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UTS CRICOS PROVIDER CODE 00099F

Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research

ITAS Tutor Guidelines

What is the Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ITAS)? The goal of ITAS is to assist Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students to participate equitably in their chosen field of study. This is achieved through the recruitment of qualified tutors who work with our students to address their identified academic assistance needs. This program, gives you access to free supplementary academic tuition for a maximum of two hours

!per week, per subject.

ITAS is funded under a contract between UTS and the Commonwealth Government administered by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

What is the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research?

The Jumbunna Institute provides facilities and services for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (prospective and current) students. These facilites and services include:

• Indigenous Student Services Officers who provide assistance with the procedures• Administrative processes of university study and accommodation advice• Liaison with faculties regarding student progress and representation of student

issues• Academic Literacy and Numeracy development through the Learning

Development Program• Tutorial support through the Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ITAS)• Computers and printing facilities• Group and private study areas• Student common/meeting spaces

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ITAS Tutor Guidelines – Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research

ITAS Tutor Position Responsibilities

ITAS Tutors work directly with the student/s under contract individually or in small groups to provide tuition. ITAS Tutors are encouraged to communicate regularly with Jumbunna staff as necessary. It is essential that ITAS Tutors establish and maintain collaborative and respectful working relationships with Jumbunna staff and students to ensure that the best outcomes are achieved for all stakeholders.

!Major Responsibilities: !

• Conduct an analysis of the individual’s or group’s learning needs in relation to thetheoretical and applied knowledge of the field or discipline of instruction.

• Produce a program of instruction tailored to the needs of each student; developing thestudent’s theoretical underpinnings and professional practice

• Plan and develop a program of subject specific tuition in liaison with the student(s)incorporating a level of theoretical and applied knowledge relevant to the subject

• Deliver the program of tuition within the contractual agreement to facilitate Indigenousstudents’ learning of the subject specific content and development of the capacities foreffective professional practice in the field of instruction

• Provide feedback relevant to the Jumbunna team about the program

!It is expected that:

• All Tutors undertake their roles with recognition and respect for the diverse culturalbackgrounds and individual needs of the students

• Compliance with the expectations outlined in the ITAS Tutor Guide

• Compliance with program guidelines as set by the Commonwealth Department ofIndustry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.

• Associated administrative matters are completed accurately and promptly

• Reasonable care of, and cooperate with actions taken to protect, the health and safetyof both themselves and others

• Specific health and safety procedures are followed as directed !ITAS Tutors report to the Deputy Director, Students and Community Engagement, who in turn reports to the Director of Jumbunna. The ITAS Tutors operate under the broad direction of the Learning Development Team with a considerable level of autonomy regarding decisions on the nature and content of the tuition programs. !The primary contact point for ITAS Tutors is the ITAS Administrator who is available via email itas@uts.edu.au or phone 02 9514 2038. !

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ITAS Tutor Guidelines – Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research

ITAS Tutor Selection Criteria

Key Selection Criteria !Skills and Attributes !

• Ability to plan and coordinate tuition with undergraduate students• Ability to facilitate students’ learning of subject specific content• Excellent written and oral communication skills and ability to develop students’

discipline-specific written and oral communication skills• Ability to establish and maintain collaborative and respectful working relationships with

diverse peoples but most particularly Jumbunna students and staff• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision or as part of a team• Capacity to manage time and cope with multiple deadlines• Ability to manage administrative aspects of the program, including lodging of pay claims,

accurately and promptly• High level computing skills including knowledge of Microsoft programs!

Knowledge !• Sound knowledge of subject content• Knowledge of the theoretical underpinnings, intellectual orientations and methods of

inquiry of the field in which the subject is located

• Knowledge of equity principles and their application to workplace environments

• Understanding of the educational, social and economic factors that impact uponAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in the Australian higher education

Qualifications

• Professional Tutor: Tertiary qualification, preferably at postgraduate level in the contentarea of the program of tuition (Professional Tutor)

• Peer Tutor: In third year of an undergraduate degree and received a Distinction in thesubject that the tuition is required.

