University of Technology, Sydney

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Tutors' information on ITAS

Role and responsibilities

Position description: the primary objective of an ITAS tutor is to provide academic support services to enrolled Indigenous students when requested. Tutors must have empathy with and understanding of the student's support needs and an ability to address those needs. ITAS tutors must demonstrate commitment to their student's development as independent learners.

Specifically, key competencies of ITAS tutors include but are not limited to:

  • Knowledge (essential)
    • Formal academic qualifications in the discipline/subject/s you intend to tutor
  • Knowledge (preferred)
    • Overall cultural awareness that includes knowledge of the various political, cultural and institutional influences upon Australian Indigenous people and the implications these may hold for Indigenous students in higher education.
  • Skills
    Ability to assist students with:
    • Developing and deepening student's theoretical understanding of the subject/s tutored
    • Understanding key discipline related concepts
    • Developing critical thinking skills
    • Understanding student learning style/s and strengths while working to improve in areas of need identified by the student
    • Improving student research skills
    • Develop student's information seeking, retrieval and evaluation skills (eg. Library catalogue searches)
    • Understanding and evaluating key course readings
    • Developing student's organizational and time management skills
    • Developing student's planning, drafting and editing skills
    • Overall development of oral and written language skills appropriate to student's discipline and level of university studies
  • Attributes
    • Demonstrate willingness and ability to negotiate suitable learning goals and strategies for the tutorial program in consultation with students
    • Commitment to student's development as independent learners

ITAS Tutor transfer

ITAS tutors cannot be transferred among institutions. In Universities, ITAS is implemented according to the administrative policies and practices of the individual contracted institution. As a result, methods of ITAS tutor registration, contract and pay arrangements and so on vary from institution to institution.

Available work

This varies according to:

  • How many students are enrolled in the discipline / subject areas that tutors propose to work in
  • The number of tutors available in the subject / discipline areas in which students may request assistance
  • The amount of funds available to UTS Jumbunna IHL to meet student requests for ITAS assistance
  • The amount of ITAS assistance requested by the student and approved by the ITAS coordinator

Note: DEEWR ITAS Guidelines stipulate a maximum of two hours per subject per week.

Payment

The current rate of pay for ITAS tutors is set at $55.00 per hour for one-to-one tutorial sessions and $75.00 per hour for small group tutorial sessions.

Payment is not subject to tutors' educational levels. Therefore, no additional payment for higher degrees. ITAS tutorial work is not equivalent to the work expected of faculty based lecturers and tutors.

Student conflict solution

If for some reason you don't get along with your student, you should first try to work the problem out directly with the student. If you can't resolve the issue you can approach an appropriate staff member of the Student Support Unit at Jumbunna IHL and explain the problem to them. Jumbunna staff may then undertake to resolve the issue by approaching the student on your behalf or by arranging a meeting between a Jumbunna Support staff member, the tutor and (if appropriate) the student so that the issue/s can be discussed and resolved.

"No show" policy

Student must give the tutor 24-hours notice if the tuition session will be cancelled or changed, otherwise the tutor will be entitled to a 1 hour "no show" payment and the hour will be deducted from your allocation of hours. Maximum number of "no shows" per contract is two. ITAS tutoring will be terminated if the student fails to attend the arranged tutorial session after 2 "no shows"

Tutorial time and location

The time and place of tutorial sessions is a matter for negotiation between students and tutors.

Note: UTS Jumbunna IHL has very limited space and cannot guarantee that suitable venues for ITAS tutorials can be made available when needed.

Note: The ITAS Coordinator cannot take responsibility for negotiating or booking time/s and venue/s for tutorial sessions to take place between students and their tutors.

Additional tutorial sessions based on students' needs

ITAS tutors may provide students with guidance to write such applications on the basis of this information but they are not authorised to write them on the student's behalf.