It’s great that you want to be in degree programme and campus tutor work! You have an interesting year of supporting old tutors and helping new ones ahead of you. You will arrange meetings, delegate tasks and help whenever it is needed. You’ll work with your tutor colleagues, student counselor and the Student Union and surely meet lots of new people.
The purpose of this guide book is to help you remember all the important tasks you have. Obviously, it can’t cover everything; remember to ask for advice and guidance from the previous degree programme or campus tutor before you start your job. She/he probably has quite a few tips and helpful hints how to get the ball rolling. Please keep in mind that you can and should always ask if something is unclear or troubles you. If you have a problem you can’t solve with your tutor group, then feel free to contact
HAMKO and we’ll think about it together!
Best regards,
HAMKO’s counseling and welfare adviser ohjaus@hamko.fi phone: +358 44 722 1002
Campus tutor’s contact details:
Degree programme tutors’ contact details:
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Most HAMK UAS degree programme’s have a degree programme tutor (DP tutor); a more experienced tutor who is responsible for the rest of the tutors. The only exceptions to this are Mustiala, Valkeakoski and Evo campuses, where there are no DP tutors. There the responsibility of all degree programmes is on the campus tutor.
The DP tutor’s term is for one year and every autumn a new DP tutor is elected. The first year tutors gather together for October meeting and elect one of them to become the new DP tutor. This DP tutor is then reported to HAMKO’s tutoring adviser. HAMKO arranges PD and campus tutor training in November and after the training the new DP and campus tutors start their work.
The DP tutor makes sure that all new tutors in her/his degree programme are familiarized with their campus and told what is expected of them. DP tutor also checks in the tutor meetings that all tutors are actively participating in tutoring and reports about the tutor meetings. DP tutor informs tutors on where they are supposed to be and what they are expected to do. In addition, DP tutor relays campus tutors and student counselor’s messages to her/his tutor group.
Degree programme tutor’s year consists of tutor meetings. You will arrange 4-6 tutor meetings during the year. HAMKO recommends that you organize the meetings according to this schedule below, but you can also organize them based on tutors’, degree programme’s or student counselor’s needs.
December: tutor meeting at your unit
Agenda: new PD and campus tutor introduce themselves to the tutor group. Planning tutoring in those programmes that receive new students in
January.
February: tutor meeting at your unit
Agenda: the new tutors selected in November-December meet each other and old tutors for the first time. Exchange contact details. Inform new tutors about basic training. Old tutors will plan an orientation day for new tutors that will take place in April.
March: tutors’ basic training 14.-15.3.2014
April: tutor meeting at your unit
Agenda: Old tutors carry out orientation plan to the new tutors. New tutors will plan the orientation week’s activities for 2 nd part of basic training.
Entrance exam preparations. Making sure all have signed a tutor contract.
Reminder of summer tasks: new students on Facebook’s Welcome groups, reading student email regularly.
Spring/summer: entrance exams
Plan with the student counselor well in advance what tutors are supposed to do in the entrance exams. How many tutors are needed and when?
August: 2 nd part of tutors’ basic training
PD/campus tutor should be present at the training so she/he will be aware of what tutors and student counselor have planned for the autumn.
September: new academic year starts, orientation, Evo Jamboree
October: tutor meeting at your unit
Agenda: electing new DP tutor. Planning tutor recruitment and electing interviewers. Reminding tutors about tutor reports.
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October-November: tutor recruitment, tutor interviews
December: Guiding the new DP/campus tutor
Arrange the December tutor meeting together with the new DP tutor. This way you can teach them how meetings are called together and reported on.
In addition to arranging meetings, DP tutors are also expected to attend meetings arranged by the campus tutor. It is vital to be present at these meetings since in them you will receive information about upcoming events and issues that you should inform your tutor group about.
You are responsible for all the tutors in your degree programme and you will guide and help them when necessary. You arrange tutor meetings and make the necessary arrangements with the student counselor concerning the entrance exams. You are a link between your degree programme’s tutors, student counselor and campus tutor and you are expected to relay all their messages forward. Since you are a messenger, it is important that communication is fast and smooth. Most messages will be passed by email.
Remember to check your student email account daily.
When you send a message, remember to identify yourself. The easiest way to do this is to add an automatic signature to your emails. In your messages, remember to be clear and precise. In urgent matters it is always best to use the phone.
When you receive a message, reply to it quickly. When you are asked to attend a meeting, let the person know if the date and time is okay. It is polite to also let them know if you can’t attend; ignoring a message and not replying does not mean you can’t be present – waiting for you just probably slows everyone else down. If you do not receive a reply to a message even though you have asked for it, send the message again. It might be that the receiver has forgotten about it. Also, you might want to use the phone, if you don’t receive an answer by email on time.
Tutor meetings are important. You will arrange 4-6 meetings during a year.
In those meetings, you’ll discuss current tutor events, but they are also a way to keep tutors active and give them a chance to give feedback and discuss with each other.
The next section will give you tips on how to arrange a tutor meeting. This, however is only a suggestion, you will surely find your own way of organizing them.
You should discuss with your tutor group, what is the best way for you to plan the time and date of a tutor meeting: by email, on Facebook or some other way. When it is time to have the meeting, invite all tutors to it well in time. Remember to invite both old and new tutors. Send the invitation to your student counselor as well it’s good for her/him to attend the meetings, too. When you send the invitation, make sure you have written in it the topic of the meeting, date, time, place and your name.