!Experience !

• Experience providing effective learning assistance in either paid or unpaid capacity

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ITAS Tutor Guidelines – Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research

Requirements for registration as an ITAS tutor !To register with Jumbunna as an ITAS tutor, prospective tutors must complete an online application.

As a minimum, tutors are required to lodge:

• Proof of identity (certified scan of your passport, or birth certificate and driver’s licence)

• Right to work documentation (Australian or NZ passport or Work Visa)

• Certified copies of qualifications (Certified Testamurs and/or transcripts)

• An up-to-date Resume outlining your qualification and experience relevant to providingtuition

Applications that are not accompanied by the supporting documents listed above will not be considered. Tutors must comply with the Terms and Conditions of the ITAS funding contract and the then current Code of Conduct and other policies and instruments of UTS. The UTS policies are available through www.gsu.uts.edu.au/policies/index.html.

Completion of the application process does not guarantee employment nor does it constitute an offer of work. And Jumbunna reserves the right to remove any tutor from the list of registered tutors at any time without notice.

!Conflict of InterestBefore any ITAS contract can be approved, you must declare any conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest between the student and yourself. !Tutors must not be: !

• immediately related to the student (including by marriage or de facto relationship)• the student’s regular course lecturer/tutor• the student’s employer or supervisor at work!

Report any conflict of interest (or potential conflict of interest) to the ITAS Administrator. This can be completed in person, via email itas@uts.edu.au or phone 02 9514 9310. !!!!!!!!!!!

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ITAS Tutor Guidelines – Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research

Providing ITAS Tuition As an ITAS Tutor, your primary role is to provide subject-specific tuition, that is tuition specific to the content of the subjects your student is enrolled in.

It is expected that:

• You will have an ability to communicate sensitively and effectively, including the abilityto conduct proper negotiation and consultation with Indigenous peoples on mattersrelevant to the delivery of education services to Indigenous people. UTS on occasionsprovides Cultural Awareness Training and ITAS Tutors are expected to make everyeffort to attend this training

• Provide subject-specific tuition that is supplementary to the lectures and tutorialsprovided in the subjects by the faculty. This tuition is not intended to reteach or replacethe tuition provided in the subjects but is intended to ensure that students have a goodunderstanding of subject content. Tuition methods should focus on questioning thatstimulates student thought rather than over-relying on direct instruction.

• Foster student autonomy and independence by focussing on the development ofstudents’ skills and capacities to succeed independently of tutor assistance.

• Behave in an ethical manner at all times and this includes, but is not limited to,ensuring that the student is doing their own work and the tutor is only there as a guide.Tutors should beware of ‘over assisting’ their students in any way that might be seenas doing their work for them or disempowering students from being able to develop asautonomous students. Tutors need to be aware of the university’s AcademicMisconduct policies and to ensure their behaviour is scrupulously compliant with thesepolicies. Information about these policies is available at http://www.gsu.uts.edu.au/rules/student/section-16.html

• Tutors are not responsible for editing student work. Tutors should guide students in howto edit their own work and feedback on student drafts should be in the form or guidanceand never in the form of rewriting student work.

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ITAS Tutor Guidelines – Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research

Dos and Don’ts of ITAS tutoring

!DO:

• Discuss the student’s lecture and tutorial and clarify any points of confusion

• Answer student’s questions regarding subject matter content or refer them to relevantliterature

• Work with the student to ‘unpack’ an assignment question in order to clarify what isrequired in the response

• Assist the student to plan their response

• Assist the student to develop good organisational and study skills

• Refer the student to the ITAS Administrator if issues of a personal nature arise

!DO NOT:

• Undertake research for the student

• Supply notes or assignments to the student

• Write/type assignments on the student’s behalf

• Engage in any counselling of a personal nature!It is imperative that the tutor does not engage in any activity that compromises the originality of the student’s work. !If you require guidance or assistance in supporting student’s development of academic skills, please contact the ITAS Administrator via email itas@uts.edu.au or phone 02 9514 1902.!!

