON’T “professor-bash.” If a student complains that his/her professor is unfair, etc.,

remain neutral in regard to the professor, no matter how hard this may be. A student may need to express his or frustration with a professor’s teaching style or grading

standards, so don’t dismiss the student’s feelings. But don’t “take their side.” Try to offer constructive ways the student might handle his or her problem with the professor.

DON’T question the grade a professor has given a student. Unless you see an objective

grading error, steer clear of commenting on the grades the students has received. You may have an opinion, but you have no authority to challenge or agree with a grade.

DON’T express frustration at the students, even those who really frustrate you. If you

need to “take a break” excuse yourself for a few minutes until you are composed.

DON’T encourage passivity. Ensure that the student works independently. Stick with the

1.25 hours session time limit.