Tutor Program Assessment:
Feedback from Tutors
Fall 2010
Conducted, Analyzed, by Dennis Chowenhill (Emeritus,
English)
[This Tutor Assessment Survey was conducted during class
sessions of the two sections of Tutor Training 1A, about twothirds of the way into the Fall term. Sixty-one tutors
responded. The comments and observations below touch only on
highlights of the results, and not all items are commented on.
The purpose of this report is to give the breadth of the tutors’
observations, so repetitions of the same response are not
accounted for (though rewordings of some of the same general
ideas appear). Question 4, which is not commented on, is given
below, within brackets. The surveys themselves are on file with
the Coordinator of the program.]
1.
What are the classes for which you tutor?
Math 13
Chemistry 11
English 8
French 7
Spanish 4
Anatomy 3
Business 3
Computer Applications
Physics 3
Art 2
Chinese 2
Cultural Anthropology
ESL 2
Fire Technology 2
History 2
Accounting 1
Biology 1
Communication 1
Computer Science 1
Geography 1
Japanese 1
Music 1
Photography 1
3
2
Physiology 1
Political Science
Psychology 1
Statistics 1
1
[Several tutors work in more than one discipline, so the numbers
above do not represent the number of tutors working.]
2.
Identify the sites at which you have tutored at Chabot:
55
13
6
1
4
PATH Center
Math Center
World Languages Lab
Communications Lab
WRAC
[Note: The original survey mistakenly did not include WRAC as a
choice. Four students filling out the survey added WRAC on
their own.]
Observations
The heavy use of the PATH Center, the only site where tutoring
in all subjects is offered, should be noted. This key site
can fairly be regarded as the heart of the tutorial program,
providing not only service to the most students but much of
the identity and character of the tutor program as students
see it.
3. How many hours per week (average) have you tutored this
term?
The range here is large—the smallest number is 1 and the largest
23. The average number of hours is 7.6. But the mode is 3, and
45 of the tutors reported working fewer than 10 hours per week.
Of these, 29 worked 5 hours or fewer. Only six tutors reported
working 18 hours or more.
Observations
Tutors are allowed to work 20 hours per week (with rare
overages allowed, as needed).
A problem that surfaced last
year was that not enough tutors were available to serve the
students signing up for tutorials in the PATH Center. When
the problem was examined, it was discovered that the problem
was not that there were fewer tutors than previously, but that
tutors were working fewer hours. In the Fall term, when
students who had been recommended as tutors were interviewed ,
the interviewers asked prospective tutors about how many hours
they would be able to work, recommending that they work a
minimum of 5 hours a week. The effects of this practice need
to be studied, in terms of impact on tutors as well on
students, and efforts made to encourage tutors to work enough
hours to serve all the students seeking assistance.
[4.
How many semesters have you tutored?]
5. What have been some of the benefits that tutees have
received from your training? Specify whether you have observed
these benefits in individual tutor sessions or over time working
with a tutee.
“Mastered concepts.”
Wrote examples that students could take home.
Developed their own ways of performance for a class, with tutor
assistance.
Began to understand better.
Improved grades.
Improved confidence.
Learned to “approach problems from multiple angles.”
Improved their memorization of material.
Improved comprehension.
Decreased anxiety.
Improved efficiency in their work.
Started taking better class notes.
Started putting more effort into studying.
Entered into good discussions of the topic.
Became more comfortable with peers in the classroom.
Increased the time devoted to study.
Learned how to “attack and break down the problems and
concepts.”
Started reading more.
Did more hands on practice.
Became able to ask questions without being afraid.
Can explain better what they are doing.
Started to enjoy the subject more.
Reduced frustration.
Improved ability to “connect topics throughout the course.”
Improved their consistency and continuity.
Feel happier studying.
Became more curious.
Improved their work ethic.
Became better thinkers, analyzing more.
Started preparing more before class.
Increased “interest in cultural things.”
Completed homework more often.
Grew in skills.
Learned their weaknesses.
