For Faculty
Dear Faculty,
Thank you for taking an interest in the free peer-led academic support the Program Leading to University Success (PLUS) provides to students at EWU. This includes collaborative study groups and supplemental instruction led by peer leaders (PALS), commitment-based tutoring led by peer tutors, one-to-one academic coaching sessions led by peer academic coaches, and Online Tutoring through the Western eTutoring Consortium provided by live online tutors.
Our staff supervise and employ many part-time student employees (under 19 hours a week) who work in the capacity of a PAL and/or a tutor/academic coach/online tutor. Our student employees have specific duties and responsibilities for these positions. PLUS student employees work directly for one or more of the retention specialists, not faculty members, and are not teaching assistants (in these positions). One of the requirements for employment is to attend quarterly training sessions certified by the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) to learn best practices in peer-based academic support.
Faculty Recommendation Form
Our online application will ask student applicants to PLUS positions to provide the name and email address of a faculty member for the recommendation, and said faculty will receive an email request with the recommendation form link. If the student applicant wishes to provide peer assistance for two very different subjects (e.g., math and German) they must receive two faculty recommendations, one for each subject area. If you would prefer, you can fill out our form-fillable paper copy and email it back to plusstudent@ewu.edu.
Student Employee Hiring Process
We receive applications, interview, and hire the majority of our student employees prior to fall quarter so that we can keep them for the entire academic year (see Hiring Information here). Student employees must be hired before the beginning of each term so that they can attend mandatory orientation for CRLA training and get their hiring paperwork completed through the Student Employment office. We schedule study groups and assign tutors in advance of the quarter so that students can receive assistance starting Week 1 or Week 2 of the quarter and have PLUS assistance become a part of their weekly schedule.
What are the Requirements for PLUS Employment?
Students must complete our online application. Applicants must have at least sophomore class standing, a 3.0 or higher overall GPA upon the time of application, a 3.3 or higher in each course they are interested in assisting with, and be available to attend CRLA-certified mandatory training orientation.
In providing quality peer-based academic support to EWU students we also need faculty support and feedback regarding applicants. Student applicants must request and receive a positive faculty recommendation through our online form. This includes faculty from EWU but also from community colleges/other institutions from across the Pacific Northwest. With our large student transfer population, not all tutors will have taken a course at EWU that they are tutoring in.
Thank you for your support!
The PLUS Team
Faculty Recommendation Online Form: http://inside.ewu.edu/plus/faculty-plus-recommendation-form/
Our online application will ask student applicants for PAL (peer-assisted leader) and tutor positions to provide the name and email address of a faculty member for the recommendation, and said faculty will receive an email request with the recommendation form link. If the student applicant wishes to provide peer assistance for two very different subjects (e.g., math and German) they must receive two faculty recommendations, one for each subject area.
Thank you for your support!
The PLUS Team
If you are interested in setting up a study group or supplemental instruction for your class, we are willing to work with you in advance of the start of the term when the course is being offered.
More information regarding what study groups and supplemental instruction (SI) are and how they operate can be found here. For information regarding our student employee hiring procedure, please read through the Service Overview tab. Please contact plusstudent@ewu.edu with questions.
Here are a few of the steps involved in getting the study group/SI up and running:
- Hiring the PAL (peer-assisted leader) prior to the start of the term in question so they have time to attend mandatory orientation 2-4 days before Day 1 of term X
- The PAL will reach out to you to set up a time to meet to learn about the content covered in the course with an emphasis on your teaching style and will need a copy of the syllabus
- If you use Canvas, you can assign them the “TA” Role only so they can message students on the roster using Announcements and share a Doodle.com poll link with them to figure out the best dates and times to meet twice weekly for 50 minutes. If you do not feel comfortable with them having the TA role on Canvas, please work with the PAL to have them email you their announcements in advance so you can post them for the PAL
- We find that students are much more likely to respond to the Doodle poll and come to weekly sessions if the faculty member encourages participation in the study group. This includes talking to students in lecture and via Canvas Announcements, about the value of this supplemental service, and setting aside each time each week to meet with the PAL, so they are in tune with your instruction style and preferences
- The first two days of the quarter the PAL will work with you to schedule classroom visits (if they have a class conflict they will send you a link to a video-recorded introduction to students) for five minutes and introduce themselves to the students and explain what the study group will be like:
- Fun
- Collaborative
- Informative
- Safe space to ask questions
- Once the sessions are scheduled, the PAL can start meeting with the students Week 2 of the quarter. Students are expected to stay the entire length of the session unless they have a work shift or some other conflict that they tell the PAL about in advance.
- If the PAL wants to hold the sessions outside the Learning Commons, we will have to put in a room request and receive a confirmation through 25Live (Event Planning).
- The tentative study group schedule will also be visible on our website with session dates and times per course, for quick reference
Tutoring
Our goal at PLUS is to have in-person tutoring sessions begin Week 1 of the quarter if at all possible.
Our CRLA program certification requires that tutors meet with their assigned students 15-30 hours total for the quarter. For this reason, we require that students put in their tutor request form prior to the start of the following quarter so that they can meet with their tutor Week 1.
We are always in need of qualified student employees, especially those who excel in chemistry and mathematics. Please view our Service Overview page to learn more about our faculty recommendation procedure. Please contact plusstudent@ewu.edu with questions.
Online Tutoring
Please market our free Online Tutoring service to students in your class. They can log in to our portal and post a question and receive a response from a peer tutor with 24-48 hours from one of many colleges and universities in the Western eTutoring Consortium, or participate in a virtual session where they can speak to and view their tutor using video chat, upload and share files, use a digital whiteboard, and share computer screen views.
If you would like a demonstration on how to the Online Tutoring platform works or how to log students in, please fill out our Contact Us form and we will be glad to come visit your office for a consultation.
For more information about the Online Tutoring platform and what subjects Online Tutoring is offered for, please click here.
Academic Coaching
If students are in need of assistance with setting and achieving academic goals inside and outside of the classroom, you are welcome to refer them to our new peer academic coaching service. Students will meet with an academic peer coach during 50 minute sessions to talk about topics like test preparation, motivation, time management, etc. Please direct students to our Academic Coaching page where they can fill out an academic coaching request form. Please contact plusstudent@ewu.edu with questions.
