Tutor Resource Manual

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Independent Contractors
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Tutor Resource Manual
Table of Contents
Independent Contractors 1

I. Introduction 5
Welcome! 5
About Us 5
Our Mission 5
This Manual 5
Tutor Expectations 6

II. Tutor.com Services 7

Live Homework Help (LHH) for Institutions 7
Online Academic Tutoring for Consumers 7
Live Homework Help en Español & Vietnamese 7
Asynchronous Tutoring 7

III. Account Information 8

Address Information 8
Adding or Removing Homework Help Subjects 8
Fast-Track Option 9
Requesting Account Deactivation 9
Tutor Profile 9

IV. Communication 11
Communication with Tutor.com 11
Communication from Tutor.com 11

V. Scheduling and Attendance 12

Floating Tutors 12
On-Demand Schedule 12
Scheduled Sessions (Expanded) 13
Attendance 14
Tutor Activity Policy 14
Accepting/Declining Session Requests 16
Inactive Tutors 19
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VI. Status Changes and Quality Assurance 21

Tutor Statuses 21
Quality Assurance Policy 23
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Quality Specialist Criteria 25
Senior Quality Specialists 27

VII. Tutoring for Student Learning 28

Philosophy of Tutoring 28
Basic Principles of Quality Tutoring 28
Student Learning 28
Age Appropriate Sessions 29
Tutoring Techniques 29
Session Length Guidelines 29
Enabling and Using Voice Tool 29

VIII. Specific Classroom Situations 31

Various Types of Students 31
Muting a Student’s Microphone 34
Blocking Students 34

IX. Session Length Guidelines 37

X. Concurrent Sessions 38

XI. Policies and Procedures 39

Document Recovery Process 39
Incendiary Devices 39
Questions from Parents 39
Religious Topics 39
Sex Education 39
Student-in-Crisis Policy 40
Take Home Tests/Graded Assignments 40
Surveys for Students 41
Sessions with Tutor.com Employees 41
Dealing with the Press 41
Students Without Specific Academic Questions 41
Video Policy 42

XII. Technical Information 43

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Classroom Software Usage 43

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Disconnects 43
Connection Failure Rates 43

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XIII. Tutor and Student Information 44
Contact Information 44
Tutor Information 44
Student Information Both Adults and Non-Adults 44
Information Sharing with Non-Adults 45
Information Sharing with Adults 46

XIV. Miscellaneous 48
Finding a Particular Tutor 48
Providing Information or Questions About Tutor.com or student accounts 48
References 48

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Tutor Resource Manual
I. Introduction
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Welcome!
Welcome to Tutor.com! We’re so happy to have you join thousands of other incredible Tutors who positively
impact the lives of students each day. Whether it’s the “Aha!” moments, staying fresh on content, or the flexible
schedule, our Tutors find that working part-time for Tutor.com is the perfect fit. This handbook contains helpful
information about the position and important policies for your review and acknowledgment.

About Us
Since its founding in 1998, Tutor.com has delivered more than 25 million one-to-one online tutoring and
homework help sessions to students. With more than 3,800 vetted and qualified Tutors, we provide learning
assistance that is available 24/7 in a wide variety of subjects (over 125 subjects and counting).
Tutor.com powers tutoring and homework help programs for the U.S. Department of Defense and Coast Guard
Mutual Assistance Program, Space Force, more than 300 colleges and universities, K–12 school districts as well
as state and local and libraries, and companies offering employee benefit programs.

Our Mission
Our mission is to help learners realize (and reach!) their full potential. We believe that each Tutor contributes
directly to the success of this mission. As such, we have some basic Tutor expectations that will make the tutoring
experience a positive one for all involved.

This Manual
This Tutor Manual was developed to describe some of the expectations of our Tutors and to outline the various
resources available for Tutors in the Tutor Resource Area. Tutors are encouraged to familiarize themselves with
the contents of the Tutor Resource Manual prior to starting tutoring, for it will answer many questions about the
tutoring experience and the Tutor’s relationship with Tutor.com. Tutor.com reserves the right to modify, interpret,
or terminate any or all the policies and practices described herein at any time, with or without reason or notice.
Tutors are invited to contact Tutor.com’s Tutor Support service at http://www.Tutor.com/providers/go/support with
any questions or concerns regarding any Tutor-related matters. In the event any conflict exists between this Tutor
Manual or any representation made by any agent of Tutor.com, the latter will control.

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Tutor Resource Manual
Tutor Expectations
Tutor.com wants each Tutor and each student to have a successful experience with Tutor.com. Adhering to these
basic session rules will help us all to achieve that goal. Tutors are required to adhere to the stipulations outlined in
the Tutor Agreement and follow these session rules at all times:
• Always be respectful of the student.
• Maintain professionalism at all times.
• There can be no requests for personal information from the student and no exchanges of personal
information with the student.
• Always be respectful of the student’s teacher/school/organization/family by avoiding any criticism of an
assignment, task, or student’s grades.
• Keep all communication positive and refrain from using inappropriate language,
• Do not tutor while under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or prescription drugs that could impair judgment
or ability to provide a sound educational experience for students.
• Focus on the student and avoid any distractions that may interfere with student learning.
• Log off Tutor.com when leaving your computer unattended.
• Utilize and share appropriate content with students while in session.
• Proprietary or confidential information about the Company, students, or the service is to be kept in
confidence and not to be shared.
• Proprietary files and documents shared from the student that are from the district, school, or teacher
should not be saved by a tutor and used for any purpose other than that current session with the student.
• Classify each session according to the scope and sequence.
• Avoid removing hours from the schedule with less than 24-hours notice.

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II. Tutor.com Services
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Live Homework Help (LHH) for Institutions

Live Homework Help is an innovative, internet-based tutoring program. Students connect from computers in their
local library, community center, school, or from home to qualified Tutors in over 100 subjects through the
Tutor.com Online Classroom. The institutions that offer this service provide it free of charge to their students. The
Live Homework Help program provides Tutors and students the opportunity to have one-to-one sessions in a
safe, online, learning environment.

Online Academic Tutoring for Consumers

We also offer direct consumer tutoring services to students and families who purchase the service directly through
The Princeton Review (TPR). This service is branded as Homework Help, and it is offered as one component of
TPR’s full suite of in-person and online education solutions. This service offers homework help in the same core
subjects as our Live Homework Help suite and is available 24/7 to students and their families who purchase time
as needed to use the service.

Live Homework Help en Español & Vietnamese

The Live Homework Help en Español & Vietnamese programs are the bilingual versions of our Live Homework
Help program. This service provides tutoring in Spanish and Vietnamese for several of our subjects.
A range of students log in to use this program including:
• Students whose first language is Spanish or Vietnamese
• Students who are bilingual/native speakers of both English and Spanish/Vietnamese and who prefer a
bilingual tutor
Tutors who participate in the Live Homework Help en Español/Vietnamese programs would also Tutor for our
main Live Homework Help program. Tutors currently tutoring with Live Homework Help that are interested in
participating in the Live Homework Help en Español or Vietnamese program, should submit a Tutor Support
Request expressing interest.
Note: Homework Help en Español and in Vietnamese are only available to certain Institutional students. These
programs are not available to Consumer students. For a list of subjects available to Consumer users, please
review http://www.Tutor.com/subjects

Asynchronous Tutoring
Asynchronous tutoring is conducted asynchronously as a drop-off service. Students drop off a paper or a
problem, the Tutor picks up the session and sends feedback to the student. More information about the
Asynchronous service can be found in our Async Manual and the Async All Access Guidelines.
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Tutor Resource Manual
III. Account Information
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Address Information
To ensure receipt of payments, pay stubs, and tax forms – tutors must keep their mailing address updated at all
times. You can do so by signing into the UltiPro payroll site and choosing the “Name, Address, Telephone” option
from the Personal menu.

Please note that it may take up to one week for your UltiPro account to be activated after onboarding. If you
cannot access UltiPro for this or any other reason, please contact Tutor Support.

Tutoring Outside of the US/Canada

We understand that one of the greatest benefits of working as a tutor at Tutor.com is the flexibility. There are some
limits however to your location when working. Tutor.com is a US-based Company and cannot engage with
individuals who reside outside the US or Canada. As a Company, we are not in a position to ensure compliance with
requirements for locations outside of the U.S or Canada. If you move abroad, are planning an extended vacation
abroad, or plan to do either in the future, please reach out to Tutor Support to request this temporary or permanent
change in location and/or status so we can confirm compliance with this policy.

Adding or Removing Homework Help Subjects

To remove a subject, submit a Tutor Support Request to request having the subject removed.
If a Quality Specialist feels, after reviewing several sessions, that a Tutor is not sufficiently knowledgeable in a
subject to continue tutoring that subject, the Quality Specialist will notify the Manager, who will notify the Tutor
and remove the subject.
To add a subject, visit: https://prv.Tutor.com/apply/login.aspx and log in using the username and password used
to access the classroom. Successful completion of a content exam is required for the addition of most tutoring
subjects.

After success completion of the online subject test, please submit a Tutor Support Request to notify us this has
been done. A decision will be made based on need and the subject will be added. Taking the content test for a
subject does not guarantee the addition of the subject, as there are several factors that will be considered:
• Tutors should complete their orientation period before approving subject additions that would require a
Quality Specialist change. However, in some rare instances, Learning Services may request or approve
of the addition of subjects for staffing purposes.
• Once a Tutor has obtained Intermediate status, adding additional subjects can be revisited if the Tutor’s
request was not approved during the orientation period.
Failing a content exam twice for one subject will result in the subject not being added to the Tutor’s list of
approved subjects, as this could be an indication that the Tutor does not possess enough knowledge of this
subject to Tutor it. Several criteria must be met before a subject can be added at a later date:
1. A period of 3 months must pass before the subject exam is attempted again, to provide the Tutor with
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time to take the steps necessary to build their content knowledge to the necessary level.
2. The Tutor will be required to complete the content exam for the subject of interest again. The minimum
passing score for this exam will be higher, as it is essential that Learning Services ensures there has
been a marked improvement in the level of content knowledge.

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3. If the Tutor passes the exam at the higher score and with the approval of Learning Services staff, the
Tutor will be allowed to add that subject.

Fast-Track Option
This option is available for some of the subjects offered and allows a(n) applicant’s/Tutor’s educational experience
to serve as evidence of content knowledge and allow the Tutor to forgo the subject exam for the subject. Subjects
that have this option available can be identified on the subject exam page of the website (www.Tutor.com/apply).

These subjects will include either:

• <Subject> - Master’s Degree
• <Subject> - PhD Approved
• <Subject> - Certified (for our computer language subjects)
For Fast-Track options, the Tutor will complete the short questionnaire and provide the supporting degree
documentation.

Requesting Account Deactivation

Tutors can at any time, for any reason, request that their account be moved to inactive status. Once this action
has been completed, the tutor will be subject to the Tutor Reinstatement process noted in Section III. 5. C. of this
manual. Requests for account deactivation should be submitted via Tutor Support.

