TutorOcean Privacy and Information Policies

Student Tutoring Agreement

On TutorOcean

TutorOcean is a third-party website that requires users to share private information such as their Laurentian email address.

Tutors are independent contractors and not employees, agents, or representatives of Laurentian University. It is your responsibility to make sure that you obtain any information which may be relevant to making a decision and that you read the privacy and security policy on such third-party websites.

Laurentian University has no control over third-party websites and will not be liable for any loss or damage you suffer as a result of your use of third-party websites. You agree that where you access third-party websites you do so entirely at your own risk.

At Laurentian University

The personal information gathered is protected and used only for the purposes of administering the Peer Academic Program and, on occasion, for statistical purposes. Information provided will not be used for any unrelated purpose without your consent.

Questions and concerns regarding the collection or use of personal information should be directed to the Peer Academic Program Coordinator (afarquharson@laurentian.ca). For complete details, review the Policy on Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy.

Tutor Availability

The Peer Academic Program does not guarantee tutor availability, especially during peak times of the semester (during midterms and exams). Therefore, it is highly recommended to request a tutor at the beginning of the semester and avoid last-minute requests.

Cancellation of Session

If you must cancel or reschedule a tutoring session, you must do so at least 24 hours in advance. Otherwise, you will forfeit the session and still be charged the full amount.

Tardiness

a) You must be prepared and arrive on time to all tutoring sessions, whether they are hosted in-person or in a virtual classroom.

b) You must advise your tutor if you will be late and vice versa.

c) If you are more than 15 minutes late for any scheduled session, your session and any associated fees will be forfeited.

d) If your tutor is more than 15 minutes late for any scheduled session, you must mark them as a “no-show” on the booking (on the TutorOcean platform), and you must notify the Peer Academic Program Coordinator (AFarquharson@laurentian.ca).

Session Material

You must come prepared to each session with specific questions, concerns, and issues as well as all the necessary material (i.e. textbooks, assignment requirements, etc.).

Session Content

You must be fully aware that the objective of the tutoring sessions is not to reteach courses, but rather to provide context and answer specific questions to help you better understand the course content and be more prepared for evaluations. You must fully accept responsibility for your academic success.

Attribution of Grades

Tutoring is in no way responsible for any grades that you could receive. The assignments belong entirely to you.

Pay rate

Tutors determine their own hourly rate therefore they may change depending on the subject(s) they are teaching, the level of tutoring they are offering, the amount of experience they have, etc. Rates typically range from $15 per hour to $25 per hour. If cost is a concern, you can:

  1. Ask tutors about the possibility of negotiating their fees
  2. Contact the Peer Academic Program Coordinator to discuss alternative academic supports (AFarquharson@laurentian.ca)

Payments

You can pay for tutoring services via credit card or debit VISA/Mastercards. It is your responsibility to correctly connect your credit card to the TutorOcean platform. TutorOcean processes all payments on your behalf 48 hours after a tutoring session is complete. Laurentian University is not responsible for any fees/payments outstanding.

Standing of Users

The Peer Academic Program is not responsible for any and/or all issue(s)/situation(s), implied or otherwise, resulting from the interaction between you and your tutor. The Peer Academic Program reserves the right to remove students from the platform at their discretion (e.g. three or more late arrivals and/or absences).

Tutor Agreement

On TutorOcean

TutorOcean is a third-party website that requires users to share private information such as their Laurentian email address. It is your responsibility as a tutor (independent contractor) to obtain any information which may be relevant to your decisions and to read the privacy and security policy on such third-party websites.

Laurentian University has no control over third-party websites and will not be liable for any loss or damage you suffer as a result of your use of third-party websites. You agree that where you access third-party websites you do so entirely at your own risk.

At Laurentian University

The personal information gathered is protected and used only for the purposes of administering the Peer Academic Program and, on occasion, for statistical purposes. Information provided will not be used for any unrelated purpose without your consent. Questions and concerns regarding the collection or use of personal information should be directed to the Peer Academic Program Coordinator (afarquharson@laurentian.ca). For complete details, review the Policy on Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy.

