Tutor training using role-play and video analysis for the learning center, a study room at TUHH

To support student self-study and facilitate learning in groups, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) started the "LearnING Center" in April 2013. The LearnING Center is a room where all students can study on their own or in groups. For 28 hours per week, student tutors are present in the room, assisting students in their learning process. While there are similar projects at many universities, especially in the US, most of these are associated to one department. Contrary to those, the LearnING Center at TUHH is open for students from all departments, including mathematics, civil engineering, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. Thus, tutors may be asked questions about any of theses subjects. To prepare tutors for their work in the LearnING Center, we designed a training program that includes role-play elements and video analysis. In this, tutors are shown how to help students by asking them questions and thus entering a Socratic dialog. This approach allows them to help students even with only limited content knowledge about the subject in question. We are very pleased to observe an increasing number of students using the opportunity to study in the LearnING Center and also an increasing number of questions asked. The aim of this paper is to present our training approach and illustrate the concept of the LearnING Center to promote its implementation at other institutions. We will report on the lessons learned during the first two years and make suggestions for similar projects.
Subjects
Tutor Training Program
Tutoring Center