Tutor Profile
The purpose of the Tutor profile is to provide students with a good sense of the tutoring persona – the Tutor’s
educational background, subjects Tutored, work experience, interests, and thoughts on tutoring. This information
is helpful for students selecting Tutors for consumer sessions and scheduled tutoring and it gives students a
sense of the excellent quality and scope of our Tutors.
Tutor Profiles are accessible by Princeton Review Online Academic Tutoring (Consumer) students. Tutor Profile
information is also available to any Institutional program that has Scheduled Sessions. Students can search a
Tutor’s profile in order to schedule sessions with that Tutor.
The Tutor profile picture also appears in the classroom during a session and in the student’s previous sessions
page.
All Tutors must be complete a Tutor Profile for our student-facing purposes. The following information is
required:
• A clear, mid-to-high quality profile photo of the Tutor. There should be no other people in the shot, and
any background objects should be subtle and not detract from the focus on the Tutor.*
• A summary of career experience related to the subject Tutored
• A brief statement about the inspiration to Tutor - “I love tutoring because…”
• Interests
• The Tutor’s time zone
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All information provided in Tutor profiles will be shared with students and families and may be shared in
advertisements. If Tutors prefer that their profile information NOT be shared in advertisements, opt out via a
simple checkbox.
* If a Tutor is reluctant to share a photo of oneself, then another personal representation, such as a hobby or a
pet, is acceptable. Photos should not represent any sports teams (a soccer ball is acceptable), political, religious
or other affiliation and must not violate any copyright requirements. Photos should not distract from the
educational goal at hand.
The following auto-filled information will also appear on the Tutor Profile once approved:
• List of approved subjects
• Current or previous college & degree information **
• Average rating
• Randomly selected student comments from sessions rated “5” on record
• Hours of availability for scheduled sessions by appointment
** This information is pulled from the education data entered in the Tutor application. To update or re-affirm this
data at any time, visit this page:
https://prv.Tutor.com/apply/application/education_info.aspx
Once profile information has been submitted, it will be sent to our Quality Control team for review and approval. If
approved, the Profile should display to students immediately. If the Profile needs revision, the QC reviewer will
provide notes as to why (e.g., grammatical errors, redundant information). Visit this page at any time to re-submit
or update Profile data: https://prv.Tutor.com/Apply/Profile/Edit

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IV. Communication
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Communication with Tutor.com

For basic questions about tutoring, first check in the Tutor Resource Manual. If the information is not easily found
in the resource manual, contact the appropriate Quality Specialist by messaging Quality Specialist through the
“Messages” link in the Mentoring section of the Provider Home tab in the online classroom.
If the assigned Quality Specialist cannot answer the Tutor’s question, use the Contact Tutor Support link located
in the Documents and Reference section of the Provider Home tab in the online classroom. This creates a web
form that will be responded to within 48 hours.
Please remember: Learning Services is a very small staff doing our best to be responsive to the web forms.
Please give the team a few days to return inquiries.

Communication from Tutor.com

Tutor.com communicates with Tutors via email and via the monthly Tutor Newsletter.
Please notify us of any changes in email address by using the Contact Tutor Support link and make changes in
the Provider Home Tab of the online classroom.
Tutor.com will frequently announce policy and procedural changes in emails. Tutors are responsible for being
familiar with information included in communications from Tutor.com that are labeled “Please Read.” Tutors need
to take steps to ensure that emails from Tutor.com are not sent to spam or junk email. All Tutor.com messages
will come from a staff member whose email address ends with "@Tutor.com"
Tutor.com requests that all Tutors be as responsive as possible to Tutor.com requests for information and
requests for Tutors for special programs.

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V. Scheduling and Attendance
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Overview
The Live Homework Help programs are seasonal services. Peak usage times are from September to mid-
December and from January to mid-June. The number of sessions drops significantly during school vacations and
during the summer. Consequently, the number of hours available for Tutors drops during these times. The same
occurs when the number of sessions increases.

Tutors are expected to conduct an average of 5 hours of tutoring each week (excluding the summer months of
June through August) to maintain active status. Tutoring regularly ensures that Tutors are up to date with current
procedures, technology, policies, and effective tutoring techniques.

Tutors are welcome to create their own schedules or choose to work without scheduling in advance. There are
three ways that tutors work and acquire sessions:

• Floating: These are unscheduled hours when tutors choose to make themselves Available in the
Classroom to provide on-demand tutoring.
• The On Demand Schedule: Each week tutors will have an opportunity to sign up for hours on the On-
Demand Schedule. This is the time that tutors commit to being Available in the Classroom to provide on-
demand tutoring on a particular day at a particular time.
• The Availability Schedule: Tutors may set up times when they are available to receive requests for
Scheduled Sessions by appointment.

Floating Tutors
The On-Demand Schedule is created each week based upon our best estimate of the number of sessions per
subject that will be requested at each hour of each day. However, there will be times when more students log on
and request help than we have planned for. To address these spikes in usage, Tutor.com has instituted the
Floating Tutor Program.
Tutors who would like to pick up extra sessions without having to schedule themselves can log into the classroom at
any time and “Float.” Floating means that the Tutor can connect to a student for a session even if the Tutor is not
scheduled. Floating is completely optional. When a Tutor “floats,” the Tutor is paid for the in-session time but
not for waiting time. Floating Tutors are expected to accept all session requests and should only log on to float at
times when they are available. If Tutors do not wish to connect to students, they must set availability to “Away.”
During high usage periods, Tutors may receive floating alerts. Floating alerts are notifications that let Tutors know
there is a need for additional tutors in their subject(s). Tutors are never required to respond to a floating alert, but
they signal an opportunity to pick up sessions when demand is high for a subject. Tutors interested in receiving
floating alerts can sign up to receive floating alerts under the Settings tab in the Tutor Resource Center, or by
selecting “Settings and Tools” in the Classroom application.

On-Demand Schedule
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Most students connect with tutors On-Demand. Instead of scheduling in advance, they access our service and
connect with tutors in their subject who are currently online. To maintain short wait-times, we staff a baseline
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number of tutors throughout the day. Tutors may sign up for a limited number of these hours each week through
the On-Demand Schedule.
Sign up for the On-Demand opens on different days depending on the tutor’s status:
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• Advanced and Master Tutors - Noon Eastern Time on Wednesdays
• Intermediate Tutors - Noon Eastern Time on Thursdays
• New Tutors - Noon Eastern Time on Fridays

**NOTE: This schedule can change throughout the year. In instances when this does occur, all tutors will be
notified of this change via email, monthly newsletter, and/or the Tutor Resource Center.
At noon Eastern Time on Saturdays, the schedule is open for all tutors to sign up for any remaining hours. Tutors
can schedule hours for the remainder of the current week and one additional week.
To begin a shift scheduled on the On-Demand Schedule, simply sign into the Tutor.com Classroom and set your
status in Available. During scheduled hours, tutors are paid for their wait time at their local minimum wage. They
are paid for the time spent in a session at their rate for that subject.
For information on how to use the scheduling tool, refer to the Provider Classroom Manual, which is accessible in
the Tutor Resource Center.

Scheduled Sessions (Expanded)

Scheduled Sessions are sessions by set by appointment. Tutors are encouraged to update their Availability
Schedule on a weekly basis, so it accurately reflects the times they are available to tutor and does not overlap
with hours scheduled on the On-Demand Schedule. Tutors are not required to be online during the hours listed on
their Availability Schedule unless they have accepted a Scheduled Session Request.
When a student requests a Scheduled Session, tutors will receive an email notification. Tutors are expected to
accept or decline a Scheduled Session request within 24 hours. If a Scheduled Session request has not been
accepted, the session will not connect even if the tutor is Available in the Classroom. Repeated instances of
Scheduled Session requests not being accepted (either declined not responded to at all), as well as accepted
sessions in which the tutor is not present at the time of the session, will result in the tutor being removed from the
ability to schedule time for Scheduled Sessions.

To connect to a Scheduled Session, the tutor should sign into the Classroom as early as 5 minutes prior to the
start time. Until 10 minutes after the scheduled start time, a tutor will only receive session requests from the
student who booked the session. If the student has not arrived after 10 minutes past the hour, the appointment is
canceled, and the tutor will be made available for On-Demand student matching. The tutor will be paid at their
waiting rate for the initial 5 minutes prior to the session start and for the 10 minutes past the session start.

Hours Cap
At Tutor.com, we manage the schedule to meet the needs of our customers, our tutors, local requirements, and
our business.
1. To meet the needs of our students, we adjust the availability of hours based upon student usage.
2. To meet the needs of our tutors, we ensure that hours are distributed in a way that provides opportunities
for many tutors to schedule.
3. To meet state and local requirements, we manage Tutors’ daily and weekly hours.
4. To address these needs, Tutor.com places a variety of caps on the number of hours part
time employee Tutors may schedule and work.
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Advanced Scheduling Cap on Tutoring Hours

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Tutors have an advance cap on the number of hours that can be scheduled. The advance cap limits the number
of hours a tutor can schedule on the date that the schedule first opens for their group status. For example, if the
schedule opens for the tutor on a Wednesday, there will be a cap or limit on the number of hours the tutor can
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book on the schedule when logging in that day to set the schedule for the following week. This cap varies
according to the tutor’s level of experience.

Hours Worked Caps

While there is no system implemented hours worked cap, we highly encourage tutors to take a break after 3-4
consecutive hours of tutoring to ensure a consistent level of quality tutoring. Tutors living in states where they are
classified as part time employees may have caps on the number of hours they can work or schedule each day or
week. Part time employees should be aware that both Scheduled Sessions, hours scheduled on the On-Demand
Schedule, and hours worked while floating count toward hours worked caps.

Attendance
Tutors are expected to be online and available to students during the hour(s) they have scheduled. Tutors choose
the number of hours to work. Please do not schedule other activities during this time. Tutors are expected to be
available for 20 minutes following their scheduled shift to accommodate requests that are made at the
end of the hour-long shift. If a session starts a few minutes before the end of the scheduled time, the Tutor will
be paid for that session even though it will continue past the scheduled hour(s).
Time online (Online Hours) is defined as the time a Tutor is in the Online Classroom during their scheduled hours
teaching a session as well as time spent waiting in the queue in Available status for a student. Time online is
calculated as a percentage of time scheduled.
The system recognizes Tutors as being online from the point that they are logged on and set as available. The
system does not recognize the Tutor as online if:
• The Tutor is set to Unavailable
• The Tutor is completing the Post-Session Survey
• The Tutor has lost connection to the servers
If a Tutor is unable to attend scheduled hours, the Tutor is expected to remove those hours from the schedule
with no less than 24 hours’ notice so that another Tutor may select them. If the Tutor is not online at the beginning
of the shift, the Tutor will be considered late. Tutors are expected to be online for the full time of their shift.

Tutor Activity Policy

Tutors are expected to be available to students for a minimum average of 5 hours per week during the peak
usage times of the school year. This includes being online and available to students during both scheduled and
floating (unscheduled) time.
The average time each tutor is available each week will be monitored during the following periods:

• Fall Period: September 4th through December 11th (14 weeks)

• Spring Period: January 15th through May 21st (18 weeks)
Halfway through the fall period, each tutor’s average availability will be calculated for the first half of the period.
Tutors with low average availability for the first half of the period will receive an email with their weekly average,
suggestions to help increase their average availability, and a reminder that continued low average availability will
result in their account being moved to inactive status.
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At the end of the fall period, each tutor’s average availability will be calculated for the second half of the period.
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Tutors who continue to demonstrate low average availability will be moved to inactive status. Tutors for whom this
is the first time their average has been low will be sent the informational email and their average availability will be
checked again halfway through the spring period. Two consecutive periods with low average availability will result
in the tutor’s account being moved to inactive status.

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A tutor moved to inactive status for recurring concerns with low average availability will be eligible to reapply after
a period of 6 months. It is essential that we can rely on our tutors to be available to students on a regular basis, so
each request to reapply will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Tutor activity is also monitored regularly by Quality Specialists and suggestions will be provided to tutors
demonstrating a trend of low availability.
Tutors unable to dedicate a minimum average of 5 hours per week of availability are encouraged to request
inactive status until they have time available to regularly meet the minimum expectations. Requests to move to
inactive status can be submitted here: https://www.tutor.com/providers/go/support.

Online Percentage
As part of our quality control process, a metric is monitored that measures the number of scheduled hours where
the Tutor was online and available, known as the Online Percentage. To meet the needs of our students while
offering flexibility to Tutors, Tutor availability is monitored monthly. Tutors with low online percentages (as outlined
in the chart below) will be noted. The online percentage policy uses a tiered format based on the number of hours
scheduled in a month.

Number of Hours Minimum Online

Scheduled Per Month Percentage

10-29 70%

30-49 75%

50+ 80%

Tutors are expected to monitor their own monthly online percentage to ensure it is above the minimum
threshold. Tutors can monitor their online percentage by taking the data from the billing information page and
using the following formula:

(Online Hours) / (Scheduled Hours) x 100%

Note that scheduled hours will be the hours scheduled during a given day. This formula will not be accurate until
all scheduled hours are completed for the day.

