Appointments (an overview)
Fall 2022: You may begin booking appointments for the Fall 2022 semester on Wednesday, August 24!
At Tutoring Services, you will meet with STEM tutors who, having achieved a certain level of academic success themselves, are dedicated to helping their fellow students strive for the same. Appointments begin on the hour and typically last for 50-minutes.
All Tutoring appointments are currently being held in-person as well as synchronous online consultations using our WCOnline platform. We ask all clients to familiarize themselves with our Appointment Policies and FAQ. To assist those new to online appointments, we have prepared a Guide to Making and Accessing Synchronous Online Tutoring Appointments.
What to Expect During Your Appointment
We believe that all learners benefit from conversation about their work. Expect your one-on-one meeting with your tutor to be very interactive. Your tutor will engage you in conversation about your goals for the session, your purpose in the course, and your foundational understanding of the material. Tutors are supportive collaborators who want to help you gain a better understanding of the course material and help you set consistent and useful learning habits and strategies.
Keep in mind that the goal of an appointment is both to help you in a particular point of your STEM course and also to contribute to the development of your STEM course learning overall. To reach that goal, tutors might ask you questions, suggest specific learning strategies, or initiate learning activities to help you generate or revise your approach to the course material. Since appointments are only 50-minutes long, you and your tutor will have to prioritize the concerns you bring to the session.
Becoming a better learner happens over time and with continuous practice and conversation. Think of each session at Tutoring Services as an opportunity to work on at least one aspect of your STEM knowledge.
How to Prepare
Wherever you are in the process for your STEM course, come prepared for conversation. If you make an appointment for help with homework problems, for example, think about your approach to those problems thus far.
If you want help understanding a foundational aspect of the course material, think ahead about which aspects of the course you feel comfortable with and which you would like to discuss. It can be very helpful to speak your knowledge out loud to an experienced tutor who can help you articulate your intuitive understanding while also guiding you to correct any misunderstandings along the way.
If you are preparing for an exam or quiz and have a close deadline, come with an understanding that your tutor might point out opportunities for further reflection while also helping you prepare yourself for the upcoming deadline.
- SCHEDULE EARLY. Appointments fill up quickly, so plan ahead, especially during midterms and finals.
- SCHEDULE CONSISTENTLY. Research shows that consistent habitual learning will better cement knowledge in the core memory. Try to set up for yourself regular appointments with your tutor.
- BRING RELATED MATERIALS. Bring what seems most relevant to you, although course textbooks and lecture notes are generally a good place to start. Your tutor may introduce additional materials into your discussion.
- THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED. Identify specific questions, concerns, or issues that you would like to discuss with your tutor. If you are confused or stuck, don’t worry. We can help you figure out what to discuss.
How to Make the Most of Your Session
- ARRIVE ON TIME. Appointments start on the hour and end at 50-minutes past the hour. If you are running late, we will wait on you for 10 minutes past the hour, but after that, you session will be made available to anyone who walks in.
- JUMP IN. Ask questions as you have them and say what’s on your mind so that you and your tutor can be clear about how best to proceed.
- BE OPEN TO CONVERSATION AND CRITIQUE. Expect that your tutor will ask you lots of questions about your work. The more you are willing to dialogue about your ideas, the more we are able to help you achieve your goals.
- WRITE. Take notes or write down specifics that emerge from the conversation, including ideas or plans for reorganization or clarification. This may help jog your memory and save you time when you get back to working on your own.
- REVIEW. At the end of the session, take a minute to say what you have accomplished in the meeting and detail what you need to do next. Verbalizing remaining goals can help you clarify tasks and regain focus later on.
- REMEMBER. You are welcome to make other appointments to discuss the same course.