1. Tutor Induction, 22 September 2018 Lawrence Dritsas and Marie Craft
Tutoring in SPS
Tutor Induction, 22 September 2018
Lawrence Dritsas and Marie Craft

2. Today’s Outline Introductions Context and key messages
 Lawrence Dritsas, Deputy Director for Undergraduate Teaching, SSPS
Practicalities; e.g. payment
Marie Craft, UG School Administrative Office

3. Tutoring in SPS some key messages
Dr Lawrence Dritsas, Deputy Director for Undergraduate Teaching
School of Social and Political Science

4. Tutoring in SPS Tutors hold a crucial position in teaching within SPS
What do tutors do?
Lead tutorials
Depending on the course you may be designing activities
Mark assessments and provide feedback
Collect feedback from students (mid-course feedback)
Student Support
Course administration

5. Leading Tutorials Tutorials are the place for students to
Discuss and question with peers and their tutor
Clarifying points from lecture and reading
Test their understanding
Have feedback on their work clarified
Key task for a tutor is to moderate and guide these discussions
Be prepared – but don’t feel you have to slavishly follow a plan
Don’t lecture
Do facilitate involvement from all and maintain an ordered discussion
Encourage debate and accept multiple view points
Remember, we are helping them learn to express their ideas verbally

6. Marking Assessment and Providing Feedback
Assessment will typically take two forms – written work and class participation
Receiving constructive and specific feedback is one of the learning experiences most valued by students
Training and guidance on how to be an effective marker will be provided later in the semester (before essay time)
If you have to mark tutorial participation
Make sure you know what is expected of the students and yourself
Keep your records up to date in a timely manner
Identify students who need extra help
Offer early feedback to students on their participation

7. Collect Feedback from Students
In week 4 or 5 you may be asked to collect feedback from your students as part of the process of ‘mid-course feedback’
This may involve the use of ‘feedback postcards’
You may then need to discuss this with the course team and offer a response to this feedback in the following week or so
Your course organiser will advise you on how this process will work on the course, but there are general principles:
Feedback is a chance for every student to feedback privately and anonymously,
The response is a vital component of the process,
teaching/staff/teaching-feedback/mid-course

8. Student Support
Students may come to you with problems which are not directly related to your course
You are not expected to be an “expert” in such matters. Rather, you should know who to refer students to
You course organiser is probably the best first contact, most of the time.
Personal Tutors and Student Support Officers
Disability Service
Student Counselling
Advice Place
IAD
Careers service

9. Learning Adjustments
Many of your students will have a profile of adjustments to allow them to fully participate.
This may include helping them with speaking in public, physical access, anxiety, etc.
A very small number of students may warrant an alternative assessment to tutorial participation (if this is assessed)
Your course organiser will identify for you any students with such adjustments relevant to your role as tutor/marker
Seek advice if you need it!
Note that all students are permitted to record tutorial sessions for personal use, but teaching staff have the right to insist that recording stops if sensitive or confidential information is discussed. In these cases reasons should be made clear to students.
students/guidance-supporting-students-specific-conditions

10. Media Hopper Reply The ‘opt-in’ lecture recording facility at the UoE
hopper-replay
You should not be using this in tutorials, if there is a light in your room check that it is green.

11. Meetings with course organisers
Three per semester
At/before start of course
Prior to any mid-course marking
Debriefing at end of teaching weeks
Also: this induction, school-level training and subject- specific training

12. Support for Tutors
It’s OK not to know everything – don’t struggle – and don’t be afraid to ask.
Talk to each other
Communicate with your Senior Tutor/Course Organiser
Some subjects are offering specific tutor training
The IAD handbook
demonstrators/resources/handbook
IAD course for tutors and demonstrators
demonstrators/resources/learn
Edinburgh Teaching Award run by IAD
Can lead to Higher Education Academy Fellowship.
teaching/cpd/teaching-award

13. Course administration