Tutors who repeatedly do not meet the required minimum online percentage for at least 3 months over a 6 month
period will be subject to action on their account, from mandatory floating up to and including termination. As a
company, we must ensure that we are adequately staffed and have the proper number of Tutors available in order
to provide quality service to our students. We understand that emergencies happen. Missing a few hours due to
an emergency will not significantly or adversely affect the Tutor’s account. However, if hours are consistently
being missed, then Tutors may need to rethink availability for tutoring or consider floating as an alternative.

Be advised that when we conduct monthly reviews of our Tutors’ online percentages, we are reviewing only the
numbers available, as we are unable to cross-reference other communication on a large scale. Should Tutors feel
there was an error in the online percentage report or have previous communication regarding this policy they
would like to have considered, they are encouraged to contact us at: http://www.Tutor.com/providers/support.
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Excessive Hour Removal Policy

Learning Services constantly monitors and maintains a schedule that meets the needs of students while offering
flexibility to Tutors. Hours on the schedule are finite, and while we understand that emergencies arise from time to

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time, we ask that Tutors try not to remove themselves from the schedule with less than 24 hours’ notice. Last
minute cancellations can result in extended waiting time for our students, and once the hour has begun, the
session can no longer be canceled.

Each month, Learning Services will review the hours removed with less than 24 hours’ notice and will note Tutors
who have removed 25 or more such hours in the previous month. Tutors who fall into this threshold will be in
violation of our Excessive Removal Policy and will be subject to the following actions, such as advisory notices,
mandatory floating, and up to and including termination.

Tutors who cannot attend their scheduled hours and are unable to access the Scheduling Tool should contact us
at http://www.Tutor.com/providers/support to request removal so the support team can make every attempt to get
this done prior to the Tutor’s scheduled time.

Accepting/Declining Session Requests

We try to create the best experience possible for our students. To accomplish this goal, we are always striving to
ensure students have short wait times and are matched to Tutors who can meet their needs.
Our policies on session acceptance and declines help deliver a service that meets the needs of both students and
Tutors.

Acceptance Percentage
• Acceptance percentage is the ratio of the number of session requests declined compared to total number
of session requests received.
• All Tutors should be available to accept a minimum of 85% of all session requests received and maintain
an 85% accepted rate of requests for each approved tutoring subject and voice requests.

Session Requests
All initial session requests begin with a notification that a student is requesting help. The Tutor will have 15
seconds to indicate they are present.
All students can enter their question prior to connecting to a Tutor. When a Tutor is contacted for a session, they
will see all the information provided by the student in a new request window and will have 60 seconds to review
the information provided and accept or decline the session request.

Declining Session Requests

There may be some situations in which a session should be declined. If, for any reason, the Tutor is unable to
accept a session request, they should select the Decline option. Selecting the Decline option will open the
Request Declined window where the Tutor should indicate the reason the session was declined. A field for
additional comments is also available if further explanation is necessary.

Session Decline Reasons

Shift Ending Soon:
The average session length guideline for most sessions is 20-30 minutes. We encourage Tutors to keep in mind
that accepting a session within the last 15 minutes of a shift may carry over past the hour and all sessions should
be brought to an educationally sound conclusion. As the end of the shift approaches, we ask that Tutors
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consider the following before accepting the session:

• Do I have 15-20 minutes past my shift time to continue with this session?
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• Based on the student’s question, do I have time to bring the session to an educationally sound
conclusion?
If the Tutor does not have sufficient time, they should decline the session.
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Voice:
Tutors will have 4 voice-related options available to decline a voice session. If the Tutor is in a slightly noisy area
or an environment where there may be minor or occasional noise interruptions (e.g., barking dog, landscapers
in the area), we encourage the Tutor to use the mute/unmute tool rather than declining the session.
If a Tutor must decline a voice session, choose from the most appropriate reason on the dropdown menu:
o Voice: Hardware difficulties (laptop, microphone) – The Tutor is experiencing technical difficulties with
their computer, laptop, or headset.
o Voice: Noisy environment – The Tutor is in an environment with too much background noise creating a
challenge for voice communication OR the Tutor is in an environment that requires making little to no
noise (e.g., a library). This option should be used rarely, as the Mute/Unmute button is now available in
the classroom.
o Voice: Physical restrictions – The Tutor has an illness (e.g., cold, cough) or physical limitations at that
point in time.

o Voice: Technical difficulties (Classroom) – The Tutor is experiencing difficulties with

the Classroom software.
Out of Area of Expertise:
This decline option should only be used if the student’s question involves a concept that is within the scope of the
subject, but a concept for which the Tutor is not highly proficient. In such cases, the student may be best served
by connecting with another Tutor.
What is in scope and what is out of scope:

• A question is in scope if it involves a concept that Tutors are expected to be familiar with, as outlined in
the Basic Concept List.
• A question is out of scope if it involves a concept which is beyond what Tutors are expected to be
familiar with in that subject, as outlined in the Basic Concept List.

Session requests that are out of scope for the subject should be accepted and the student should be told that
their question is out of scope for that subject. Out of scope sessions should not be transferred, even if the student
states that another Tutor has helped them before. Details pertaining to Session Transfers can be found below.
Personal Information Policy (PIP)
This decline option applies only to Scheduled Sessions and Async Sessions and should be used when a student
shares personal information that prevents the session from continuing. See more details in the Tutor and Student
Information section of this manual as well as the Provider Classroom Manual.

Session Decline Details

Since declining a session extends a student’s wait time and leads to a less than ideal experience for the student,
use the Quick Guide below for scenarios when declining a session is appropriate.
Quick Guide for Accepting or Declining Sessions

Accept or
Request Type Situation Comments/Action(s) to take
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Decline
Page

You are having tech

Student If the problem persists, disable voice and
issues with the voice Decline
requesting voice contact support for assistance.
tool

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You are in a minimally
or infrequently noisy Accept Use the mute/unmute tool.
environment

You have an extra 15-

20 minutes available
to reach an Accept Conduct session.
educationally sound
conclusion

You are unsure if you

You are close to have the time
the end of your available to help the Clarify the student’s needs and
shift student based on the Accept determine if you will be able to help or if it
details provided in the would be better to transfer the student.
pre-session
information box.

You do not have the

time available to work Decline Select “End of Shift” for decline reason.
with the student.

Notify student that this is not a concept

You are able to assist most Tutors will be able to help with as it
Accept
the student is beyond the scope of the subject
selected. (Do not transfer the student)

Notify the student that the question

You are unable to
Accept asked is beyond the scope of the subject
assist the student
selected. (Do not transfer the student)

Notify the student that the question

The request is out asked is out of scope for the subject
of scope selected and tell the student in a
way that does not imply the student will
You are unable to have that subject available. (Do
assist the student not transfer the student)
Accept
but are 85% certain “This question is better suited for one of
what subject is best our Quantitative Reasoning tutors. I
would recommend you look and see if
this is a subject that your program offers.
It not, you can reach out to your program
administrator to see if it can be added.”

The request is in
scope, but out of You are UNABLE to
Decline Select expertise for the decline reason.
your area of assist the student
expertise.

Student is looking
for websites for The session is about research so focus
on a research Accept on effective research tools and not the
topic with which topic.
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you are unfamiliar

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Topic of the
It is not appropriate to decline a session
question is not
Accept because the topic is not one of your
one of your
preferred topics.
preferred topics

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The request is
scheduled The request contains
Declining the session will communicate
session information that
Decline to the student that there is an issue with
of Async and it prevents the session
the shared personal information.
includes personal from continuing.
information

Quick Guide for Definite Declined Sessions

Accept or
Request Type Situation Comments/Action(s) to take
Decline

An emergency arises
that leaves you
Any unavailable to continue Decline Select ‘Emergency’ for decline reason
tutoring your schedule
hour.

You are absolutely

certain the student is a
Any recurring inappropriate Decline Select ‘Terms of Use’ for decline reason
and/or abusive
student.

Other Possible Scenarios

• If the student is not clear in their pre-session question about what he needs help with (e.g., he types only
“Hey”), accept the session and clarify the student’s needs before making a determination.
• The Tutor has not read the book. Using sites such as SparkNotes, Tutors can usually gain enough
knowledge about the themes and characters of a book to help the student even if the Tutor has not
actually read the book. Of course, these sites should not be shared with the student.

Inactive Tutors
If a Tutor resigns, requests a leave of absence longer than 30 days, or is inactive for 60 days as an experienced
tutor or 30 days as a New Tutor, the Tutor’s account will be moved to inactive status. From June through
September, tutors will not be deactivated due to the low volume of sessions and many tutors taking the summer
months off. If a tutor has not resumed tutoring by October 1st, their account will be moved to inactive status due
to not returning for the fall season. If the Tutor wishes to resume tutoring within 12 months of a move to inactive
status, they may submit a reinstatement request with Tutor Support.

** NOTE: Reinstatements are based on several factors, including but not limited to, the current need for Tutors,
past quality performance as a Tutor, and the length of time since the Tutor’s last session. In addition, there may
be specific times of year when reinstatements are not being completed. Should a tutor request reinstatement
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during one of these periods, information regarding when reinstatements will resume will be provided. Not all
requests for reinstatement will be approved.
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Reinstatement Process
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After a Support Ticket is submitted requesting reinstatement, the Tutor’s account will be reviewed by the Quality
Assurance team to determine eligibility.

• If a Tutor has been moved to inactive status twice, reinstatement is typically no longer an option, and the
Tutor will be directed to reapply as a New Tutor. Exceptions to this policy will be granted on a case-by-
case basis.
• If a Tutor was on advisory when termination occurred, should reinstatement be approved, the Tutor will
need to return on advisory status.
• When a Tutor is reinstated, they have 30 days to begin tutoring again. If no sessions are conducted
during that time, this will be considered a voluntary termination and the removal will be final. Should the
Tutor wish to be considered for tutoring again, they will need to complete the application process.
• During reinstatement or reapplication, a Tutor may be placed on the waiting list depending on the
subjects they tutor and the current need for Tutors.

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VI. Status Changes and Quality Assurance
(Return to Top)
Tutor.com’s goal is to help each student achieve their academic goals. We have many years of experience
reviewing and analyzing student sessions. Based upon this experience, Learning Services has developed an
understanding of what approaches and techniques are most likely to result in a successful student experience.
Student ratings and feedback are therefore a key component in evaluating the success of our service and the
success of the work of our network of Tutors.
We have created a quality control system to assist us in ensuring that every student has a successful academic
experience, and that Tutors have access to resources and support, and that Tutors are recognized and rewarded
for excellent work. That system consists of the following components:
• Tutor Statuses
• Low Rated Session Comment Reviews
• Quality Specialist Feedback
• Tutor Resources
• Advisory Process

Tutor Statuses
Tutor.com has created a series of Tutor Statuses to reward and encourage Tutors who strive to continuously
improve their tutoring work with our students. This is a system that rewards the Tutors who consistently
demonstrate an ability to assist students of all levels to achieve understanding of the material. We encourage all
Tutors to take advantage of the expertise of our Quality Specialists and the many resources provided to achieve
higher levels of status.

Orientation Period – New Tutor Status

Although every Tutor brings exceptional content knowledge and skills in teaching or tutoring to their work with
Tutor.com, there is a learning curve in adapting to the fast-paced Tutor.com online environment. Each Tutor starts
as a New Tutor and following the completion of the first tutoring session, every Tutor is assigned a Quality
Specialist as they begin their Orientation Period. While exceptions can be made in rare situations, the goal is to
have every Tutor demonstrate the necessary quality for a move to Intermediate Tutor status within 60 days from
the date of the first tutoring session.
During this timeframe, Quality Specialists review Tutor sessions and provide feedback to share the best practices
developed over time. This is also a time for Tutors and for our service to determine whether this form of tutoring is
a good fit for both, as online tutoring is in many ways quite different from classroom teaching and face to face
tutoring. Tutor.com Quality Specialists review sessions to determine whether each Tutor possesses the
availability, reliability, and quality of tutoring to meet the needs of the many students who access our service.