To Become a Tutor

To become a tutor, you must submit:

  • a description of your qualifications
  • a list of courses for which tutoring can be provided
  • a copy of your transcript (an official transcript is not required).

You must also:

  • Have an overall average of 75% or higher (some exceptions may apply);
  • Have an average of 80% or higher in the tutored course(s) (some exceptions may apply);
  • Have successfully completed the tutor training on D2L [LINK];
  • Have received approval from the Peer Academic Program Coordinator.

Tutors are responsible for ensuring that students (tutees) sign the tutoring agreement prior to their first tutoring session [LINK].

Teaching Assistants

Teaching assistants (TA’s) who are currently appointed to a Laurentian University course are not permitted to tutor any student who is enrolled in the course(s) to which they are assigned (even if the student is seeking tutoring in a different course). This constitutes a conflict of interest. Therefore, in the event of any conflict of interest, you shall recuse yourself from tutoring the student(s).

Graduate Students

Graduate students may be restricted and/or limited in their availability to tutor based on policies of the Graduate Studies Department. It is your responsibility to ensure compliance with rules and regulations of the Graduate Studies Department prior to the commencement of tutoring.

Confidentiality

You shall not share and/or discuss a student’s personal information without their written consent, unless otherwise prescribed by law and regulations (for example, they pose a security risk).

Communications

You are required to have a current Laurentian email address on record which you shall actively monitor and be able to receive and respond to communications from.

Mandatory Meetings

The Peer Academic Program Coordinator may host mandatory meetings to:

  1. Discuss feedback from students on tutoring services as part of its ongoing improvement process;
  2. Review new information, share changes in procedures or material, or discuss other relevant topics to tutoring.

Special Instructions

If special instructions are required, the necessary information or training will be provided directly to you by the Peer Academic Program Coordinator on a case-by-case basis (i.e. students with disabilities, students on-probation, etc.).

Cancellation of Session

If you are unable to attend a scheduled session, you must:

  1. Inform the student of your absence at the earliest opportunity
  2. Cancel the session on the TutorOcean platform so that the student is not charged unduly

Tardiness

  1. You must be prepared and arrive on time to all tutoring sessions.
  2. You must advise the student if you will be late and vice versa.
  3. If a student is absent or is more than 15 minutes late for any scheduled session, their session and any associated fees will be forfeited.

Session Content

You must be fully aware that the objective of the tutoring sessions is not to reteach courses, but rather to provide context and answer specific questions to help students better understand the course content and be more prepared for evaluations. Students must fully accept responsibility for their academic success.

Attribution of Grades

Tutoring is in no way responsible for any grades that the student could receive. The assignments belong entirely to the student.

Hours of work

As a tutor (independent contractor), you set your working hours and location. It is your responsibility to set your availability in your tutor profile (in the TutorOcean calendar module). Tutors are advised that being on the TutorOcean platform is not a guarantee of tutoring hours.

Rate of pay

Tutors using the TutorOcean platform generally set their rates anywhere from $15 per hour to $25 per hour. Please keep in mind that you are working with students, who may or may not have the means to afford high hourly rates. You agree to charge fair and reasonable rates for tutoring.

Payments

It is your responsibility as the tutor to ensure that all payout information is inputted and set-up correctly on the TutorOcean platform prior to payout. No payment can be made until this process is completed. Laurentian University is not responsible for any fees/payments outstanding.

Strenuous circumstances

If you are unable to meet the student’s needs with respect to academic support within a timely manner, you shall:

  1. Refer the student to the tutor directory on TutorOcean for additional assistance
  2. If no suitable replacement can be found, you may refer the student to the Peer Academic Program Coordinator for support at afarquharson@laurentian.ca.

If strenuous circumstances arise where you are unable to fulfill your duties as a tutor, you shall:

  1. Notify the Peer Academic Coordinator immediately for transition and relief.
  2. You will be responsible for promptly updating or removing your availability from your tutor profile on the TutorOcean calendar module.

Standing of Users

The Peer Academic Program is not responsible for any and/or all issue(s)/situation(s), implied or otherwise, resulting from the interaction between a tutor and their student(s). The Peer Academic Program reserves the right to remove tutors from the directory at their discretion (e.g. you cancel more than 2 sessions without cause).