Wesleyan University Dean’s Office Peer Tutoring Program
Description of program:
Peer Tutors provide supplementary course-content instruction for students who request them. Tutors are employed by the University, and paid by the Office of Student Affairs. Students may request tutors at any point, or be referred to the program by professors or their dean. Tutors are identified by professors, departments and interdisciplinary programs, or by Sarah Lazare, the tutoring program coordinator.
Setting up the tutor-student relationship:
Be clear with the student about what the student intends to get out of your tutoring sessions. Make sure you agree on a schedule, and can meet her/his needs.
Come to an understanding about the practical dimensions of your tutoring relationship. At the first session, do the following:
- Define the number of hours. Generally, it should be 1-2 hours/week. More than 2 hours requires approval from your dean, professor or the coordinator in consultation with your dean.
- Define the general meeting schedule.
- Clarify the best contact information for both of you.
- Fill out and sign the Tutor Enrollment Form and Tutor-Tutee Contract.
Guidelines and expectations:
Be on time for every session. If you must cancel a session, give at least 24 hours notice.
Practice good listening skills. It may be useful to rephrase the tutee’s questions, to ensure that you understand the main point and to give the tutee the opportunity to elaborate on it.
Be careful not to step outside your area of expertise. When in doubt, ask the professor. Don’t make up an answer if you don’t know it.
Help your tutee understand the concepts behind a problem, or the process of solving it, rather than solving it directly for her/him. Ask the student to explain as much of the process or content as possible before giving any information. Share study techniques with the tutee. If you want suggestions for this, please make an appointment with Sarah Lazare to discuss this.
If the student seems to be experiencing a problem which you feel is not covered by the kind of course content instruction you can provide, please refer her/him to the appropriate class dean.
If you or the student feels that the arrangement is not working, either of you can contact the coordinator. (Based on the availability of additional tutors, the student may be able to be reassigned to another tutor.)
Arranging to be paid:
To enroll, fill out a Tutor Enrollment Form and Tutor-Tutee Contract and submit forms to Lorna Scott, North College room 219 (685-2772).
Submit your hours via email (must be sent from your Wesleyan email account) every week to Lorna Scott lscott@wesleyan.edu by NOON ON FRIDAYS. If you have not worked for Wesleyan prior to tutoring, go to Human Resource on College Street to fill out the necessary paperwork. You will be paid through Human Resources/Payroll.