Intermediate Tutor Status

When it is determined that the Tutor demonstrates the requisite skills and availability to meet the needs of the
students who use our service, the Tutor is removed from New Tutor Status and officially accepted as an
Intermediate Tutor.
Once Tutors have achieved Intermediate Tutor status, they will receive an email from LRN.com notifying them of
any relevant compliance training module(s) that will need to be completed. Upon completion, these will become
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required annual/biannual training modules that all Tutors must participate in. Tutors will be compensated for time
necessary to complete these training modules. Failure to complete these modules will result in the tutoring
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account being deactivated. (note: Please refer to the Tutor Resource Center (TRC) for more information
(ex: Calendar, FAQ, etc) on Compliance Trainings located in the Policy and Procedures section.)”

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In addition to availability, dependability, and reliability, Quality Specialists will look at the following criteria to
approve this change of status:
• Communication: Tutor works to communicate clearly, professionally, empathetically, positively, or with a
supportive tone, whether in chat or in voice.
• Content: Tutor demonstrates very occasional mistakes (conceptual or careless). Tutor may need to
reference web resources for support, but generally demonstrates a solid understanding of the concepts
being discussed in sessions.
• Engagement: Tutor works to improve engagement when feedback is provided and attempts to engage
the student beyond just the superficial and operational.
• Approach: Tutor works to create a clear road map to set expectations at the start of the session. Tutor
also attempts to clarify student needs to identify an effective approach and makes an effort to try new
approaches throughout a session.
• Time Management: Tutor works on allocating time efficiently to identify the student's needs and provide
support. Tutor tries to ensure clear expectations and bring sessions to an educationally sound conclusion
within a reasonable amount of time.
The Company (Tutor.com) will automatically consider Tutors for change in status to Intermediate Level Tutors
within the first [60] days of work based solely on their performance and the Company’s needs. If the tutor does not
demonstrate the skill set needed to meet these standards within a maximum of 60 days from the start of tutoring,
it will be determined that the tutor is not a good fit for our service and their contract will be ended. Although the
orientation period may last up to 60 days, a decision that a tutor is not a good fit for the service could be made at
any point within that period or beyond.
Unexpected events occur in everyone’s life. If something should come up that would require a tutor to stop
tutoring for more than 30 days or significantly limit availability to tutor regularly during the orientation period, the
tutor should contact tutor support to discuss options.

Advanced Tutor Status

As the Tutor continues to improve their practice, they may move up in status using these same criteria:
• Communication: Tutor often communicates ideas effectively and with appropriate tone, and continues to
improve on areas such as clarity, professionalism, empathy, positivity, and support (in chat or voice).
• Content: Tutor rarely makes a mistake (conceptual or careless) and shows minimal reliance on web
resources to inform discussion. Tutor is able to clearly articulate the information being discussed and
demonstrates a solid understanding of the concepts.
• Engagement: The Tutor places greater emphasis on conceptual engagement.
• Approach: The Tutor is regularly able to create an effective road map and select an appropriate
approach after clarifying student needs. The Tutor demonstrates the ability to move to a new approach
quickly when current approach is not working and ability to utilize multiple approaches, as necessary.
• Time Management: The Tutor often demonstrates the ability to manage time to efficiently identify the
student's needs, determine an appropriate approach, and provide effective support. Information provided
is routinely only what is essential to the discussion taking place. The Tutor demonstrates notable effort to
always keep the session moving forward and maintain clear student expectations.

Master Tutor Status

As the Tutor continues to refine and improve their practice, they may demonstrate a superior level of tutoring
ability and may move to the highest level of tutoring status using these same criteria:
• Communication: The Tutor consistently communicates with professionalism, empathy, encouragement,
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positivity, and support, clearly conveys ideas with a tone appropriate to the situation at hand, whether in
chat or voice.
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• Content: The Tutor consistently demonstrates high level of content knowledge as evidenced by absence
of errors, lack of need for refresher resources, and ability to conduct in-depth conceptual discussions.

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• Engagement: The majority of engagement in sessions is at the conceptual level, frequently resulting in
students leaving sessions with a clear, demonstrated understanding of the material. Tutor always strives
to return to a higher level of engagement.
• Approach: The Tutor consistently demonstrates a high level of competency creating an effective
roadmap. The Tutor identifies when the student is struggling with approach taken and fluidly moves to a
new approach while always striving to achieve conceptual engagement.
• Time Management: The Tutor always works efficiently and effectively to identify the student's needs. The
Tutor is highly attentive to student cues and responds quickly to questions and changes of direction to
ensure consistent forward movement in the session. Sessions never end abruptly as time is managed
effectively from start to finish in every session.

Quality Assurance Policy

Tutor.com sets high standards of quality for every interaction between a Tutor and a student. The following are
some of Tutor.com’s procedures for ensuring high quality sessions:

Low Rated Session Comment Reviews

Learning Services reviews all comments that accompany sessions rated at a 1 or 2 by a student. If a session
requires follow up action, that session will be referred to the Quality Specialist of the Tutor who conducted the
session.

Quality Specialist Feedback

Quality Specialists are a key resource for Tutors. Quality Specialists are always available to provide information
on policies, procedures, and the location of helpful resources.
Quality Specialists will:
• Conduct a review for New Tutors every 10 days.
• Spot check Intermediate Tutors every four to six weeks.
• Conduct a review for Intermediate Tutors every four to six weeks, after the spot check.
• Spot check Advanced and Master Tutors once every 50-60 days.
• Conduct a review for Advanced and Master Tutors once every 50-60 days, after the spot check.

Example of Quality Check Schedule for an Intermediate Tutor

Spot Checks
• Spot Checks are for internal purposes of quality monitoring, and results of these checks are not
communicated with Tutors.
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• The Spot Check permits a Quality Specialist to quickly determine whether there is a quality concern
based on the quantitative data available.
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• If there is evidence of a possible quality concern, transcripts are reviewed.

• Based on the findings of the sessions, the Quality Specialist can either flag the Tutor for a more formal
and thorough review or state, “no quality concerns” and conduct the next review at the appropriate time
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based on Tutor status. When quality concerns are noted, the frequency of the quality check schedule may
change due to the need to resolve concerns quickly.
Checking Reviews
• Tutors may check their reviews and respond back to their Quality Specialists.
• Reviews can be accessed by going to the “View my assessments” link in the mentoring section of the
Provider Home tab in the classroom.
Changing Quality Specialists
• If a Tutor would like to be assigned to another Quality Specialist, the Tutor should submit a Tutor Support
Request with an explanation of why the change is being requested. Please note that not all requests will
be approved. Decisions are based on a number of factors including the reason for the request and
availability of other Quality Specialists.

Tutor Resources
Tutor.com provides a variety of resources to Tutors in the Tutor Resource Center, accessible from the Classroom.
These include numerous resources, both in written and video format, pertaining to creating a sound educational
experience for the students.

Advisory Process
Quality Specialists have access to a broad view of all a Tutor’s sessions, ratings, student comments, connection
details, acceptance rates, and transfer and decline rates. From time to time, Quality Specialists will notice recurring
issues that significantly affect the quality of the service being provided to our students and customers. Quality
Specialists will bring these issues to the attention of the Tutor in their reviews. If, however, a Tutor does not act to
resolve the issues, the Quality Specialist will issue an advisory to let the Tutor know that an issue must be addressed
within a specific timeframe.

The advisory process is designed to ensure that the Tutor is aware of and understands the importance of the
issue(s) being addressed. During this finite period of time, tutors will receive more frequent feedback to allow the
Tutor to take whatever action is necessary to resolve the issue with guidance from their Quality Specialist. Tutors
may receive more frequent feedback as well when concerns are identified/raised that have not yet escalated to the
need for an Advisory.

Ratings
Students who complete session surveys rate the survey on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being very poor and 5 being
excellent. Learning Services understands that student ratings can sometimes be arbitrary. However, over time,
they provide valuable information about the quality of tutoring and level of customer satisfaction provided. It is
important to note that we take the student ratings seriously.

Session Reviews
Every session is recorded for quality control and is occasionally shared with our customers. Several quality
control systems are in place for the review of sessions. These include but are not limited to:
• All sessions are filtered for inappropriate language
• All student and Tutor comments are reviewed daily
• Quality Specialists review random samplings of sessions
• Managers review low-rated sessions
• All ratings trends are monitored
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Post-Session Surveys
Page

Tutors are required to complete a post-session survey after each classroom session and are provided with up to
60 seconds to answer the questions presented before the survey closes. These surveys inform the predictive
insights service that provide early alerts to faculty and school administrators when students use our service and

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demonstrate, through various metrics, that they are struggling with the course material. The post-session survey
includes:
• information about what concept was worked on;
• the level of understanding the student achieved by the post- session; and
• the level of knowledge the student had prior to the session.
An essential part of the survey is the drop-down lists indicating the topics that allow the Tutor to note the focus of
the concept being discussed during the session. It is vital that the Tutor’s selection of the topic is as accurate as
possible. The drop-down lists are aligned with the concept lists and a relevant selection should be present in most
cases. Only on rare occasions should "Other" be selected. When "Other" is selected, a brief comment should be
left that includes the topic covered in the session. These responses should consist of a sentence or two to
indicate what was worked on with the student, and, if relevant, any difficulties encountered. More information,
including a rubric for assessing student understanding achieved as well as a sample post-session survey, is
available in the Provider Classroom Manual to guide responses. When not selecting, “Other,” the comments are
optional. Please note that these comments are not shared with students nor in reports with faculty or clients.

When the survey is completed, certain responses will trigger automatic messaging to clients who have asked for
this service. When the Tutor answers "no" to the questions "Student achieved understanding" and "Student
possessed prerequisite knowledge," an alert is sent to the student's institution to alert faculty members to follow
up with that student. The institution is then able to see the topic that was the focus of the session and the
transcript of the session. Therefore, it is important that the selections be as accurate as possible.

Survey Completion Policy

Post-session survey responses are monitored monthly to verify that the survey is completed as outlined here.
Given the importance of this information to our clients and to ensure we are supporting students in their academic
college pursuits, it is critical that we have complete and accurate information. It is expected that the Tutor will
appropriately classify the session from the drop-down list of topics available (and not simply select "other") at
least 70% of the time. If a tutor does not accurately complete the post-session survey at least 70% of the time:
• Month 1 - Learning Services will email a reminder of the post-session survey expectations. This email will
also contain a link to a survey that can be completed should a Tutor wish to suggest changes to the post-
session survey topic selections for one or more of the subjects Tutored.
• Month 2 - Learning Services will send an email asking the Tutor to acknowledge that they have read and
understand the expectations of the post-session survey policy. This email will also contain a link to a
survey that can be completed should a Tutor wish to suggest changes to the post-session survey topic
selections for one or more of the subjects Tutored.
• Month 3 - In the unlikely event that the selection of "Other" has exceeded 30% in a third month, a
member of the Learning Services team will contact the Tutor and may request a phone call to discuss
what steps need to be taken to remedy the situation.
Students are also given a Post-Session Survey. Tutors are encouraged to ask the student at the end of each
session to complete a post-session survey rating their experience. Please be mindful that we would like their
feedback to be a true reflection of the classroom/student experience and the request to complete the survey
should be neutral (e.g., avoid requesting that the student rate the session highly).

Quality Specialist Criteria

Achieving a part-time Tutor.com position as a Quality Specialist requires an application, a written interview, a
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phone interview with a Manager, and participation in the Self-Paced Quality Specialist Training program. Quality
Specialists are invited by Learning Services based on, but not limited to, recommendation by a current Quality
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Specialist, need for Quality Specialists in subject areas, average ratings, teaching and communication skills, and
knowledge in their subject(s).

