Frequently Asked Questions

Study Buddy 2011-2012 Training Video Series

Take a guided tour of the Study Buddy Tutoring Program to answer our most frequently asked questions.

ALL PARTICIPANTS

• Is tutoring anonymous?
  Upon registration both tutors and tutees are given unique user screen names which do not disclose their identity.  Their email addresses are shielded and the online notebooks are protected so even if someone knows the URL they still can not enter the book.

STUDENTS (Tutees)

• What are my options if a tutor is not available during a session?
  In the event that no tutors are available when you click "Request a Tutor," you may post a question in your workbook using the "Ask a Question" option.  Your question will be sent to the tutor waiting lobby and answered directly in your online notebook by a Study Buddy tutor.
  
  Watch this video for more help!

• How can I share a tutoring session with my teacher?
  From time to time you may wish to share one of your tutoring sessions with your teacher for the purpose (as determined by your teacher) of receiving credit, extra credit, or to get additional help.  To accomplish this, you may print any or all of the pages of your workbook and give them directly to your teacher, or your teacher can also enter into your book to review a session at any time.  All material and content in your workbook are always available for your teacher for review.

STUDY BUDDIES (Tutors)

The following are questions which have been asked during our monthly tutor training sessions.

• What if I decide at 7:15 pm that I would like to tutor but I have not scheduled myself.  Do I have to wait until 7:30?
  No, you will still be able to schedule yourself for the 7:00 block all the way until 7:30.  You can always tutor spontaneously, but remember to schedule yourself for the current time
  
  
• In the book, do the students have the same abilities as us?  
  Yes, once you are in a book with a student, the student has identical editing capabilities and writing tools to the tutor.
   
• How do you know when a student enters the lobby?
  Study Buddy students who are seeking tutoring do not ever enter the lobby, but rather go directly in their books.  You will not know that they are in their book until you get pulled in by one for live tutoring.
   
• Is there any way to use symbols in the text tool (such as pi)?
  No, for these symbols you need to use the Equation Editor.
  
  Watch this video for more help!
   
• How much credit do you get for answering a question?
  We award 5 minutes of community service credit for each submitted question you answer as a tutor.
   
• Can we use the program with Internet Explorer, or only Firefox?
  Study Buddy works with both Internet Explorer and Firefox, but Firefox is the recommended browser.
   
• Is a microphone required?
  If you own a microphone you can use the “Push to Talk” button and talk to your student through his speakers.  This is not, however, required and the tutoring session can still be just as effective without a microphone!
   
• Does a tutor receive community service credit hours for the time spent waiting in the lobby?
  Yes, as long as it is scheduled lobby time.
   
• How does my teacher get my community service credit?
  Tutors are responsible for printing off their community service hours and turning it in to their teachers.  Your teacher will inform you how often he or she would like you to turn in your community service.  There is a link to your community service summary on the tutor home page (the first page you are brought to when you log in with your tutor credentials).
   
• Are we allowed to sign up for as many hours to tutor as we want?
  Yes, there is no limit to the amount you may tutor!
   
• If we don't schedule ourselves, but then come in and tutor, do we receive community service credit?  What if we didn't know we would be available?
  No, you must schedule yourself in order to receive community service credit.  This can be done even immediately before a tutoring session so as to still allow you to tutor spontaneously!
   
• Can a tutor become a tutee for their own homework?
  You are welcome to discuss your homework with the tutors in the lobby, but there is no other way to log in as a tutee.
   
• Can you change your name on the lobby? And would it attract more tutees to request you?
  The tutees do not choose their tutor, but the tutors are assigned based on who has been waiting the longest.  Therefore your username makes no impact on the likelihood of getting a tutee.
   
• How do you know who is a tutee/tutor in the lobby?
  Everyone in the lobby is a tutor!
   
• Can we attend another training session, in case we forget something?
  Our tutor training sessions are now available on the Tools page in video format which you can watch anytime you wish!
   
• What would happen if there were more tutees than tutors?
  If this happens, the tutee will receive a message that no tutors available at that moment and will have the option of submitting a question or trying for a tutor a few minutes later.
   
• If answering a submitted question is worth 5 minutes, if we're tutoring a student live then do we get the minutes that took us to help the student?
  Yes.
   
• If someone submits a question does that mean that they are not present at their computer?
  Generally when you are answering a submitted question it will be at a time when the student is not in their online notebook.
   