In the tutor meeting you will lead the conversation. You’ll write down the decisions you make (dates, times, who does what) and all the names of those who are present. You can also sign tutor books. After the meeting you will write and email a report about the meeting to the campus tutor, student counselor and HAMKO’s tutoring adviser. Send a message also to those who were absent from the meeting and inform them of all the decisions that you made.
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When a campus tutor holds a meeting for DP tutors, she/he will also write a similar report and send it to the student counselor and HAMKO’s tutoring adviser.
The report you write about the tutor meeting does not have to be long.
Write down what you discussed and what was agreed. Any questions or feedback to HAMKO can be added to the report. Name your report degreeprogrammename_report_tutor_meeting.doc.
Send your report to your campus tutor, student counselor and HAMKO tutoring adviser. The report should cover the following:
Date:
Campus:
Degree programme(s):
Your name:
Tutors present:
Topics discussed:
Decisions:
If you have held meetings before and have your own way of taking minutes, you can obviously use that. The most important thing is that the information that you had a meeting and what you planned there moves forward.
As the first year tutors have the responsibility to introduce the new students to the university of applied sciences, the second year tutors are responsible for familiarizing the new tutors to how things are done on their campus and in their degree programme as well as passing on best practices. It is good to have your student counselor present during this orientation.
PD tutor will plan and execute the first year tutors orientation day with her/his degree programme’s second year tutors after the basic training.
This can be a few hours long tutor meeting or an afternoon spent together.
The idea is to get everyone familiar with each other, old and new tutors alike and give the new tutors information that the older ones have collected during their first year. Tutors will work better together and it is easier to ask for help when everyone knows each other.
As older tutors, you are experienced peer guides and should be able to plan group spirit building exercises and activities that you want to do with the first year tutors and who will speak to them about the important issues. The orientation can be a laidback evening together, just as long as all the important issues are covered. If you need help in organizing the new tutors’ orientation, please contact HAMKO’s tutoring adviser.
There is no need to worry in advance, just be aware that sometimes unexpected things happen. A DP or peer tutor may “disappear” during your term without notice. Your tutor group may not find common ground immediately. Sometimes tasks not taken care of as agreed. If something unexpected happens, don’t panic. Contact your student counselor and/or
HAMKO’s tutoring adviser. Together we’ll find a solution to your problem!
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Each HAMK UAS campus has a campus tutor, thus there are eight campus tutors altogether. The campus tutor is elected among the DP tutors and she/he is a DP tutor and responsible for the tutors in her/his degree programme, represents all the degree programmes of her/his campus in
HAMKO’s sector meetings (2-4 times a year) and she/he is responsible for making sure that all tutor operations run smoothly on the campus. As mentioned previously, HAMK campuses on Evo, Valkeakoski and Mustiala have no DP tutors, the one campus tutor takes care of all the different degree programmes.
At Evo, Valkeakoski and Mustiala, campus tutor is elected at the October meeting. On other campuses, the DP tutors have to wait until all DP tutors are elected, then they can hold a meeting and elect on of them to be the campus tutor. The campus tutor has a double role; she/he is responsible for not only the tutors in her/his degree programme but also for all the tutors on that campus. The name of the campus tutor is then reported to
HAMKO’s tutoring adviser. HAMKO arranges a DP and campus tutor training where the new operators will be familiarized with their new duties and responsibilities. The campus tutor period is one year long.
Campus tutor works together with HAMKO’s board members and tutoring adviser, HAMK UAS student counselors and other staff, and DP and peer tutors. Campus tutor has the responsibility to make sure that all important messages and announcements get passed through to DP and peer tutors.
Campus tutor also ensures that all degree programmes have their tutor meetings on time.
Campus tutor’s year is quite similar to DP tutor’s year; after all, campus tutor has to also take care of her/his PD tutor duties (see DP tutor’s year for more information). In addition, the campus tutor attends to 2-4 sector meetings and holds meetings with the DP tutors at her/his own campus.
February: sector meeting agenda: tutor trainings in spring, other topical issues
February-March: meeting DP tutors on campus agenda: informing DP tutors about sector meetings topics and discussing topical issues
September: sector meeting agenda: tutor recruitment, tutor report, other topical issues
September-October: meeting DP tutors on campus agenda: informing DP tutors about sector meetings topics and discussing topical issues
More meetings might be arranged if necessary.
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Add automatic signature to student email (name, title, degree programme)
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Introduce yourself to your campuses staff and tutors
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Have a meeting with the receding DP/campus tutor and discuss best practices.
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Get the contact details of your tutor group. You can receive them from the campus tutor or HAMKO’s tutoring adviser.
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Let your tutor group know who you are and what your duties are.
Give them your contact details.
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Arrange 4-6 tutor meetings during the year, report on them.
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Arrange an orientation day to the new tutors.
 Find out about the entrance exam day(s) arrangements from you student counselor.
 Help the new tutors plan their orientation week activities if needed.
 Help in tutor recruitment if needed.
 Give feedback at the end of your term to help develop DP and campus tutoring
 Remember to familiarize your successor with the tasks!
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