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Tutors interested in applying for a Quality Specialist position can visit this link for further information:
https://forms.office.com/r/4Ey1DbEhdg

Quality Specialist Part Time Job Description

The Princeton Review/Tutor.com’s Learning Services Team manages a remote workforce of over 3000 tutors and
ensures the quality of over a million tutoring sessions a year. Tutor.com’s Quality Assurance team oversees the
work of these 3000+ Tutors. In this role, the team is responsible for the ongoing quality of all of Tutor.com’s
tutoring sessions. The team is successful at delivering quality because we rely upon our Quality Specialists to
support, encourage, and provide information to tutors on their team. Successful Quality Specialists assume a
sense of ownership of their team and the quality of their sessions. This requires a clear understanding of sound
tutoring, the ability to effectively analyze available data and recommend solutions to help Tutors resolve
quality/performance concerns. Mastery of the necessary skills will result in progression in the available Quality
Specialist statuses, each of which have the following expectations:
• Intermediate Quality Specialists are consistently working to hone their skills. They continue to familiarize
themselves with the various tools, policies, and procedures and regularly rely on the support and guidance
of their Senior Quality Specialist.
• Advanced Quality Specialists have a solid grasp of the tools, policies and procedures. They have gained
experience that they use to inform their decisions in similar situations. They make sound recommendations
with less reliance on their Senior Quality Specialist.
• Master Quality Specialists are highly proficient in most Quality Specialist skills. They consistently
provide informed recommendations and require very little Senior Quality Specialist support.

Working with a Senior Quality Specialists, Quality Specialists are critical members of our team, ensuring timely
management of tutor quality concerns.

Job Responsibilities:

Team Management

• Complete timely Quality Checks of tutors’ tutoring techniques and content accuracy, to include both
constructive and holistic feedback
• Demonstrate the ability to provide accurate content information in an easy to understand manner
• Identifies tutor issues, provides actionable feedback and recommends internal and external resources as
they work to resolve the issues.
• Be proactive in recommending action plans when a tutor is not meeting company standards for tutoring
• Use trends in quantitative and qualitative data, including session transcripts, to make decisions and/or
recommendations for actions such as status changes or remediation of tutor quality
• Support tutors in the implementation of policy and procedural changes

Time Management

• Respond to tutors, Senior Quality Specialists, and Learning Services in accordance with communication
guidelines
• Complete Spot Checks and Reviews on time
• Provide quality assurance consistent with the company current guidelines. (The average time spent and
team size for the quality assurance team as a whole are currently 8-10 hours/week and 35-40 tutors,
respectively).
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Communication
Page

• Serve as a first line of communication between Tutor.com and each tutor on the assigned team
• Provide constructive feedback to tutors in an encouraging and positive tone, with empathy when needed,
to demonstrate support for the tutor while also ensuring high-quality work from the tutor is taking place.
• Keep Senior Quality Specialists informed of concerns noted and emergent issues for their teams
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• Make recommendations to Learning Services for resources to help tutors improve the quality of their
sessions
• Respond to emails/messages from Tutors, Senior Quality Specialist and Learning Services staff in a
timely way (within 48 hours)

Other Responsibilities

• Conduct Classroom Introduction and Interview sessions with applicants

• Regularly nominate tutors for Monthly tutor awards

Job Qualifications:

• Demonstrate solid understanding of Tutor.com's goals and approach to student learning and tutoring
pedagogy and understand the nuances of our policies for different learners
• Demonstrate ability to deliver a sound tutoring session and deconstruct a tutoring session into the
essential elements of tutoring, with the intention of providing specific feedback and guidance
• Demonstrate ability to make sound, data-based decisions and recommendations based on qualitative and
quantitative data while considering the human element, with the intentions of improving tutoring quality
• Demonstrate initiative and ability to prioritize duties in order to meet all set deadlines
• Utilize strong organizational skills
• Display strong, professional oral and written communication skills
• Demonstrate ability to consistently work independently and solve problems creatively
• Possesses the ability to acquire and apply knowledge of multiple systems and processes
• Committed to professional growth and learning new systems and skills

Senior Quality Specialists

Senior Quality Specialists are responsible for managing a group of Quality Specialists within certain subject
areas. For example, there are several Senior Quality Specialists for English and social studies. They also assist in
Tutor resource preparation. Senior Quality Specialists must have excellent subject knowledge in more than one
subject area, excellent average student ratings, and a superior record as a Quality Specialist. Senior Quality
Specialists are selected as needed by Learning Services.

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VII. Tutoring for Student Learning
(Return to Top)

Philosophy of Tutoring
We focus on serving each individual learner wherever they are in their learning and meeting their specific needs
with a variety of strategies, tools, and resources. We realize that every student may have had barriers to learning
or struggled with education in the past and we can be the bridge to their academic success. We strive to ensure
that all tutoring interactions instill confidence and empower our learners to reach their academic goals.
We recognize that our students could have faced obstacles resulting from their race, ethnicity, gender,
socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics. We are generally not aware of, nor do
we solicit this information from our learners. At the same time, we treat all of our learners with the sensitivity and
respect they deserve.

Basic Principles of Quality Tutoring

The goal of every tutoring session is to provide the student with…
A sound educational experience
That responds to the need the student articulates
At the student’s level of mastery of the subject that
Leaves the student with a clear understanding of the concepts
And a desire to return and use the service again

This means that tutors are consistently….

• ensuring that the needs of the student, which includes the task at hand as well as what the student knows
and doesn’t know are clearly identified
• selecting an appropriate approach during the session, and adjusting it if necessary, based on the
student’s needs, knowledge, learning style, preferred method, and level of understanding
• clearly communicating concepts in a professional and respectful manner
• providing accurate content
• understanding when a student may need help with pre-requisite knowledge to help them be successful in
the future with the topic in question
• ensuring student engagement in the discussion and providing positive reinforcement to encourage
participation and increase student confidence
• ensuring understanding before bringing the session to an educationally sound conclusion
• providing an effective and efficient session with respect for the student’s time and the session length
guidelines (Return to Tutor Statuses)

Student Learning
Each student should leave a session having learned something. Tutor.com expects Tutors to engage students in
the learning process, which means having the student do the work. All successful tutoring requires involving the
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student in the learning and encouraging the student to arrive at their own answer by providing clues, leading
questions, general explanations and demonstrations of sample problems or whatever other techniques the Tutor
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has found to be successful.

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Age Appropriate Sessions
Tutors can often see the grade level of the student when the student connects for a session. It is important to
adjust teaching style, expectations, and explanations to the grade level of the student.

Tutoring Techniques
There are a large variety of tutoring techniques which will result in a successful, educational experience for each
student. Every student and every session are different, and with experience, the Tutor will be able to learn what
techniques work best for each individual situation. Several resources are provided in the Tutor Resource Center
pertaining to techniques our Tutors have found useful in the past.

Session Length Guidelines

The primary goal of each session is to increase the student’s level of academic independence. This is
accomplished by providing them with the knowledge and skills they can use to continue working on their own
once the session ends. It is the expectation that tutors will work within the session length guidelines provided
while incorporating the elements of the 7 Tenets of Tutoring to create a sound educational experience that
involves active student participation and demonstrated understanding.

These guidelines vary based on several factors, including but not limited to the specific client and the market
(e.g., K-12, Higher Ed, etc.). These times can range from 20 to 80 minutes, and the guideline is displayed in an
information tab at the bottom of the classroom.

** NOTE ** Some session lengths are noted as being “Unlimited.” Please be advised that these should be
conducted as if the guideline was 60 minutes.

Some key points to keep in mind for session lengths:

• Quickly clarify the student’s needs and determine if you are able to assist the student, and if not, transfer
the student without delay.
• If applicable, note the number of minutes the student has available as the session starts to help inform
identifying an appropriate approach.
• Create a roadmap and set expectations early and be sure to update the student as the session
progresses should your plan for the session change.
• Communicate with the student as the session progresses and allow them to decide what they want to
focus on going forward with the time you have remaining.

Phrases such as “Time is up” or “Our twenty minutes are up” should be avoided. They are never an acceptable
way to end an online tutoring session as they can leave the student frustrated or without having achieved
understanding.

For additional information on ending sessions, please refer to the Session Length and Ending Session Tips Quick
Reference Guide in the Tutor Resource Center.

Enabling and Using Voice Tool

The voice (VOIP) tool is one that can be used for Tutor and student to communicate orally in the Classroom. Use
of the Voice tool is required for all Tutors. Communicating with students using both Voice and Chat are standard
modes of conducting Tutor.com tutoring sessions. Tutors should always have voice enabled unless:
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• The Tutor has not been approved for voice.

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• There are extenuating circumstances which prevents a Tutor from using voice.
Even with this voice enabled requirement we understand that there will be times when Tutors are not in an
environment conducive to the effective use of the Voice feature. At such times, Tutors may disable the tool

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Tutor Resource Manual
temporarily. Disabling the voice tool will prevent the Tutor from receiving sessions where the student has
requested the voice tool. A student may connect to a tutor who is not voice approved even after selecting to
connect to a voice approved tutor. This can happen if 4 minutes pass with the student waiting for a voice
approved tutor. If one is not available, the student will connect to the next available tutor, who may not be voice
approved.
When disabling the voice tool, the Tutor will be prompted for an explanation. The Tutor will select the reason that
best fits why the voice tool has been disabled.
It is the expectation that Tutors will have the voice tool enabled a minimum of 70% of the time that they are
online and available to students, either when scheduled or floating.

Learning Services monitors the percentage of time that Tutors are enabled each month, and Tutors will be
contacted should their percentage of time enabled fall below 70% in any given month. "Available" refers to the
time spent in "available" status and able to be connected to a student. It is during that time that the Tutor is part of
the pool of voice-enabled Tutors available for a student with a request for a voice session, so that available time is
the time considered by the policy. If the Tutor is experiencing extenuating circumstances making it impossible to
meet this 70% minimum expectation, contact Tutor Support to discuss the situation.
• The 1st month below the minimum enabled percentage will result in an email reminder
• of the requirement to maintain an acceptable enabled percentage
• The 2nd month below the minimum enabled percentage in a 12-month period will result in an email that
will serve as an official advisory notice
• The 3rd month below the minimum enabled percentage in a 12-month period will result in a request for a
phone call and possible termination
Additional information on how to change the status of the VOIP tool can be found in the Provider Classroom
Manual.

No Usage of Voice Once Requested

There are many scenarios by which students opt to use the voice tool. If a voice session is requested, it is the
expectation that Tutors take the initiative and ask students if they would like to use voice before beginning work
on the student’s question/assignment. To make this communication more efficient, we have created the following
prescript to help Tutors initiate a voice session, “I see that you have requested a voice session, would you like to
start the voice tool now?”

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VIII. Specific Classroom Situations
(Return to Top)

Various Types of Students

For more detailed information on these situations, please refer to the Dealing with Various Types of Students
document in the Tutor Resource Center for additional resources.

Unresponsive Students
There are times when students fail to respond to questions. Should this happen during a session, encourage the
student to make a mark on the whiteboard or to type something in chat. After regular prompts to the student, if the
Tutor still receives no response, let the student know that the session should be ended and remind them that they
can log back with additional questions. In situations such as this, Tutors should not spend more than 3-4 minutes
waiting for an unresponsive student.
NOTE: If there is no activity within the classroom (including use of the chat area, whiteboard, web browser, or
application sharing) for a period of 10 minutes, the student will receive a system message that the session has
been terminated due to lack of activity and the session will be closed automatically.

Students Who are Fooling Around

On occasion, the Tutor may deal with students who are unresponsive and exploring the classroom or those who
are playing around, not making progress in the classroom. These students may fall into one of two categories:
students who are young/nervous or those who are just fooling around – scribbling on the whiteboard or just
“chatting” in the chat space. Please give the student the benefit of the doubt. Give the student an opportunity to
ask a legitimate question and time to sort their thoughts. If this behavior continues without a legitimate question,
notify the student that “Since it appears that you don’t have a specific question for me, I am ending this session
now.” Then click on the End Session button. If this is a recurring situation with this student either with you or with
other tutors in their session history, you may check the box in the post-session survey that the student has
violated the Tutor.com Honor Code.
Frustrated Students
There are some students who are frustrated and stressed, and they may use profanity as a brief expletive as they
wrestle with a concept or problem. The context of the use of profanity in these instances is important. If a student
uses profanity out of frustration or stress, Tutors should provide the student with one of the following prescripts to
alert the student to their use of profanity: “I'd like to keep helping you with your question, but it is important that we
treat each other with respect.” or “I understand you may be frustrated, and I am here to help.” After delivering the
prescript, focus on the question and why the student might be frustrated. This prescript is not considered a
warning and the session should not be terminated for a student demonstrating frustration. The service aims to
support the student, and that may involve giving the student the benefit of the doubt and some latitude as they
struggle through their learning process.

