Tutors@ANU

Tutors have varying roles and responsibilities that correspond to their designated positions and assignments. At ANU there are four main types of tutors, those who run, teach, and facilitate tutorial sessions related to particular courses, demonstrators (those who run laboratories), academic tutors (those who assist students to master material related to coursework but outside of and in addition to lectures and tutorials), and residence hall tutors. While the guidance provided here primarily concerns the first two types, tutors and demonstrators, it applies in a general sense to all tutors.

When accepting a position as a tutor or demonstrator, you should ask your supervisor (coordinator) or administrative contact if there is a position or role description of some sort available. These position and role descriptions should provide background on your role and responsibilities, and clarify what is expected of you and what you should expect from your supervisor and unit. Colleges and other units may or may not have such documents on hand, and, if so, they may be dated.

In the perfect world, your supervisor and administrative staff will tell you everything you need to know to come quickly up to speed and succeed as a tutor or demonstrator. In reality, your first days, weeks, and months may be a blur, and even if fully informed and provided pointers to all the resources you need, you may feel ill-prepared to perform your job well. Over time, you will feel more confident and equipped to tutor. You will know what questions to ask, whom to go to for guidance, and where to find the information you require. In the interim, the following should help you "find your footing."

In describing your role, the four principal sources of expectations are:

• College, faculty discipline, or other division or unit
• Supervisor / coordinator
• Students
• Self

Tutors are often the educators who are closest to students. As such, they can have profound influence — positive and negative — on students. What students learn and how, and the perceptions they form about learning, higher education, and the University, in general, are largely in the hands of tutors. This being the case, your professional conduct, commitment to learning, enthusiasm for subject matter, and caring for students are crucial determinants of their learning and educational experience. You need to be conscious of these elements of tutoring at all times. Unlike the knowledge and skill that embody expertise in the subject (your possession of which is taken as given), these attributes are what enable you to become a successful educator.

Many new tutors and teachers believe their subject matter mastery is all they need; subject knowledge and skills are necessary, but insufficient. Performance indicators such as professionalism, commitment, enthusiasm, caring, and even effective communication and interaction cannot be learnt from books, necessarily, but you are expected to develop in these areas. Dialogue with other tutors and demonstrators, and with experienced faculty and staff, helps, as does watching others teach and having observers of your tutorial and demonstration sessions provide feedback and coaching.