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Tutor Program

Staff in Student-Athlete Academic Support Services (SAASS) coordinate individual and group tutoring appointments on-site and in-person, 6 days a week in a wide variety of subject areas. It is the goal of the Tutor Program to provide tutor assistance for any request made by a student-athlete.

SAASS staff members, directed by the Tutor Coordinator, thoroughly screen all prospective tutors for ability in their subject areas. Each tutor must participate in a training program designed to inform them of proper tutoring methods, office procedures, and University, NCAA, and ACC policies. Tutors submit evaluation forms for each contact with a student-athlete. Most tutoring sessions are scheduled on a recurring appointment basis.

Obtaining a Tutor

Student-athletes can also obtain a tutor for a specific subject area by:

Emailing the Tutor Coordinator or drop-in at office 331A

OR     

Contacting your SAASS Academic Counselor

  • Include in your request, the course for which you are seeking a tutor, your availability for the session, and the anticipated frequency of sessions.
  • You will receive notification that your request has been accepted and the Tutor Coordinator will begin to work on matching your request with a Tutor.
  • Once your request has been matched, you will receive confirmation for a date, time, and room number for the Tutor session.
  • If none of the Tutors on staff can meet a student-athlete’s schedule, the Tutor Coordinator will work to hire additional Tutors to meet the needs of the student-athletes. Student-athletes are encouraged to utilize office hours with professors and form study groups with classmates until a Tutor can be matched.

If you are unable to attend a tutor appointment for any reason, please provide notification to the Tutor Coordinator.

ALL cancellations need to be made at least 24 hours in advance. To cancel, send an email to the Tutor Coordinator and CC your SAASS Academic Counselor.

Tips for Tutor Appointments

  • Have an agenda for what you would like to work on each session with the Tutor.
    • Tutors are subject matter experts and can assist with reviewing material, creating study guides, and explaining example problems.
  • Plan in advance when possible. It is unlikely for a tutor request to be filled on the same day the request is submitted.
  • All SAASS tutoring sessions are conducted in the Quillen Family Academic Center for Student-Athletes located in Lane Stadium on the 3rd floor.

University Libraries Writing Center

Due to NCAA and ACC rules, SAASS abides by the utmost level of academic integrity and does not provide any English tutors. Instead we refer students to the trained Writing Coaches at the on campus Writing Center.

The Writing Center provides 3 different levels of support

  • Face-to-Face Tutoring
    • Second Floor of Newman Library
    • Open Monday–Friday 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. and Wednesday 4:00–7:00 p.m.
    • Drop-in appointments often available!
  • Live Online Tutoring
    • Takes place via Google Hangout and on Google Docs
  • 24 hrs. Later Feedback
    • Share information about a project and attach a most recent draft to receive written feedback from a Writing Coach within 24 hours of the appointment time
    • Can be a useful follow-up to a tutoring session with the same Writing Coach when possible

Becoming a Tutor

If you are interested in joining the SAASS staff as a part-time subject Tutor, please fill out an application or find the SAASS Tutor position posting via Handshake and submit your application on that platform. The Tutor Coordinator will then be notified and review the materials submitted.

SAASS Subject Tutors must:

  • Be a student at Virginia Tech with at least a 3.0 GPA
  • Commit to being a Tutor for at least one semester
  • Have strong subject matter knowledge and be able to communicate this knowledge in a variety of ways for others to learn
  • Be able to work effectively with individuals from diverse educational, cultural, and economic backgrounds
  • Preferably have a broad range of availability to provide the best chances of matching with student-athletes

Please email the Tutor Coordinator with any questions or for more information.

SAASS CRLA Certification

The College Reading & Learning Association's (CRLA) International Tutor Training Program Certification (ITTPC) authorizes Virginia Tech SAASS to issue certificates to tutors meeting its CRLA-approved requirements for the Level 1 Certified Tutor program certification level.