Boundary Setting
True or False: You should establish boundaries the very first time you meet with a new student and practice maintaining those boundaries consistently in your sessions.
True! Make your rules clear from Day 1, such as whether you allow non-academic discussions (and how much), what you expect the student to bring to each session, any tools needed to make the session effective, etc.
True or False: The peer educator is responsible for supplying materials for the session.
False! The student is responsible for bringing materials, including questions, notes, lecture slides and recordings, etc.
True or False: Checking your email daily is a vital skill to being an effective peer educator.
True! You should be checking your email daily for any appointment confirmations and/or correspondence from your respective learning center. You never know when there may a change of plans!
True or False: Peer Educators are expected to know the answers to all questions asked by a student during a session.
False! It's completely normal and acceptable to be unsure of an answer or not know it. Encourage the student to research the question or attend their professor's office hours to follow up on material you cannot assist with, including interpretations of rubrics, exam preparation, etc.
When a student requests more time for an appointment, should you give them the extra time?
A. Yes
B. Maybe
C. No
B. In general, you should stick to the appointment duration. But in most cases, an extra 5-10 minutes is OK as long as it does not become a habit. Consult with your supervisor about the rules of your center.
Students late to appointments should NOT be given extra time to accommodate their lateness!
When a student asks to see your notes from when you took the course, you should...
A. Give them the notes to copy along with other materials you used
B. Refuse to supply your materials and only use their materials
C. Use the materials as reference, but encourage them to make their own notes
C. It is OK to supplement the student's materials with your own, but you should never allow them to copy your work. You can use your previous notes as an example of effective notetaking (i.e. identifying key terms, color coding, etc.)
When meeting with multiple students at once, you should use this method to make sure each student receives equal attention.
(Hint: It's named after a popular snack for when you watch movies)
The Popcorn Method involves "popping" to each student to ask a question or have them actively engage in the session. This practice makes it fair that everyone gets equal attention.
Note: The MRC and Science Support Center use drop-in group tutoring models. If you're a one-on-one center, consult with your supervisor if you are interested in group tutoring.
When a peer educator meets a student for the first time, they should ask...
A. Their preferred name + name pronunciation
B. Their pronouns
C. All of the Above
C. It helps immensely to create a welcoming environment to your student by using their preferred name, pronouncing their name correctly, using preferred pronouns, and asking the student to supply information about their preferred learning methods rather than making assumptions.
A student asks for your personal number so that they can text you whenever they have a question or want to schedule an appointment with you. They also ask for your personal email.
Should you give them your personal number and/or email?
A. Yes
B. No
B. Never give students your personal information, especially when they are actively using your learning center's services. Any appointment requests should go through the proper channels. Or for drop-in centers, they should come during the scheduled open hours.
The ARC Learning Centers will NOT compensate for academic support given outside of your scheduled working hours!
No one wants 2am panic questions in their inboxes!
Your student asks you about exam questions from when you took the course. They want to know if you remember any of the questions or the right answers.
Can you discuss past exams with your student?
A. Yes
B. No
B. You should never discuss your past exams with your student in the form of giving them answers or exam questions you remember.
Instead, talk to the student about proper exam preparation (making a study guide, meeting with an academic coach about test-taking strategies, etc.)
A student begins to complain about their instructor during the session. The student uses derogatory language, blames the professor for recent unsatisfactory grades, and asks the peer educator if they also "hated the professor" when they had them. The peer educator should...
A. Commiserate with the student – you’ve been there!
B. Acknowledge the student’s frustration, but redirect them to the task at hand
C. Tell them to toughen up, Drexel is difficult for everyone
B. Do not engage in negative talk about faculty, staff, peers, etc. This will not solve any issues (in fact, it will make more!)
Direct the student back to the task at hand (if they're in a mindset to continue) and refer them to another resource to discuss their frustrations, such as their advisor, or Counseling Services.
What is the term for normalizing a practice or behavior so that it becomes commonly accepted in social interactions?
Hint: Two of the words in the question lead to the answer when combined!
Social Norming is the act of normalizing a practice or behavior so that it becomes commonly accepted in a society/culture.
The ARC aims to socially normalize the use of academic support for anyone interested in seeking support.
A student you are meeting with expresses distress in the form of ranting, crying, and alluding to struggles with their mental health. The peer educator should...
A. Continue the session by ignoring the student's distress
B. Encourage the student to take a break from the session and look into campus resources such as Counseling Services
C. Alert their supervisor ASAP
B. Peer educators are NOT counselors, and it is OK to refer to other departments when a student's situation is beyond your scope of help. Use the ARC website to help locate resources, and if you need further assistance ask your supervisor.
If a student cannot continue a session, end the session early. If you can redirect them, do your best to validate their emotions without it derailing the session.
When working with a group of students, you notice that they are looking up the answers online and then sharing what they find. There is no active intention of working towards the answer themselves. How should you respond?
A. Redirect them back to the group's active session and have them avoid going back to their computers for answers
B. Ask them to leave because they are violating the rules of the center
C. Let them continue while the rest of the group actively participates in the session
A. Remind the students that knowing an answer is NOT the same as knowing how to reach an answer. Active learning is how they will learn the steps needed to reach an answer.
If there are members of a group who resist participating in the group session, consult with your supervisor about how to handle the situation. In some cases, the students may be asked to not continue using the service.
A student has become very clingy, in the sense that they spend a lot of time in your learning center during your working hours, book a lot of time with you, keep asking for your personal email or phone number, and keep trying to engage in conversation with you after a session has ended. Your boundaries have been challenged when repeatedly setting them. How should you handle this situation?
A. Inform your supervisor and discuss next steps with them
B. Ban the student from meeting with you further
C. Avoid the student whenever they enter the learning center
A. When your boundaries are consistently challenged by a student you are working with, you should talk to your supervisor immediately. This includes students who challenge academic integrity or you find yourself consistently frustrated in supporting. It could be that maybe you need additional support - which your supervisor can give you!
What does the acronym SMART stand for when you are talking about goal-making?
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-sensitive
Any goal should ideally be a SMART Goal, no matter its duration
Your student who you have been working with consistently this term invites you to a party being hosted by their friends.
Should you accept the invitation? Yes or No?
No. Be very careful about how you engage in interactions with your students both in and out of sessions. Invites to hang out socially should not be accepted. Crossed boundaries can be difficult to reestablish and can lead to further issues.
Consult with your supervisor whenever you are struggling with boundary setting.
True or False: AI can be a great tool for making supplemental resources to use in tutoring sessions.
A. True
B. False
A. AI can help with creating practice problems, worksheets, assisting students who struggle with executive functioning to organize their thoughts, etc.
BUT, be VERY CAREFUL that the info created is accurate! Check the AI's sources! Trust your knowledge and the course materials before AI!
The purpose of academic support is to promote SRL. Do you know what SRL stands for?
Hint: The L. stands for Learning
SRL stands for Self-Regulated Learning. SRL is critical to students being able to achieve success independently. Achieving SRL can take multiple terms and dedicated practice to improving academic behaviors.