CASE STUDY

Queensland University of Technology
Coordinators Of Large Units Seminar, 2002

Employing and resourcing tutors

Presentation by Ros Kent
Lecturer, School of Accountancy

The key components of the School’s practices in employing and resourcing tutors include:

1. EMPLOYING TUTORS
   
   
   • Co-ordinators are empowered to interview and appoint tutors
   • Personal approach-we talk with prospective tutors to assess their background and attitude to teaching and learning
   • One-to-one approach to explain what is required as a tutor for BSB110-how tutorials are to be conducted
     
     
2. RESOURCING TUTORS
   
   
   1. A ROOM
      • A part-time tutors room is available for their use to do preparation and for student consultation
      • Our tutors are expected to be available for consultation-approximately one-half hour per tutorial
        
        
   2. TUTORIAL MATERIALS
      • Administration assistance-usually one of the tutors (honours or Phd student) is appointed to assist me to organise the tutors program for the semester-approximately 40 hours-prepare solutions to tutorial work, make overhead transparencies for those solutions and distribute to tutors
      • Thus tutors are fully equipped to start tutorials-they must prepare their work for the tutorial from the solutions given
      • We give all tutors a “tutors package” and a Welcome Memo to start the semester-text book, unit outline, tutorial work and solutions, OHTs, tutorial rolls from QUT Virtual, date of mid-semester exam (tutors assist in supervising this exam)
        
        
   3. KEEPING IN TOUCH
      • Some co-ordinators have regular meetings with all staff in a unit but I find it almost impossible to find a time when all can attend--thus I encourage personal contact with tutors-a quick phone call to chase up any outstanding item and one to one solving of problems as they arise
      • I try to encourage a TEAM approach and make tutors feel a real part of our team-end of semester social lunch
        
        
   4. ACROSS CAMPUSES
      • We are sure to keep the administration staff in our School of Accountancy at Gardens Point Campus and Faculty staff at Carseldine Campus informed of procedures and information going to students
        
        
   5. EXAM ORGANISATION
      • Mid semester exam is multiple choice-marked by computer-early feedback for students
      • Tutors supervise
      • Final exam marking-allocate according to the number of tutorials
      • Curwen for Results-set up for Mid Semester results and publish on On Line Teaching site
      • Before final exam, all progressive results are published on OLT site for students to check
        
        
   6. SPECIFIC PROBLEMS
      • Students problems with tutors are addressed -eg. Clash of personality
      • Students complaints re tutors diligence are addressed
      • Students problems with other students in groups are addressed