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ITAS Tutor Guidelines – Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research

!When will I be matched with a student?

Students can request Jumbunna to find ITAS Tutors for their enrolled subjects through ITAS Online Student Portal. The likelihood of being matched with a student depends on a range of factors such as the number of students seeking tutors in your discipline and the number of other tutors registered to tutor in your discipline. When a match occurs, the ITAS Administrator will notify you via email and/or phone.

What will I have to do after being matched with a student?

Before you meet with a student, you need to firstly:

1. Register your account in iRecruit where your e-contract will be issued

2. Accept your employment contract via iRecruit (new staff) or NEO (current staff).Please note that if you were employed by UTS before, you will need to re-activate yourUTS staff account before accepting your offer via NEO.

3. Contact your student to organise the first tutorial session. You should inform yourstudent how to prepare for the tutorial. It is recommended that you ask your student tosend you Subject Outlines and materials in advance.

Where and when do I meet up with my student?

You should contact your student directly to arrange a suitable time and mutually convenient place which can be on or off-campus.

How can I book a study room for tutoring session?

You can meet with your student at Jumbunna. Contact reception on 02 9514 1902 to check availability as study space at Jumbunna is limited. We encourage students and tutors to conduct their sessions in other UTS buildings. A study room at UTS can be booked via UTS Library website.

Where can I find my subject materials?

You should contact your student directly to get subject materials. You can ask your student to share the materials via email, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. Generally, tutors do not have access to UTSOnline to download subject materials. In exceptional cases ITAS Tutors can request access through the ITAS administrator who will contact the Subject Coordinator on your behalf. However, there is no guarantee that your request for access will be granted.

What if I cannot contact my student?!Please inform your ITAS Administrator via email itas@uts.edu.au or phone 02 9514 1902 if you are unable to contact your student.

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ITAS Tutor Guidelines – Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research

!What do I need to do in the first session?

In the first session, the student and tutor are required to explore whether they wish to proceed with tuition; identify the student’s needs through discussions with the student; and determine the student’s preferred teaching approach. You may also like to consider each other’s availabilities and commitments during the semester. !Once you have decided if you will/will not work together, you need to notify the ITAS team via the ITAS Tutor Online Portal. Your student will need to accept you via ITAS Student Online Portal:

1. Select ‘Subject requests’

2. From the drop down, select the current session (Note: Education students need toselect the B version of the current session).

3. Select ‘Accept/Decline’. If you accept the student, you are required to enter the ‘startdate’.

4. Save changes.

Should the tutor and student accept one another via the appropriate ITAS portals, you will receive an email from ITAS systems requesting you to submit a Work Program. !How do I submit a Work Program?

During the first session, you need to discuss a Work Program with the student/s you are working with. The Work Program must be submitted within the first two weeks of tutoring. Failure to do so may result in the postponement of your salary payments.

To submit a Work Program:

1. Log into the ITAS Tutor Portal

2. Select ‘Work program required’

3. From the drop down, select the current semester. If your student is in Teaching/Education, select the current session that includes B, for example Spring B 2018.

4. Select ‘Work Program’

5. Discuss with your students the three parts, and enter the relevant information for:

i. Educational Needs

ii. On tab 1, enter the short-term goals and strategies to achieve them

iii. On tab 2, enter the long-term goals and strategies to achieve them

6. Submit.

Note: If the program has been successfully submitted, the status will change from ‘Work Program required’ to ‘Work Program final approval required’. !

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ITAS Tutor Guidelines – Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research

!What should I do if I cannot attend a scheduled tutorial session?

