Professional development program

Tutor Training Program – Semester 2 2009

INTRODUCTION

The quality of tutoring in the Faculty of Economics and Commerce has received focussed attention in previous years by the Teaching and Learning Unit (TLU).  This will continue in 2009.

This page outlines the Tutor Training Program that will be run by the TLU in 2009, in collaboration with the four departments in the faculty.

THE PROGRAM

The objectives of this program are:

• To introduce tutors to the principles of excellent teaching and learning in higher education;
• To provide individualised feedback to each new tutor on their classroom performance, with a view to enhancing their teaching and thereby, their students’ learning;
• To provide new tutors with opportunities to learn about the experiences of experienced tutors in the Department/Faculty; and
• To provide opportunities for new tutors to meet other tutors in their Department and across the faculty.

The specific components of the program will be:

• An initial compulsory three-hour Department based group training program facilitated by a TLU staff member and conducted before the semester starts where recruitment allows and in the first week of semester where this is not possible;
• An observation of each new tutor teaching by a TLU staff member and a written report based on that observation;
• The provision of a ‘bank’ of tips, suggestion, advice, ideas, vignettes from successful tutors and other resources for improving tutoring;
• A compulsory one-hour follow up session for tutors, facilitated by a TLU staff member and where common teaching challenges and issues are discussed;
• An individual program of teaching development provided by the TLU, where necessary.

1.  An initial compulsory three/four-hour Department based group training program

This session will be conducted before the start of or very early in the semester and include:

• an interactive introduction to the fundamental principles of excellent teaching;
• basic advice on teaching/tutoring for the first time;
• basic advice on discipline-specific tutoring issues within the subject; 
• advice and practice in facilitating student participation, questioning technique, small group management and related topics
• directions for how to access further information, advice and support on any aspect of tutoring and student learning;           
• the opportunity to meet and interact with other tutors in their department.

Attendance at, and participation in, this initial session is part of a new tutor’s contract and they are paid by their department for the three hours at an appropriate rate.  This ensures attendance and more importantly, that the value the department places on teaching quality is underscored.  This group-based component would be offered by the TLU every 6 months and would include an evening session where necessary.

Department training schedule:

2.  An observation of each new tutor teaching by a TLU staff member and a written report based on that observation

This classroom observation would be conducted by an experienced academic staff member of the TLU around weeks 4, 5 and 6 of semester.  This TLU staff member will also provide a written report on the tutor’s teaching, based on this observation.  The observation and report will focus on critical areas of teaching and learning such as enthusiasm, communication style, rapport, student engagement, questioning technique, use of teaching aids, and classroom management.  Areas of strength, as well as areas in need of development, will be highlighted and relevant resources recommended.

This report has a developmental, rather than summative, purpose and is confidential between the TLU staff member and the tutor.  The Director of the TLU will be briefed on any issues in relation to individual tutors and the Head of Departments will receive a general overall report on the progress of participants in the program who are from their department.  These observations and feedback are a common part of TLU staff work and there is a high level of expertise in this area within the TLU.

The provision of a ‘bank’ of tips, suggestion, advice, ideas and resources for improving tutoring

The TLU will develop and make available a website specifically for tutors. In the first iteration, this site will:

• provide a central resource for all tutors in the Faculty;
• host several booklets targeted specifically at tutors (‘Tutoring for the First Time’; ‘Facilitating Student Participation’);
• contain vignettes from successful tutors and other staff which describe their experiences including perceived challenges and rewards inherent in tutoring in the faculty; and
• list resources (human and other) available to support tutors.

3.  A compulsory one-hour follow up session for tutors, facilitated by a TLU staff member and where common teaching challenges and  issues are discussed

Based on the observations and feedback by the TLU staff members and issues and concerns that tutors bring to this follow-up session in about week 6 or 7, the content and focus of this follow-up session will vary.  Once again, attendance at, and participation in, this session is part of a new tutor’s contract and they are paid for the hour by their department at an appropriate rate.  The TLU will provide light refreshments for this second session and perhaps invite successful teachers from Departments on occasion to share their experiences to encourage attendance, and interaction between participants.

Follow-up training schedule:

An individual program of teaching development provided by the TLU, where necessary

On occasion, a program supplemented by resources such as those described above might be inadequate to fully prepare a tutor for the challenges of teaching or inadequate to deal with significant teaching-related problems.  In such cases, the TLU will consider the provision of an individual program of development for a staff member tailored specifically to their needs.

EVALUATION OF THE TUTOR TRAINING PROGRAM

It is proposed that the evaluation and quality assurance of the program be an ongoing issue for consideration by the TLU and departments.  Particular methods of evaluation and sources of information may include, but would not be limited to:

• Tutor participant evaluation of the program (see below);
• Tutor QOT scores
• Monitoring of hits on the tutor website.