Observations
One of the purposes of this survey was to discover how much
the tutors are observing in their work. They are observing a
lot, as this detailed list demonstrates. It is noteworthy
that many of the benefits they report have to do not only with
students’ academic performance but the tutees’ perceptions of
themselves as students, their changed work habits and
attitudes. Such development will not always manifest itself
in terms of academic performance, but it could be argued that
it is consistent with the community college goal of creating a
community of adult learners, committed to lifelong learning.
6.
How often do you observe tutees experiencing such benefits?
45
11
4
__
Frequently
About half the time
Not often
Almost never
7. Give an example of a frustrating experience you have had
while working with a tutee.
Student behaviors:
Dropping their classes.
Not showing up for tutor sessions.
Arriving late.
Coming to tutor sessions unprepared—no materials, inability to
report what is
happening in class.
Not able understand a lesson.
Coming unprepared, then expecting me to provide a lesson.
Lacking interest, having short attention span.
Not listening, and changing the subject inappropriately.
Wanting me to do their work.
Forgetting what we have studied together.
Facing physical challenges that prevent them from studying,
participating.
Acting passive, becoming angry if I don’t contribute all the
energy for the session.
Getting behind in their work.
Not taking me seriously or respecting me.
Not wanting anyone to know they are receiving tutoring.
Blames me for low grades.
Signing up too late in the term to receive help.
Not trying out my suggestions.
Wanting me just to give the answers.
Thinking they already know everything, not accepting guidance.
Texting, using the phone while I am explaining the material.
Having to repeat myself excessively to non-native speakers.
Dropping a class because of the inability to get an “A.”
Not getting over little issues to get to the big ones.
My not knowing an answer.
My having trouble teaching students to find information on their
own.
Having to go over the same problems at every tutorial session.
Observations
It is impressive that these comments convey how tutors
understand their role—they understand, for instance, the
difference between helping a student learn and doing the
student’s work. Tutors apparently also understand that the
main energy in a tutorial session should emanate from the
tutee. This indicates also that the tutors are not satisfied
with merely talking to the tutees in mini-lectures. This
level of sensitivity is not common among non-professional
educators and is likely the product of the training that the
tutors are receiving.
A follow-up study could be conducted
to investigate where tutors have learned to approach their
work and measure their success in the ways that they do.
8. What have you gained personally, as a student or as an
individual, from being a tutor?
Confidence in myself.
Inspiration to consider becoming a teacher.
Development of social skills.
Becoming more outspoken.
Increase in my own learning.
Recalling of information I had forgotten.
Having the material become second nature.
Patience and professionalism.
Communication skills.
Deeper understanding of the subject.
The rewarding feeling of helping someone.
Increased self respect.
Teaching experience.
Overcoming fear of pubic speaking.
Learning how to deal with people of different education levels.
Learning about the ways people learn.
Improvement of my listening skills.
Becoming a better student myself.
Learning different teaching styles from instructors.
Learning good attitudes and teaching techniques.
Becoming up to date with material.
My ability to interpret what I know to others.
Speaking skills.
Awareness of cultural diversity.
Ability to understand by surroundings and the people.
Insight into how people learn.
Observations
This list parallels many of the goals that instructors using
LAs identified as goals for their Learning Assistants. (See
Responses from instructors: Assessment of Learning
Assistants, Fall 2010)
9. What parts of your tutor training have helped you the most
in preparing you as a tutor?
Any tips I can get from an instructor are helpful.
In-class discussions. Also, the class observations.
More class with the 1B instructor.
Going to other classes to observe.
Interacting with seasoned tutors.
All parts of the training helped.
Developing “help folders” for tutees, so that they are able to
practice more.
Exploring how the mind works and learns.
Seeing specific examples of what could happen during a session.
Some of the skills of solving problems in my area.
Knowing I am not alone in frustrating situations.
Most of it seems like busy work.
Learning how to help students without giving them the answers.
Nothing. It’s all monotonous.
The advice about how to approach a tutee, the purpose that we
have, and the support
when we ask questions.
Handouts from my previous instructors (of the subject tutored).
More clear cut presentation of logistical information.
Discussing different learning styles.
Learning to cope with students with learning disabilities.
Feedback from other students.