Inappropriate Students
Problematic students include those who are acting inappropriately and/or disrespecting Tutors. As a reminder,
students are not expected to put up with aggressive or inappropriate behavior. If a student behaves
inappropriately toward the Tutor in tone or language (e.g., calling the Tutor sweetheart, using derogatory terms
like idiot, stupid, etc.), provide a warning by using the following prescript, “I'd like to keep helping you with your
question, but it is important that we treat each other with respect. If this continues, I am going to have to terminate
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this session.” If a student uses or provides images or websites that are out of scope (e.g., video games,
cartoons), please provide a similar warning by using the prescript above. If this behavior continues, notify the
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student that “Since your behavior continues to be inappropriate, I am ending this session now.” then click on the
End Session button.

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When the session has ended, the Tutor is encouraged to check the post-session survey box indicating that the
student has violated the Tutor.com Honor Code, and to include comments in the post-session survey comments
detailing what has taken place. Failure to end a session in which the student uses inappropriate behavior and
engaging them in a conversation often results in a session which is below the acceptable level of quality for the
service. It is expected that all Tutors to implement this policy and to use the available prescripts.

Abusive Students
While it is not something any Tutor looks forward to, it is an unfortunate reality that, at some point, each Tutor will
likely experience a student who is less than respectful. It goes without saying that Tutors are not expected to and
should not tolerate abusive behavior from students. This includes inappropriate language (such as profanity or
racial slurs) directed at the Tutor in the classroom, or the sharing of profane/vulgar websites or images on the
whiteboard. If a student uses profanity toward the Tutor, draws profane/vulgar pictures on the whiteboard, or
shares a graphically inappropriate website in a session, the Tutor should end the session by using the
following prescript: “This unacceptable behavior is not allowed in the online classroom. I am terminating this
session now. If this behavior continues with me or other Tutors, we will disable your access to this service.”
(Please see Blocking Students for details regarding this feature). Then click on the End Session button.
If a student is abusive to the Tutor, it is not necessary to provide them with a chance to correct the behavior
before ending the session. When the session has ended, make sure to check the box in the post-session survey
indicating that the student has violated the Tutor.com Honor Code, as more than one violation within a 24-hour
period will serve to restrict the student from connecting to another tutor. Failure to end a session in which the
student demonstrates vulgar behavior and engaging them in a conversation often results in a session which is
below the acceptable level of quality for the service. It is expected that all Tutors to implement this policy, use the
available prescript, and end the session when they first experience an abusive student. Do not let the session go
on. Do not engage in any discussion with the student.

Recurring Issues
There have been some situations in which students are connecting to our Tutors on a recurring basis and being
inappropriate and/or abusive. This behavior may include making derogatory or abusive remarks to or about the
Tutor or sharing inappropriate images in a website or on the whiteboard. Such behavior is significantly beyond
typical middle school or teenage behavior. While the anonymity of the classroom environment was designed for
ensuring the safety of both student and Tutor in the classroom, it can also hinder resolving situations like this.
Please be aware that when these situations are identified, the Learning Services team works tirelessly to resolve
the issue. When a means to contact these students can be identified (which, unfortunately is not always the case)
or information provided to the client to allow them to address the situation with the student, actions to resolve the
situation will be taken.
Tutor.com does not expect our Tutors to tolerate such behavior from our students and it is our expectation that
the Tutor will continue to handle the situation in the appropriate manner, bringing it to a close quickly and
professionally. Continuing to engage in a discussion with a student or attempting to reprimand a student’s
behavior such as this will never have a positive outcome for anyone involved. For the sake of the respect of
everyone involved, ending sessions such as these quickly is the always the best option.
The following chart summarizes the types of students, how to distinguish them, and appropriate action to take for
each type of student.
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Student Scenarios
Type of Student Distinction Appropriate Actions
Unresponsive Student • No response to questions • Encourage student to type something in the chat
space or write something on the whiteboard
• No attempts to chat or
use the whiteboard • After regular prompts for 3-4 minutes, warn of
ending session and suggest student log back into
another session
Students Who are • Young or nervous • Give the student the benefit of the doubt
Fooling Around
• Just fooling around • Give the student an opportunity to ask a
legitimate question and time to sort their thoughts
• Not aggressive
• “Since it appears that you don’t have a specific
question for me, I am ending this session now.”
• If this is recurring behavior from this student,
check the Honor Code violation box in the post-
session survey.
Frustrated • Profanity NOT directed at • “I understand you may be frustrated, and I am
the Tutor here to help.” (not a warning)
Inappropriate • Acting inappropriately in • Provide a warning
tone or language toward
the Tutor • Behavior persists, end session

• Using inappropriate • Check the Honor Code violation box in the post-
images (out of scope session survey.
content such as video
games, etc.) that are not
abusive or vulgar in
nature
• Disrespecting Tutors

Abusive • Profanity or racial slurs • “This unacceptable behavior is not allowed in the
directed at Tutor online classroom. I am terminating this session
now. If this behavior continues with me or other
• Profane or vulgar Tutors, we will disable your access to this
websites service.”
• Draws or shares vulgar • End the session
pictures
• Check the Honor Code violation box in the post-
session survey.
Recurring Issues - Block • Repeated inappropriate • “Since your inappropriate behavior has
behavior with same Tutor continued, I am going to immediately end this
and same behavior in session and disable your access to the service.”
multiple sessions.
• End the session
• Repeated abusive
behavior directed at same • Select Block Student button
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Tutor and/or other Tutors • Check the Honor Code violation box in the post-
in multiple sessions. session survey.
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Recurring Issues – • Recurring issues (above) • Assuming this student was previously blocked by
Terms of Use and student repeatedly the Tutor, decline the request for a session, with
evades Block Student. the rationale “Student abusing Terms of Use”

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Muting a Student’s Microphone
Background Noise
If a student has significant background noise to the extent that it disrupts the session, the Tutor has the ability to
mute the student’s microphone. Tutors should not just mute the mic without communicating first with the
student. Tutors should send the following prescript for this scenario, “Are you able to move to a quieter location
so we can continue to communicate using voice?” And then, if that is not possible, “Would you like to continue
our session using Chat, or would you prefer to log back in to use voice when you are in a quieter location?”

Abusive Language
The tutor may mute the student’s microphone if the student is using abusive language.

Revoking Student Access to Whiteboard or Audio Tools

In the rare instance that a student should include abusive or pornographic, material on the whiteboard or in a
shared screen, the Tutor may revoke the student’s access to those tools. However, this should be done in
concert with sending the Abusive Student prescript and ending the session.
It is expected that Tutors will exercise good judgment before selecting these options.

Returning Workspace Control to the Tutor

Control of the workspace permits the student to choose the tools to be used in the workspace (e.g., add a new
whiteboard, add code editor, share screen). Tutors and students may alternate control of the workspace as
follows:

When students wish to share their screen, browser, or application or the students wish to
control the workspace tools such as code editor, then the student can request workspace
control and tutor may grant the student workspace control.

When the student has finished controlling the workspace at some point in the session, then
the tutor can revoke workspace control so the tutor has control of the workspace again.

Blocking Students
Tutor.com expects our Tutors to exhibit good judgment before selecting the Block Student option. The purpose of
this feature is to deter students from highly inappropriate activity within the classroom. The Block Student feature
is one that is available to Tutors should a student engage in:
• Recurring abusive language or behavior toward the Tutor within the classroom.
• Recurring means the student reconnects with the same Tutor or a previous Tutor has left a comment that
this student was abusive in the previous session and continues to be abusive in the current session.
• Recurring inappropriate behavior, which is evidenced by the student repeatedly connecting to the same
Tutor and exhibiting this same behavior
This feature is one that should be used carefully and sparingly, since once selected, the student will be unable
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to access the classroom for a period of 2 hours. Should a student engage in recurring abusive or inappropriate
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behavior or language, the following message (located in the Inappropriate Behavior folder of the classroom
prescripts) should be sent to the student: “This language and behavior are not allowed in the Tutor.com
classroom. Since this behavior has occurred in multiple sessions, I am going to have to terminate this session and
disable your access to this service.” After sending this prescript, immediately end the session and select the Block

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Student button. In doing so, the system will send the following message to the student and end the session
automatically: “Since your inappropriate behavior has continued, I am going to immediately end this session and
disable your access to the service.”
Reasons Tutors should not block students include:
• If it is not recurring abusive behavior
• If it is inappropriate behavior by a frustrated student

Honor Code Violations

There is some student behavior that may not rise to the level of a Block but does require notice that the student
has violated the Tutor.com Honor Code. Students who use the services of Tutor.com are expected to follow the
Honor Code by adhering to each of the following terms:
• Students will not seek assistance for assignments in which they were forbidden to receive help.
• Students will present work for review that is their own work and not work that has been plagiarized.
• Students will recognize and cite the contributions of others as necessary.
• Students will work with tutors to achieve understanding of the material presented rather than expect or
request tutors to provide answers and/or complete their assignment.
• Students will engage in a respectful manner with each tutor with whom they are interacting.

If you feel your student has violated one or more of these tenets, you can indicate this by checking the
appropriate box on the post-session survey. Please provide details of how the Honor Code was violated in the
Comments section.

Students who receive 2 separate flags for Honor Code violation in a 24 hour period will not be able to access a
Tutor.com tutor for a period of 60 minutes. If a 3rd flag is accrued in that same 24 hour period, their access to a
Tutor.com tutor is revoked pending a review by Tutor.com staff and, if necessary, the user’s institution.

Terms of Use Violations

The Decline for Terms of Use violations feature is one that is available to Tutors should a student engage in:
• Recurring inappropriate and/or abusive behavior toward the Tutor within the classroom that resulted in
the Tutor blocking the student, and the student repeatedly evades the Student Block.
• Repeatedly evading the Student Block means the student accesses the classroom within a few minutes
(10-30 min.) after being blocked from the Classroom.
• Recurring inappropriate and/or abusive behavior toward the Tutor receiving the request when the Tutor is
certain (based on same username, same session details, same pre-session prompt, etc.) that the same
student continues to enter the classroom to continue the behavior.
This feature is more serious than the Blocking Student and one that should be used very carefully and
sparingly, since once selected, the student will be denied service and removed from the queue. If a student is
declined with a “Terms of Use” rationale three times in their account history, then the account is deactivated, and
the student can no longer use the service. This option should only be used after the Tutor has clear evidence that
the student attempting to request a Tutor has participated in recurring inappropriate and/or abusive behavior.
Quality Specialists are informed of this option and will take it under consideration when reviewing session decline
data.
This action is extreme in that it is based purely on the Tutor’s professional judgement of identifying the
student prior to any absolute evidence of abusive behavior occurring. There is great risk to Tutor.com of providing
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this solution to deal with extreme cases of repeated abusive behavior. We risk denying service to a legitimate
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student seeking our support. While we do not expect our Tutors to tolerate such behavior from our students, it is
our expectation that the Tutor will handle the situation in a professional manner, using this option sparingly and
only when all other options have failed to deter the student.
Reasons Tutors should not decline for Terms of Use include:
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• If it is not recurring abusive behavior
• If it is a student’s first request for an individual Tutor
• If there is not a clear pattern of information (user name, institution or program information, or pre-session
prompt) to serve as evidence of a recurrent pattern of abuse
• If it is inappropriate behavior by a frustrated student
• If there are repeated requests from a student with an Out of Scope question. It is preferable here to
connect to the session and politely advise the student that their question is not within the scope of that
subject.
The following sequence of events should occur when identifying and dealing with a recurring inappropriate and/or
abusive student. These sequence of events ties together both when to consider Blocking a student and when to
decline a request due to Terms of Use violations.
1. When a Tutor first identifies a student to be inappropriate or abusive, use the appropriate prescript and
end the session.
2. If the student continues the abusive behavior with the same Tutor or different Tutors in multiple sessions,
then use the appropriate blocking prescript, end the session, and select the Block Student button.
3. If the student continues to request sessions after they have been blocked, therefore evading the Block,
the abusive behavior continues to be directed at the Tutor, and, the Tutor can clearly determine that this
student is requesting another session, the Tutor may Decline the session with the rationale of “Student
abusing Terms of Use.”
The purpose of this feature is to protect our Tutors from recurring inappropriate and/or abusive students by
deterring them from using the service. In exchange, it is expected that our Tutors exhibit good judgment and give
a student the benefit of the doubt before selecting this option.

