Research Guides: Tutorial and Academic Coaching Services: Frequently Asked Questions

About Tutorial and Academic Coaching

How do I connect with a Tutor

If you have questions about our service, you can connect with a Tutor-Coach by email or calling the desk to leave a voicemail at 780-644-5864.

Or come to our Blackboard drop-in through our Moodle page (you will have to click "enroll me" the first time you visit this page)!

Where do I go?

You can find Tutorial and Academic Coaching Services in the Learner Centre
2nd floor, Singhmar Centre for Learning (Downtown Edmonton Campus)

Online:

We are offering online drop-in services through BlackBoard!
Our hours of operation are on our homepage or sign in to Moodle and meet to a tutor through our BlackBoard drop-in.

What do I bring?

Please bring the following to your session:

Pen/pencil
Paper
Assignment instructions and rubric
Any class notes, readings, textbooks, and other materials related to what you are working on
Any specific questions you have!
Any other materials you need to do your work. (E.g.: Calculator, periodic table, laptop, etc.)

If you want help with organization and planning, please bring:

Course outlines (or a list of dates for exams and assignments)
Calendar or planner
Binder with dividers

©Laboko/iStock/Thinkstock

How should I prepare?

Before you come in, read the assignment or notes, and try the work yourself.

Your session will be the most helpful to you if you have clear questions for the session. If possible, prepare questions or topics to cover in the given time period.

(Remember that a drop-in session is 15 minutes and an online session is 30 minutes.)

What will my session be like?

If there are many students signed in who are all doing the same work, we may ask to work with you together in a group. This way, you and other students have the chance to work with us during busy periods.
We will introduce ourselves and ask you what you are working on. If you are working on an assignment, please bring the assignment information and rubric, and your class notes and other materials. If you have specific questions, that's great! Make sure that you have already tried the work by yourself.
We will work with you. We may not be able to cover everything in this time. However, we will give you resources for practice and invite you to sign up again later. It is important that you work by yourself on the assignment before signing up again.
At the end of the session, we will help you remember what we covered in the session and help you decide on your next steps.

Online sessions are 30 minutes, and drop-in sessions are 15-20 minutes.

We hope so! We want to help you become a more confident, independent student, and that will definitely help improve your grades.

In addition to modelling strategies to solving problems, we can help you develop additional strategies and skills like reading comprehension, dealing with anxiety, time management and priority setting that will make you successful in and out of school.

We cannot guarantee that your grade will go up, especially if you only come once right before your exam or assignment is due. Make the most of our service, make sure you come early and come often!

How does tutorial help with writing?

A drop-in session is most often used by student to help with reading comprehension, grammar exercises, study skills, and short writing assignments (like paragraphs).

However if you can break your assignment in to pieces, we can help you all the way through larger assignments! For these types of projects, plan to see us more than once! We can help you plan in one session, then help you with any step of the writing process in another if needed; such as how to better integrate quotations and references to strengthen your writing.

Can I get help with group projects?

Yes! We are happy to work with small groups of students. If you are working on a group project, everyone in the group needs to be present. Otherwise, we can only help you with the parts that you worked on by yourself.

©Ridofranz/iStock/Thinkstock

Tutorial and Coaching Standards of Practice
This word document outlines our role as set by NorQuest college and can help you understand what kind of help we can and cannot give.

How to use BlackBoard Collaborate

How do I connect to BlackBoard?

You can connect to our BlackBoard through our Moodle page through the links partway down the page:

You can also find the link here on our main page

image of where to find BlackBoard link on homepage

You will be asked to log in to your NorQuest Moodle account, and if this is your first time to "Self Enroll" in our Moodle page.

After, you will be taken to our Moodle homepage. Once there scroll until you see the BlackBoard links for tutorial help.

Blackboard Collaborate is mobile-friendly. Follow the same instructions listed above from your phone's browser.

BlackBoard Etiquette

When logging in, please use your first name, and then the subject you are working on in parentheses.

For example: Cris (physics) or Sheema (English 10-2).

Your microphone and video will be turned off by default ( ). Please be aware that you are in a room with other students should you choose to turn these on.

What if I am alone in the waiting room?

This is very common. When you join our waiting room, you will not be able to see the breakout rooms our tutors/coaches use to work with students .

Please use the raise hand button ( ) to signal you need help. The number in the top right corner will tell you what number you currently are in line. We are working with other students and will be with you shortly!

How do I chat in in Blackboard?

The chat is in the purple Collaborate menu (), then the Chat button (). If messages pop up on the screen, you can also click on those to open the chat window. Be aware the "everyone" chat goes to ALL students and staff in the Tutorial BlackBoard.

Connection or Audio problems

I can’t hear anyone talking in Blackboard – what is wrong?

There are a couple possibilities, and a couple things you can try

1) What web browser are you using? Blackboard has problems working with Microsoft edge and Safari. Google Chrome works best.

2) Make sure your computer or mobile devices’ volume is on. If using a headset, try unplugging and plugging it back in.

3) Check if your Blackboard speaker volume is OK. To do this, click the purple Collaborate button (), then the Settings button () and check if the “speaker volume“ is OK – the slider should be at or near 100% .

4) Try closing your browser and logging in again or turning your computer or device off, then back on again.

5) If nothing works, please contact technical support at computercommons@norquest.ca or 1-780-644-6085.

How do I share my screen?

To share your screen with us, click the purple Collaborate button () then Share ().

You can then choose

Once there, you have 3 options to choose from:

1) Choosing the "your entire screen" options allows the Tutor-Coach to see everything that you see.

2) The application window option allows you to share your entire chrome window, or other applications open on your computer.

3) The chrome tab option allows you to specifically share only one chrome tab with the tutor.

Important: if you do not click on the picture or name of your application- the share button will not light up. Please make sure you click on screen you want to show, then click the share button.

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