• How do you know what subject you are tutoring?
  The best way is to ask the student directly when you are pulled into the online notebook.
   
• Do you have to be scheduled in order to get credit for answering questions?
  No, there is no scheduling required prior to answering submitted questions.
   
• What if I haven’t taken a class that a student needs help learning?
  If this happens, please kindly inform the student that she should request a different tutor and click the “Return to Lobby” button at the top of your screen to allow a different tutor the opportunity to be pulled into the online notebook.
   
• Is the time recorded only when in a book with a student or while you are waiting in the lobby to tutor someone?  Assuming you are online during a time which you scheduled to tutor, both live tutoring time and lobby time are awarded community service credit.
   
• Is there any specific math class (ie geometry/algebra) that we can choose?  Tutors are either classified as Middle School Math Tutors or High School Math Tutors.  Middle school tutors will tutor 5th-8th grade math (excluding Algebra 1).  High school tutors will tutor these courses in addition to Algebra 1, 2 and Geometry.  Beyond these courses tutors have the option of selecting additional courses to tutor, under the condition that the tutor has completed the course with a final grade of a B+ or better.
  
  Watch this video for more help!
   
• Does the calculator automatically show up for us or do we have to download it?  The graphing calculator is a plug-in and must be loaded into the book using the plug-in button which is at the top of your book in the shape of a puzzle piece.
  
  Watch this video for more help!

• What is the minimum time commitment for a tutor?
  Study Buddy tutors schedule themselves with the online Scheduler in increments of 30 minutes.  Tutors may schedule as much or as little tutoring up to one month in advance.  There is no minimum time commitment after you schedule your first 30-minute session!

• After I schedule myself to tutor, what do I do if I am no longer available during the time slot I selected?
  Study Buddy offers the ultimate flexibility in a community service project.  Just as easily as you scheduled yourself to tutor, you may cancel a tutoring session as well. 

• How do colleges and universities evaluate community service when admitting new students?
  NSTEP has spoken with several university admissions officers regarding this important issue.  We would like to share the response of an admissions director from a leading competitive university.

"As schools become more and more selective, they are forced to look at a complete view of a student, rather than simply his/her grades and test scores.  Selective institutions don't just look highly upon community service, it's practically expected.

We take a look at how involved someone is in each particular extracurricular event.  While anyone can list 20 organizations that they "belong to," we appreciate students that have a couple of pursuits that they are truly passionate about.  We highly regard leadership and longevity in extracurricular activities.  Someone who has been part [Study Buddy], stayed with it for a few years, and perhaps tutored other mentors ... that's what would make a candidate stand out to us.  Participation in [Study Buddy] would look fantastic, of course, and longevity with the organization would be most beneficial to a student."

TEACHERS

• Does my school qualify to receive Study Buddy tutoring?
  Study Buddy is targeted at serving the economically challenged student.  If your school or after school program supports students who attend a Title I School or more than 40% of its students qualify for the Federal Free or Reduced Lunch Program then you are eligible for the Study Buddy program. You may also qualify if you are supported by a grant. Ask your program coordinator.

• I contacted you regarding participation but haven't heard anything yet.  What do I do?
  Perhaps you didn't receive the email that was sent.  You might want to check your junk/spam inbox for messages from the Study Buddy mailbox.  If there are no messages you can reach us at studybuddy@nstep-online.org.

• I am a teacher who has registered without a code to receive tutoring for my students.  Now what do I do?
  Once we confirm your registration, a code will be automatically sent to you.  Sometimes this email is sent to your spam or junk email folder.  You will then enter this code on the registration page and follow the steps to register your students.  Welcome to Study Buddy!
  
  Watch this video for more help!

• How can I monitor my students' tutoring sessions?
  Whether you are the teacher of a student receiving tutoring or you are the teacher sponsor of one of our Study Buddy tutors, you can enter one of your students' workbooks at any time, either during a tutoring session or asynchronously.
  
  Watch this video for more help!
  
  
  
• How do your worksheets align with the Standards of Learning for my state?
  The general worksheets conform to the Standards of Learning of many states, however there are differences among states.  To ensure alignment with the SOLs of your state, we encourage you to upload into your students' online notebooks homework assignments which conform to your own state's SOL.
  

February   4 ,  2012