Taking a look at how students think about themselves and their
learning styles.
Just identify common mistakes tutors make on problems.
Showing what to do in sticky situations.
That it is OK not to have all the answers.
Discussing what to expect from students.
Time to reflect.
Troubleshooting sessions were very useful.
Knowing what my resources, available facilities, are.
How to write a tutor report.
Communicating with students politely when they are not being
productive.
Being able to talk with tutor training teachers during times of
trouble.
Guidelines on what a session consists of.
The activities—practice makes perfect!
10. What would you like to see added to tutor training that
would help you as a tutor?
More recommendations of how to make a student understand.
Receive and collect tutees’ opinions and discuss them with
tutors.
More technical information.
More direct guidance than visiting of other classes.
More role playing/specific examples.
More content training.
More subject focused training.
More activities, simulations, specifically for special learning
needs (disabilities).
Speeches from professors so we get more motivated. More
interactions among tutors.
Videos. Maybe some psychology.
More group discussions.
More discussion of teaching strategies, roadblocks.
More direct communication with tutees’ instructors.
Social projects.
More advertisement of the program.
More about what to do when one becomes frustrated with students.
Look at other instructors’ materials, since instructors teach
differently.
More practical training than just lecturing.
Guest speakers to share experiences and thoughts.
Ore 1B training because 1A is too general.
Tutor FAQs.
More specialized math training.
Have Chasity in one of the training sessions to answer concerns
about policy.
Pizza!
Observations
Questions 9 and 10 indicate that despite complaints that Center
staff occasionally hear about individual tutor’s dissatisfaction
at having to attend training sessions, tutors have clear
impressions about the importance of the training that they
receive: the responses to these two questions are rich in
detail. Negative responses recommend that tutor training
sessions routinely discuss tutors’ frustrations.
11. What other changes in the tutor training program would you
recommend?
[A few of the tutors indicated “None.”]
More training classes instead of just one a month.
Shorter training hours for returning tutors.
Separate class for Learning Assistants.
Dedicated space for one-to-one math tutoring.
Watch teachers tutor students.
A way to keep LAs connected.
A 1B for History.
Stricter rules for students arriving late and unprepared.
Have a general survey of tutees’ experiences, to hear what’s
really helping.
Payment even when tutees don’t show up.
Less homework, since I take a lot of units and am pressed by my
other homework.
Access to library books or handouts from instructors.
Reduction of noise in the Centers.
Test students not only for the need for tutoring but also for
the motivation and
commitment to be tutored.
Four-person desks in the PATH Center are not efficient, since
most work is done in pairs.
Less work for a 1/2 unit class
More options than Fridays for training meetings.
Bigger rooms to tutor in.
Higher pay.
Air conditioning in the PATH Center.
Parking pass.
Observations
Most of the recommended changes in the program that are offered
in this survey merit the close attention of the Tutor Program
staff.
Not all of thechanges suggested here, however, are consistent
with the primary goals of the program. “Test students not only
for the need for tutoring but also for the motivation and
commitment to be tutored” expresses frustrations that
instructors often feel as well: instruction would be a lot
simpler if schools could screen out all the students who are
difficult to work with.
The tutors’ experiences as reported in
this survey, however, indicate that the very students who enter
with poor work habits and weak commitment to their education are
becoming motivated to improve because of the tutors’ assistance.
CONCLUSIONS
During the Fall term 2010 a pilot study was conducted to
investigate advantages of ESL tutoring in small groups. The
results were significant, and recommend that the program staff
investigate small group tutoring in other areas as well, and
include training to assist tutors with this form of tutoring.
Despite the advantages (including economic) of small group
tutoring, however, the observations made by tutors in this
survey regarding their tutoring experiences and frustrations
clearly indicate that one-to-one tutoring is a powerful
arrangement for many of the students at Chabot seeking tutoring.
The benefits of having an individual with whom to discuss one’s
learning and studies—in a setting without the instructors who
evaluate the students, or the presence of others who could
threaten the focus of such discussions—also remain significant.
The tutor comments and observations in this survey are
recommended to the attention of all Tutor Program staff,
especially the tutor trainers.