Purposes and Organization of the Chemistry Peer Tutoring
Program
The Chemistry Peer Tutoring Program (CPTP) has been in
existence for approximately 35 years. It provides tutoring services
free of charge to all students enrolled in General Chemistry
(Chemistry 1A-B-C) and Organic Chemistry (Chemistry 51A-BC). In the spring of each academic year approximately 20
undergraduates are selected to participate during the following year
as unpaid volunteer tutors. The program is run, under the
supervision of a Chemistry faculty advisor, by two undergraduate
Tutoring Coordinators who are themselves former tutors. One runs
the tutoring program for General Chemistry; the other runs the
Organic Chemistry tutoring program. They are each paid
$500/academic quarter for their service to the Chemistry
Department. Approximately 10 two-hour walk-in tutoring sessions
are offered every week of the academic quarter for each course on
a well publicized schedule. Thus, in addition to the scheduled
discussion sections and faculty and TA office hours, students in
General and Organic Chemistry have access to approximately 20
hours per week of cost-free tutorial assistance. The tutors also offer
review sessions prior to every examination.
Why Do Students Join the Tutoring Corps?
Chemistry tutors work hard to become masters of the material
taught in the course for which they are tutoring. In the process they
learn a great deal about chemistry. Most important, they learn how
to convey the concepts of chemistry to others. Thus, tutoring offers
students an opportunity to refine their grasp of chemistry and to
gain an ability to explain the topic to others. They quickly come to
realize that ones ability to explain something to others is the best
measure of ones understanding. Tutors also gain the satisfaction of
seeing the fruits of their efforts in the understanding they convey to
others. Finally, there is the satisfaction of being involved in a
successful and worthwhile joint effort, run by students for the
benefit of students.
How Much Time Does It Take to Be a Chemistry Tutor?
Chemistry Tutors are required to attend the lectures in one section
of Chemistry 1A-B-C or 51A-B-C. They are also expected to
attend a weekly one-hour tutors meeting. They are expected to
conduct one two-hour tutoring session each week. Finally, they are
expected to offer one midterm or final exam review each quarter.
Thus, a Chemistry Tutor is committed to a minimum of six hours
per week plus the time required to prepare for their tutoring
responsibilities. To recognize this effort the Chemistry Department
asks all Chemistry Tutors to enroll each quarter in the two unit
course Tutoring in Chemistry (Chemistry 192).
Selection of Tutors and Tutoring Coordinators
A solicitation of applications for positions with the CPTP is made
each Spring quarter in the General and Organic Chemistry lectures.
Application forms are accepted by the Chemistry Undergraduate
Program Office in Room 1101 NS2. Applications must include a
copy of the applicant's latest UCI transcript. An application form is
attached. All applicants are invited to participate in a series of
interviews conducted by the Tutoring Coordinators (for the current
and following years) and the faculty advisor. Tutors are selected by
the faculty advisor in consultation with the Tutoring Coordinators
on the basis of the written application and the interview. Tutoring
Coordinators for the following year are selected by the faculty
advisor from among the current tutors.
Requirements for Participation
Tutors are expected to:
1. Offer one two-hour tutoring session each week at a time
scheduled in advance by the Tutoring Coordinator. A room
suitable for these tutoring sessions is provided by the Chemistry
Department. For these sessions the tutors are expected to prepare
several written sample exercises or questions that serve to probe
the tutees' understanding of current topics in the course (topic
review sheets). These written exercises often serve as a starting
point for the discussions that ensue.
2. Attend a weekly meeting of the tutors at which selected tutors
present relevant course material for critique by their peers (practice
tutoring). Each tutor is required to make two such presentations per
quarter. These presentations allow tutors to improve their
expository skills in a setting that fosters transfer of effective
techniques among the tutors.
3. Submit the topic review sheets that each tutor prepares in
advance of his/her weekly tutoring session to the Tutoring
Coordinator at the weekly tutors meeting. This procedure enforces
advance preparation for tutoring sessions and provides a written
record of each tutor's diligence and creativity.
4. Attend regularly one General or Organic Chemistry lecture
section. Although this requirement is not easily monitored,
experience has shown that tutors need and want to attend a lecture
section in order to sharpen their own understanding and keep
abreast to the course material. Tutors often use their presence in
the lectures to announce the topics of their weekly tutoring
sessions and the dates and times of exam review sessions
sponsored by the CPTP. Tutors are encouraged to offer their
services as exam proctors and graders to the teaching staff of the
lecture section they have chosen to attend. Many tutors participate
in the instructional program in this way. All of these activities
promote contact between the tutors and the members of the
teaching staff. They serve to enhance the tutors' ability to develop
tutoring sessions that correlate well with the course.
5. Offer at least one exam review session per quarter. These
sessions are generally based on discussion of a set of exam review
questions prepared by the tutor. Tutors are encouraged to discuss
their review questions with the faculty member in charge of the
course prior to the review session. They are required to submit a
copy of their exam review questions to the Tutoring Coordinator.
6. Write a brief report on their tutoring experiences at the end of
each quarter.
Evaluation of Tutors
Tutors are enrolled in Chemistry 192 and are graded on the basis of
their contribution to the program. On the Monday following
examination week the Tutoring Coordinators provide the faculty
advisor with a brief written critique of each tutor's performance
during the quarter. This critique is based upon the tutor's diligence
in submitting topic review sheets and exam review questions, the
quality of the written submissions made by each tutor, the tutor's
effectiveness in presenting and critiquing the practice tutoring
sessions, and on any anecdotal information that the Tutoring
Coordinator may have gathered in the course of the quarter. The
faculty advisor assigns a grade in Chemistry 192 on the basis of
this information.