Katie Beck posted a blog post
Studying with an Academic Buddy
Benjamin Franklin once said, "Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I learn." As college students, one thing we may need is the extra involvement in learning the material.Bring in the Auburn University Study Partners program. This student-led tutoring service offers free tutoring for students in a wide variety of subjects. Located on the second floor of the Auburn University Ralph Brown Draughon Library, Study Partners is a popular service among Auburn students.The 70 plus tutors of the program are highly trained and qualified students who are knowledgeable in the subject that they tutor. Tamara Bowden, the coordinator of the Study Partner program, explains the importance of having a qualified team to help the study body.“We are resource driven in that we hire people that have gotten A’s and B’s in the class so we trust that they know the material,” Bowden said.Apart from being a great on-campus job opportunity, the tutors of Study Partners benefit from learning time management, organization and teaching skills. Additionally, the tutors use the opportunity to help information retention for standardized test preparation or to practice for a future career in teaching.Tutors are hired based on demand for classes. This demand can be hard to predict, so Bowden and her team have to prepare and account for student needs. If a class isn’t available, students are able to request a class on the website. There has been a large demand for statistics tutors, which Study Partners is in need of.Each week, the leadership team of Study Partners meets to discuss class requests, tutoring session evaluations and opportunities to improve the tutoring experience. This team has helped to develop the program and to turn it into a student leadership organization—one of Bowden’s main goals since her start with Study Partners in 2005.All tutors are required to attend monthly training sessions, as well as shadow current tutors and be observed by their lead tutors. This three-part training process aims to develop the tutor’s communication and teaching skills.Study Partners also offers social opportunities to tutors. In the next month, they will be taking a stadium tutor. Other activities include dinners, tailgates and potlucks.A recent influx of funds—because of a parent email—has allowed Study Partners to expand their hours to Sunday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. This increase in hours has allowed more tutoring sessions for students looking to use the service.Besides individual tutoring, Study Partners also offers small group tutoring. These weekly, 2-hour sessions encourage group study and are completely independent from the course instructor. These were started in an attempt to offer a chance for students in the high demand classes to learn in a different environment.“It’s a total group interaction thing,” said Kaitlynn Kirk, the desk supervisor for Study Partners. “You can learn from others.”Another recent addition to the program has been the implementation of a no-show fee. To discourage the constant “no-shows,” a $15 fee has been put in place that students must pay to cover the cost of the tutoring session that they missed. Since this policy, no-shows have decreased dramatically.Since her freshman year, Kirk has been a part of the program and encourages anyone looking for an on-campus job or to get involved, to look into applying. She has nothing but positive things to say about her experience with Study Partners. So much so, it has influenced her career choice. Kirk plans on pursing a master’s degree in higher education administration upon graduation this spring.For students interested in learning more about Study Partners, visit their website (www.auburn.edu/studypartners). Here, they offer an online appointment system, a schedule of small group sessions, tips for how to prepare for the session and job opportunities. Students interested in applying for a job for Fall 2013 can look for information starting in April.See More