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IX. Session Length Guidelines
Phrases such as "Time is up" or "Our twenty minutes are up" are never an acceptable way to end an online
tutoring session. In every session, it is expected that the Tutor will bring each session to an educationally
sound conclusion.

The guideline for most Institutional sessions is 20-30 minutes and most Async sessions are 35 minutes. Though
the classroom will alert Tutors as to the session length. The most important thing to remember is to ensure a good
stopping point, so the student may work independently.

The key points to keep in mind for session lengths:

• Transfer the student immediately if unable to help
• Keep an eye on the amount of time the student has available and be sure to send the appropriate
prescripted messages, as needed
• Determine the best way to wrap sessions up when the student does not have additional minutes
• Identify opportunities to wrap up a session if unable to continue working due to time constraints
• Set student expectations for what can be accomplished in the session
• Do not feel pressured to reach the maximum time limit if it is not appropriate
• Determine the best way to end the session in an educationally sound manner so the student has
opportunities to work independently

For more details on ending sessions, please refer to the Session Length and Transfer Guidelines in the Tutor
Resource Center.

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X. Concurrent Sessions
Once connected to a session for around 3-5 minutes, the Tutor may receive an alert in the classroom that
indicates eligibility to take on a second, concurrent session. If the Tutor chooses to make oneself Available to a
2nd student while working with the 1st, the Tutor may once again see the request window pop-up to indicate a
concurrent match. If the Tutor accepts the 2nd session, another Classroom window will appear, and the Tutor can
work with both students at the same time.

Note that if your first session is in one of the following subjects – and the session is allowed to be part of a
concurrent pair – you will be automatically placed in Available status when the prompt appears.
• All K-8 Math and Science (Primary, Elementary, Mid-Level)
• Algebra I or II
• Chemistry

When working with two students at once, , tutors earn the higher of the two subject pay rates PLUS an additional
30% differential.

For instance – if the Tutor is working with an Algebra student and a concurrent Calculus session begins, the Tutor
will receive 30% on top of the regular Calculus rate. This increased rate of earnings will continue until ending one
of the sessions, at which time the Tutor will earn the normal hourly rate for the remaining session.

Additional information on working with concurrent sessions can be found in the Provider Classroom Manual.

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XI. Policies and Procedures
Document Recovery Process
There is a functionality in the classroom that permits Tutors to return a file to a student after the session has
ended. This will allow the Tutor to send the student the reviewed document in situations of connection loss, user
error, or anything else that would otherwise prevent the Tutor from sending the file back while still in-session.
At any time, the Tutor may access Previous Sessions list and click the “Attach File” link to send a file directly to
the user’s Locker.
The Tutor is only to use this function to send the completed document if unable to get the student their paper for
one reason or another. Tutors SHOULD NOT do additional work on the document outside of the Classroom as
reimbursement cannot reliably be provided for that work. Also, as always, make sure that the Personal
Information Policy is adhered to as if the session was still active.

Incendiary Devices
If a Tutor should encounter a session with a student seeking information about how to build or purchase materials
for incendiary devices or any other type of session that could result in a dangerous situation for the student or
others, our policy is to clarify the question. Make sure to understand what the student is asking for and why.
Tutor.com recommends telling the student that the purpose of our service is to help students with homework
questions. Suggest that the student speak with their teacher or the librarian if they are in the library or check the
library’s online resources. Tutors cannot recommend places where students can purchase chemicals. If
believed that this student’s intention is to harm themselves or others, please follow the procedure in place for
Students in Crisis.

Questions from Parents

Parents may log on to ask a homework question to help their children or kids may pretend to be parents. All
students (parents or pseudo parents) should be treated with courtesy. Work with them as one would with a
student. If the parent asks for answers, let the parent know that it is Tutor.com’s policy not to provide students
with answers but rather to help them to understand concepts so that they can arrive at the answers themselves.

Religious Topics
If a student has a question about a religion, that question may be dealt with as a reference or research question.
Tutors are not allowed to share personal religious beliefs with students. Follow the guidelines for dealing with
reference and research questions. It is permittable to provide web information and explain the source of the
information and why that source was chosen.

Sex Education
Sex education is not a subject that the Tutor supports. It is important for all Tutors to understand that Tutor.com is
an educational service and education takes place within the larger perspective of community standards. Many
parents consider it their responsibility and only their responsibility to provide sex education to their children. The
Tutor should always first clarify questions on issues that seem to border on the topic of sex education to
determine the exact assignment. This clarification alone will frequently help the Tutor to decide as to whether it is
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a sex education question.

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Tutor Resource Manual
Student-in-Crisis Policy
The tutors of this service are not equipped to provide assistance to students with anything other than homework.
Students who need counseling for personal issues should contact a trained professional who can assist them.

If a student says or writes something that suggests they may want to harm themselves or others or that they are
being harmed, tutors should remain calm and refer to the prescripted messages that are available in the
Classroom within the “Student-in-Crisis” folder. For more details about pre-scripts and scenarios, please refer to
the Student-in-Crisis Policy Quick Reference Guide in the Tutor Resource Center under “Resources” and
“Policies.”

After pasting in the pre-scripted message, end the session, and indicate in the post session survey why the
session was terminated. Then submit a Support Ticket right away categorized as “Student In Crisis” to let us know
that the session transpired. Keep your comments in the survey and support ticket professional and respectful.
Please include the following in the Support Ticket:

• the date and time of the session

• the student’s institution (school, library system, etc.) if known
• subject covered in the session
• statements made by the student that led you to think the student should be considered in crisis

Unless it is abundantly clear that a student is not in crisis, tutors must err on the side of caution by using the
messages above, ending the session, and notifying Tutor.com via a support ticket. We, at times, are unable to
identify the students. Therefore, the best thing we can do is to refer the student to a counselor or emergency
responder for assistance. Although it is the student’s responsibility to seek counseling or emergency services,
where we are able to identify the student, we may notify the institution, parents, or other authorities to make them
aware of the student in crisis situation so that they can follow up as necessary.

Take Home Tests/Graded Assignments

Tutors may encounter a variety of situations where students may request assistance with a “take-home test.”
Here are a few scenarios that Tutors may encounter:
• A student says that they are working on a “take home test,” course exam, or graded project
• The question presented looks like an exam or test question
• The Tutor notices the student is sharing a website that looks like assessment software
• In any of these cases, or similar ones, do not move forward with the session until there is clarity on
whether it is an exam, test, graded assignment, or an assignment.
First ask the student if they are permitted to receive help on the assignment. Were they directed to do the work
themselves without help? If so, then Tutors should respect that directive. If they confirm it is an exam or test, do
not help the student with the question.
If the student confirms that it is a graded assignment, take note of the institution name and determine whether
there is a Customized Resource Page in the session Information bar. Some institutions view “graded
assignments” like exams. It is important to gather as much information and to get the student to be as clear as
possible about the assignment and the instructions. If the student is from an institution that does not permit
tutoring help on the graded assignment, treat the assignment like an exam or test.
The following are scenarios that warrant further investigation and questions about whether the student is
permitted to receive assistance on the question/essay:
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1. Student shares a problem that clearly states it is a quiz or exam.

• Tutor should not assist student with the problem.
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2. Student shares a problem that seems like a quiz/exam

• Tutor should ask if the student is permitted to receive help on the assignment

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Tutor Resource Manual
3. Student shares screen or browser and there is evidence that the student may be using a quiz/exam
online (e.g., timer, points earned, # of attempts, submit button)
• In either case, the Tutor should ask the question, "It appears you are working on a quiz/exam.
Are you permitted to receive help on this assignment?"
• If it is a quiz/exam, the Tutor should not help the student.
• If the student says it is graded but they are permitted to receive help, check to see if there is a
Customized Resource Page for that institution and if it provides guidance regarding help with
graded assignments.
• If help is allowed, provide hints, guidance, or work a parallel problem with the student.
• If a practice problem, continue the session.

Surveys for Students

Tutor.com does not allow Tutors to participate in surveys. It is Tutor.com policy not to give answers and/or give
opinions.

Sessions with Tutor.com Employees

There are several reasons a Tutor.com employee may connect with Tutors in the online classroom, some of
which are:
• Sales representatives conducting demonstrations
• Members of the technical staff conducting testing
• Members of the Learning Services staff conducting testing
• Applicants for positions getting an idea of how the service works.
In all these situations, the Tutor.com staff member will immediately identify as a member of Tutor.com, or an
applicant for a position with Tutor.com and indicate the purpose of the session (e.g., demonstration, testing
features, etc.). Handle these sessions as with any other and only answer questions that pertain to the tools of the
classroom or a homework question (including providing a tour of the online classroom and its features if
requested).
In all sessions of this nature, the staff member should NEVER ask about personal experience with past sessions,
request personal or contact information, as ask questions about the Tutor’s experience with Tutor.com. For
information such as this, refer them to the Contact Us section on the website.
For all other questions, refer the person to the Tutor.com website for additional information.

Dealing with the Press

If a member of the press should connect in the online classroom, even for a student newspaper, Tutors should
refer these “students” and questions to the Tutor.com Press page on our website (http://www.Tutor.com/press)
and end the session.
Tutors may not know if a parent, reporter, librarian, or even a competitor is acting in the role of a student, so it is
always best practice to provide support in a professional manner, applying the Tutor.com policies and procedures
at all times.

Students Without Specific Academic Questions

Some students may bring academic questions to the tutoring session and may know exactly how and where they
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need tutoring. Others may come to the tutoring session just knowing there is a broad topic in which they need
tutoring. Additionally, advanced students may log in to get supplemental work to continue advancing beyond their
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classmates. Tutors may need to find examples or resources online to assist these student. Tutor.com would like
all Tutors to do their best to assist students whenever possible, even if the student needs some direction to
narrow down the exact area where they need help or want to expand their learning on a topic/skill.

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Tutor Resource Manual
Video Policy
The purpose of this policy is to describe the Company’s expectations for tutors when using the Tutor.com video tool. The
use of video in tutoring sessions will improve the quality of communication with students, which will lead to a more
productive learning experience for our students. All tutors must comply with Company policies during video tutoring
sessions.

Requirement: The use of video when requested by a student is a requirement for all tutors. Clients who elect the video
option may determine that only the tutors appear on video while other clients may provide the option for students to also
appear on video. We understand that, on rare occasions, situations may arise in which it may not be possible for a tutor
to turn on their video. When this happens, a tutor may disable the video tool and then they will be prompted for an
explanation, such as “technical difficulties,” etc. Additional information on how to change the status of the video tool can be
found in the Classroom Manual.

Appearance: Tutors are expected to dress appropriately for an effective learning environment and always use good
judgment. If in doubt, a tutor should dress as if they were meeting a student in person or teaching an in-person class.
When reviewing sessions, Tutor.com reserves the right to determine if the appearance of the tutor is appropriate.
Outreach to the tutor may occur if concerns are noted.

Backgrounds: To reduce background distractions, a blurred background will be set as the default option in the
classroom when the video connects. All backgrounds or locations should be free of anything that may distract the student,
reveal personal information about the tutor, or detract from the learning experience (e.g., television on behind the tutor).

Screen Sharing: Tutors should limit screen sharing to instructional materials as appropriate. Tutors must also make sure
they do not have open documents, applications, browser windows, photographs, or other items on their screen that they
do not intend students to see. Any image or picture that is displayed that would violate Company policy, including the Anti-
Harassment policy, is prohibited.

Abuse of Video by a Student: If the student abuses the video feature, then the same guidelines apply as with chat or
voice-based sessions. Tutors should use the appropriate pre-scripted message, end the session, and summarize in the
end of session survey what took place. Tutors should also use the Code of Conduct notification feature in situations in
which the student is abusing the video feature to alert the Support team.

Examples of abusing the video feature include but are not limited to the following:

• Sharing personally identifiable information such as their name through what they are wearing or through their
background
• Using profanity
• Sharing inappropriate images
• Exposing themselves
• Engaging in abusive behavior toward the tutor

If you have specific questions, concerns or need assistance, please contact us [email protected] or
[email protected].

