Thank you for taking the time to complete a recommendation for one of our tutor or SLA facilitator applicants! 

The most important requirement for a tutor or facilitator is strong content knowledge in the classes or subjects they want to support. As faculty, you are our subject matter experts, and your recommendations are the primary way we evaluate content knowledge. 

The recommendation asks for ratings on five key tutor traits and an overall rating of the student. There is also space to write additional comments or concerns you may have about the student. Depending on how much you choose to write in the open comments, the recommendation should take no more than 5-7 minutes to complete.  

In addition to content knowledge, we are looking for tutors who believe that all students can learn anything under the right conditions and are willing to help students find and create the conditions that allow them to learn best, even when the material is challenging for them.

We also look for tutors and facilitators who are active problem solvers and show initiative to seek out information, rather than expecting tutors to simply “know all the answers.” Tutors and facilitators should also be dependable – willing and able to show up regularly for scheduled shifts and communicate when they have questions or need to adjust their schedule.  

Tutors and facilitators also need to have good communication and interpersonal skills and be able to work well with students of different backgrounds and experiences, especially those who are finding course material challenging. Students come to tutoring and SLA for support and encouragement, even when they are struggling to understand concepts. Good tutors and facilitators should also demonstrate patience and empathy when working with others.  

While we want all tutors and facilitators to have a good grasp of the content, the best tutors and facilitators are often those who initially struggled with the material themselves. These students succeed by finding effective study strategies and utilizing support resources (office hours, tutoring, SLA, study groups, etc.), which requires them to reflect closely on their own learning habits and allows them to relate deeply to the students they are working with.  

All tutors must also have a B+ or better in any class they wish to tutor, which we verify as part of the application process. 

You will receive a confirmation email when your recommendation is submitted. The student will also receive a confirmation email when the recommendation is submitted but will not have access to the information you provide. We appreciate your honesty when completing your recommendation.  

Questions? 

If you have any questions about the faculty recommendation form or the tutor/facilitator application process, please contact any of the tutor coordinators below: 

AJ Young – [email protected]  

• Coordinator for Structured Learning Assistance (SLA), the Tutoring and Reading Center, & Seidman Tutoring Lab 

Marcia Frobish – [email protected]  

• Coordinator for the Math Tutoring Center and Stats Tutoring Center 

Sarah Clark – [email protected]  

• Coordinator for the Chemistry Success Center