You are required to give your student at least 24 hours’ notice of postponement or cancellation of a tuition session by email, and CC itas@uts.edu.au. In addition, you need to reschedule your session for another mutually convenient time later that week. !If you fail to give your student reasonable notice on two occasions, Jumbunna reserves the right to terminate your contract.

What should I do if my student did not attend a scheduled tutorial?

Students are required to provide a minimum of 24 hours’ notice of postponement or cancellation of a tuition session, by email, copied to itas@uts.edu.au

When tutors are provided with less than 24 hours’ notice of a cancelled tuition session, tutors are entitled to a ‘no show’ payment for one hour and the hours of tuition available to the student for that week will be reduced by the number of hours cancelled.

If the student fails to provide reasonable notice on three occasions, the ITAS contract may be terminated by Jumbunna. This termination will be determined by Jumbunna staff.

How many hours and how often can I meet up with my student?

If you are assigned to a student, you will be informed of the number of hours available for tuition. This is a maximum of two hours per subject per week during the teaching weeks of the semester. The total number of hours will depend on how many subjects of tuition have been approved for the student. !A student may request an additional total of 5 hours per semester (not subject) during the exam preparation period. You will be informed via email should their request be approved.

How do I submit my salary claim?

1. Log into the ITAS Tutor Portal

2. Select Salary Claim

3. Select New Salary Claim

4. From the drop down, select the student and select Confirm

5. Enter the date, start time and finish time. If there was a break, add in the break time.

6. Select Confirm

7. Review the details and select ‘Submit’. The screen will return to a blank salary claimpage with the addition of the text ‘Salary claim submitted’ in green text.

For salary claims more than 6 weeks old, please contact the ITAS Administrator via itas@uts.edu.au !To view previously submitted claims, select the archives tab.

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ITAS Tutor Guidelines – Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research

What should I do if I cannot submit my salary claim online?

If you are not able to submit a claim online, you will need to complete the ITAS Manual Salary Claim Form. Once the form has been completed (including the section that needs to be signed by the student), submit the form to the ITAS Administrator in person (Jumbunna Office, Level 6, Building 1) or email itas@uts.edu.au !Who should I contact if something requiring urgent attention occurs outside of office hours? !Both tutors and students are advised to contact emergency contacts recommended by UTS.

What are the emergency contacts if I am on campus?

If you are on campus, you can contact campus security by dialling extension 6 on internal phones. Or alternatively, call 1800 249 559. !To report accidents, incidents and hazards, call 02 9514 1192. !Who should I contact if I have a question regarding ITAS?

The first contact person is the ITAS Administrator accessible on campus in Building 1 (Tower Building), Level 6, via phone 02 9514 9102 or email itas@uts.edu.au

Can I get a staff card?

If you have a valid employment contract with UTS Jumbunna, you can get a UTS staff ID card from the Student Service Centre in Building 10.

Can I claim for Transport Costs?

You may be entitled to receive some reimbursement for the transport and accommodation costs relating to ITAS tuition if:

• You must travel more than 20 km each way by private car to meet up with yourstudent

• The maximum reimbursement is set at the Australian Public Service rate only forthat part of the journey in excess of 40 km

• Your student lives in a - non metropolitan area

!For more information, please contact the ITAS Administrator via email itas@uts.edu.au !!!!!

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ITAS Tutor Guidelines – Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research

If you have any further questions, please contact Jumbunna !Jumbunna is open Monday to Friday, between the hours of 9.00 am and 5.00 pm. !Visit: Level 6, Building 1 (Tower Building), No 1 Broadway. Mail: UTS Jumbunna, PO Box 123, Broadway NSW 2007 Phone: 1800 064 312 Fax: 02 9514 1894 Email: itas@uts.edu.au

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!Sallie Paternoster Administrator, Supplementary Tuition Program !Phone: 02 9514 1902

E-mail: itas@uts.edu.au or Sallie.Paternoster@uts.edu.au

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ITAS Tutor Guidelines – Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research