Four Things That Could Cause Harm

1. Don't talk about grades in the QSC. Do not, for example, tell a student that their work is worthy of an A. Do not say that you can help students improve their grades. Grades are numbers and letters that instructors have to give students when they assess their work. Your job is not to assess students' work; it is to assist students as they grow and develop.  

It's best to even avoid talking about your own grades when you are representing the QSC. This sets a strong boundary between your role as a student and as a peer tutor.  

At the QSC, we try to avoid telling the student that they are correct. We are trying to help them build the skills and confidence to do their own work. Instead, walk them through their solution process until they are confident they're correct. As much as possible, help them learn how to check correctness for themselves, by asking "well, what do you think?"

2. Don't belittle or undermine instructors. Regardless of what experience you might have had with an instructor, while you are representing the QSC you are to speak of all instructors respectfully. It is grounds for termination to speak poorly about a professor on shift or in the QSC.

3. Don't insert your ideas into another student's work or do the work for another student. It constitutes plagiarism and is a violation of UW Bothell's Academic Integrity policy. Instead, let them hold the pencil and write things down. If necessary, walk through an example problem with them or help them write some pseudocode, but don't do their homework for them.

4. Don't be directive. Don't tell the student what to do. Our goal is to build confidence, learning agency, and lifelong skills. If you simply tell the student what to do, you're micromanaging them and taking their agency away. Doing this, you're making the decisions for the student and their work. That's why our tutoring model is to ask questions!

Please watch the video below.