Violations: Violations of this Video Policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of your
employment or engagement with the Company.
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Tutor Resource Manual
XII. Technical Information
(Return to Top)

For any technology related issues, please submit a Tutor support request for technical assistance. Submit a Tutor
support request by following the Contact Tutor Support link located in the Documents and Reference section of
the Home Tab. The URL to submit a Tutor Support Request is: http://www.Tutor.com/providers/support

Classroom Software Usage

The Tutor.com Classroom software is proprietary software that is protected by the confidentiality section of the
documents signed upon hiring. This software is intended for the sole use of Tutor.com and Princeton Review
Tutors while providing services to Tutor.com and Princeton Review clients and other services as determined by
the management of Tutor.com and Princeton Review. The software should not be used for any other purpose
unless express written permission from an authorized Tutor.com or Princeton Review employee is obtained in
advance. Should the contract with Tutor.com or the Princeton Review cease, the Tutor.com Classroom software
should be deleted from the Tutor’s system. Inappropriate or unauthorized use of the Tutor.com Classroom
software can result in disciplinary action up to termination as well as legal action as outlined in the Confidentiality
Agreement and Tutor.com Classroom Software License.

Disconnects
If the classroom disconnects during a session, the student may have lost their internet connection. If this message
is received, please make a note in the survey provided after the session. Then feel free to continue tutoring
online. The student may log back in and possibly reconnect to finish the session.

Connection Failure Rates

As an online service, it is essential that all our Tutors have a stable connection to the Tutor.com servers. At the
beginning of each month, the connection rates for all Tutors are reviewed for the previous month. Sessions which
are the result of technical issues on the student’s side (e.g., student fails to load the classroom, classroom
crashes on the student’s end) are not taken into consideration when calculating this percentage. Tutors should
monitor their connection failure rate in the Connection Info and Ratings in Settings. Any Tutor who has
received a minimum of 20 session requests and has a connection failure rate of 20% or higher may be subject to
action on their account, such as Advisory notices up to and including termination.
Steps to improve connection rate include:
1. Avoid conducting any bandwidth consuming activity while tutoring, such as streaming video, downloading
large files, or playing resource-intensive online games. Make sure other users on the local network are
not engaging in like activities.
2. Contact the Internet provider to have them check the integrity of the connection, either by running tests
remotely or by sending a technician to check router/access point or any outside hardware.
3. Upgrade the current connection with their ISP to a higher bandwidth.
4. Change ISP (Internet Service Provider)
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Tutor Resource Manual
XIII. Tutor and Student Information
(Return to Top)
The purpose of the Personal Information Policy (PIP) is to protect the anonymity of both the Tutor and the
student. As part of our contracts with our clients, Tutor.com provides an assurance that no contact will take place
between Tutors and students outside of the online classroom. This is not only for the safety of students and
Tutors who use our service, but also to ensure each person’s right to privacy is respected. The guidelines below
outline the policies and procedures that should be followed in different student/Tutor situations. Please note that
similar situations are handled differently based on the type of client (adult vs. non-adult student). When in doubt,
treat the situation as if the client is not an adult and follow the guidelines for the appropriate scenario.
Given that the student-Tutor relationship is anonymous in nature. Providing and/or requesting personal and/or
contact information may result in suspension of Tutor’s account pending an investigation and possible
termination.

Contact Information
Contact or personal information includes, but is not limited to:
1. Email address
2. Full name AND a specific location (e.g., school name, city name, etc.)
3. Street address
4. Phone number
5. Instant messaging address
6. Social networking information
7. Log-in information (username and/or password) for any website.
8. 3rd party website URL for sharing files
9. Any other information that would allow one to identify or contact the student outside the Tutor.com
classroom

Tutor Information
The Tutor’s first name and first initial of the last name appear in the classroom. In the technology age, it is
important to be conscientious about what identifying information is shared with others online. Tutor.com strongly
recommends that all Tutors modify their Microsoft Office settings to ensure that only the first name and first initial
of the last name or “Anonymous” are displayed in the Comment/Track Changes feature and in the top right corner
when logged into Office. Tutors should be careful not to share enough information to make it possible for a
student to find them outside the classroom. If a student asks what age the Tutor is, the Tutor could say something
general such as “beyond college” or “in college.” Tutors are not allowed to share additional personal information
with students.
Here are some scenarios within which a Tutor may feel compelled to provide contact information but should avoid
doing so. They include, but are not limited to:
1. Providing an email address so a student can send an essay
2. Providing a phone number to conduct a voice session (Note: All voice sessions MUST be conducted
within the classroom using the classroom-provided phone number and/or VOIP)
3. Providing an email address so student can give permissions to a document
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Student Information Both Adults and Non-Adults

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Avoid Requesting Student Information both Adults and Non-Adults.

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Tutor Resource Manual
It is very important that Tutors understand that they are not allowed to request personal, identifying or contact
information from students that would be enough to find or contact the student outside the Tutor.com
classroom. Requesting information puts the Tutor and student at risk.
This type of information would include, but is not limited to:
• Full name AND a specific location (e.g., school name, city name, etc.)
• Email address
• Street address
• Phone number
• Instant messaging address
• Social networking information
• Log-in information (username and/or password) for any website
• 3rd party website URL for sharing files
• Any other information that would allow one to identify or contact the student outside the Tutor.com
classroom

Tutors are prohibited from requesting contact information from any student. Here are some scenarios within which
a Tutor may feel compelled to request contact information but should avoid doing so. They include, but are not
limited to:
• Requesting an email address so a student can send an essay
• Requesting student’s phone number to conduct a voice session (Note: All voice sessions MUST be
conducted within the classroom using the classroom-provided phone number and/or VOIP)
• Requesting a student’s email or credentials to access a 3rd party website

Information Sharing with Non-Adults

Should a non-adult student provide any contact information outside of their full name, Tutors should:
• Notify the student that Tutors are not allowed to accept any identifying or contact information from
students.
• Notify the student that because they have sent such information, the Tutor is required to end the
session and they will need to connect to another Tutor.
• Let them know that before they connect to another Tutor, they must remove any identifying and
contact information, whether it belongs to the student or another individual.
• Leave a note in the Tutor post session comments that the student included identifying or contact
information in the session.
• Do not attempt to use the information to contact the student.
Should the student be unable to send a file or receive their file back from the Tutor:
• A Tutor will be tempted to request the student’s email address or to suggest some other form of contact
outside of the online classroom so that the Tutor can return the file to the student. Please do not do so.
Instead, choose one of the following options:
• Submit the file to Tutor Support with the date and time of the session and an effort will be made to return
the file to the student.
• Use the Document Recovery process as outlined in the Provider Classroom Manual.
Should a student incidentally send their contact information, do not act upon this information and contact a
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student outside of the Classroom or respond to a student attempting to make contact outside of the Classroom.
These policies are not only for the protection of the student, but also for the protection of the Tutor.
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Some examples of contacting students outside of the online classroom would include, but are not limited to:
• Obtaining student email address and sending a file
• Visiting a student webpage
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Tutor Resource Manual
• Accepting and using student log-in information for any webpage or email account
• Initiating or responding to a contact from a student on a social networking site
• Calling a phone number provided by the student to conduct a voice session (Note: All voice sessions
MUST be conducted within the classroom using the classroom-provided phone number and/or VOIP)
Find guidelines below for addressing various scenarios involving student contact information for non-adult
students.
1. If the student has not sent a file but intends to:
• Ask the student at the very beginning of the session to remove any identifying and contact information
from the document and the document header. This includes all identifying or contact information listed
above. If necessary, clarify what is meant by identifying and contact information.
• NOTE: If the only information shared is the student’s full name, it is permissible to continue
with the session. But if additional information (e.g., location, school name, etc.) is shared such that it
could be combined with the student’s name to locate the student or it could be used in and of itself to
contact the student (e.g., email address, phone number, social media handle, etc.), the session
should be terminated.
2. If the student has sent a file that is included in the session when the session opens:
• Ask the student at the very beginning of the session if they have removed all identifying and contact
information from the document sent. If the student has not removed that information, then end the
session as described above.
• Please include a note in the post session comments that the student has provided identifying or
contact information. Learning Services will review the session and delete it if deemed appropriate.

Information Sharing with Adults

It is difficult to determine the age of a student in the Classroom. Please pay attention to the grade level of
students in Consumer and Institutional sessions. Students from higher education institutions and the grade level
of Intro College are considered adult students. When in doubt, consider the student a non-adult and follow the
guidelines outlined above.
When working with adults, contact information may be shared; however, it is imperative that this information is
not acted upon to contact a student outside of the Classroom and that students are also not responded to outside
of the classroom.
Some examples of scenarios where a student might provide contact information in which the session should
move forward.
1. Student submits full name, address, phone number and email in a resume for a Career Help session
2. Student submits an essay with full name, school, and email address
3. Student provides full name and email in an essay for review
4. Student provides an email address as credentials to access a third-party website.
5. Student contact information is visible when sharing their screen, browser, or application.
The student-Tutor relationship is anonymous in nature. These policies are not only for the protection of the
student, but also for the protection of the Tutor. Providing and/or requesting personal and/or contact
information may result in suspension of Tutor’s account pending an investigation and possible
termination.

Scheduled Sessions
When accepting files for students who have scheduled a session, Tutors are expected to view the file before
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accepting the request. Should the file contain any personal information, the Tutor should follow the procedures
listed above to determine if this is a concern, according to the market. If the student is entering the service from a
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market where sharing personal information is a concern, Tutors should decline the scheduled session, using PIP
as the reason for the decline. See the Scheduled Sessions section the Provider Classroom Manual for more
specific information.

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Async Sessions
As with scheduled sessions, Tutors are expected to check for personal information. Keep in mind that students
who access the service via a Higher Ed client should not have a session declined due to personal information
being shared. If the student is entering the service from a market where sharing personal information is a
concern, Tutors should decline the session, using PIP as the reason for the decline. See the Declining Online
Tutoring Sessions section of the Provider Classroom Manual for more specific information.

Personal Conversations
Tutoring sessions must always remain professional and focus on academic issues. If the student tries to move
the session in a more personal direction, the Tutor should gently encourage the student to return to the
homework/academic topic at hand.

Personal Opinions & Statements

Tutors are requested not to share personal opinions with students (our goal is to encourage students to form their
own opinions). Tutors should be especially careful not to share opinions, about religious, political, or ethical/moral

issues with students. Tutors should also avoid negative comments or opinions pertaining to the nature of
assignments presented or the student’s teacher. Tutors should also refrain from providing any medical, financial,
legal, or other professional advice to students that is outside of the scope of the academic service provided. If a
student requests a Tutor's opinion, the Tutor should state clearly that, they are here to help in a professional
capacity. They can provide the facts for both sides of this position, but not share their opinion on the matter.

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Tutor Resource Manual
XIV. Miscellaneous
(Return to Top)

Finding a Particular Tutor

Consumer students, as well as institutional students who connect through unique login accounts, have the option
to select Favorite Tutors and request sessions with them when they are online. Other institutional students –
specifically those who appear in the session as “Guest” – do not have this option. These students cannot come
back and find a particular Tutor. Tutors should encourage students to use the service again if they have more
questions and let them know that there are many Tutors available who can help them.

Providing Information or Questions About Tutor.com or student

accounts
If a student or librarian or anyone using the classroom asks a question that is not relevant to the session being
conducted (e.g., how to become a Tutor, questions about their individual accounts, how our Tutors are paid, what
the service costs, etc.) refer them to the Contact Us section of the Tutor.com website.

References
If a reference/employment verification letter is needed:

Tutor.com is unable to provide any letter or other communication detailing a Tutor’s performance quality or
suitability for another position. If verification is required of your current or previous status as a Tutor, and/or other
details such as rate of pay, subjects Tutored, or the like, please email [email protected] and include your name,
email, and specify that you are/were a Tutor.com tutor.

Verification requests by telephone from a prospective employer or other third party should be directed to Sarah
Harty at (646) 619-8226.

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