Session Introduction Issues and Whiteboard Tutorial

Hello Tutors,

Rubric 2.1 is officially out. If you haven’t given it a close read, please do so now! (Template 2.1 is in its final stages of development and will be out by the end of the week.)

There is one issue not directly discussed in the Rubric that we need to highlight, as it’s potentially the most significant point of friction between our users and our service right now. The issue we’re talking about is illustrated in the annotated session snippet below.

It’s crucial that you stay up-to-date with our rules on how to start off sessions as we learn more about our users and their tendencies. Students often enter sessions at their most frustrated state, and may become (rightfully) upset if your messages are too numerous, do not convey a sense of immediate progress, or fail to provide new information. 

Unnecessary messages highlighted in red; explanations in red text
Unnecessary messages highlighted in red; explanations in red text

We ask only two things from you in Rubric 2.1 with respect to the introduction: (a) Find out the extent of what the student has already tried and/or understood. (b) Give a concise overview of the student’s primary issue and how the two of you will fix it. This second part can be done in one brief message like so: “Looks like solving systems by elimination is giving you trouble. We’ll walk through the process and you’ll have it down in no time.” As always, respond to any student concerns or comments that pop up before continuing.

While we have your attention, please watch our new whiteboard manual, now in short-and-sweet video form.

Thanks and keep up the great teaching! If you have any concerns, please comment on this post.

-Team Yup

Discussion: