How to Tutor University Students Effectively?

There’s something special about the current generation of university students. They’re not just learning because they have to or because their parents told them to; they’re learning because they have dreams to pursue. University students are dedicated to increasing their knowledge, making teaching more fun and fulfilling.

If you want to tutor university students, you’ll be entering a massively-growing industry. You’ll be coming across people with unique skills, hopes, and big dreams, and you’ll have to help them in different ways to achieve them.

However, tutoring university students is a complex task. It requires skills, strength, and stamina to counter their queries, ensure a serious attitude of students during lectures and impart moral values to the students.

Don’t worry if you are struggling to teach grad school students. With the right tips and skills, you can become a successful and proficient university tutor. Continue reading this blog to learn what makes teaching university students difficult and what you can do to overcome the difficulties and deliver smooth and effective lessons.

How Can you Overcome the Challenges of Tutoring University Students?

It’s important to understand that tutoring grad school students and delivering effective first lessons, be it any subject from English, math, or science, is not easy. First, it needs to be understood, practiced, mastered, and applied by yourself so that you can teach it effectively in several ways.

Over the years, many professional educators have stepped forward to provide insights into their experience, so aspiring teachers know what they’re in for when tutoring university students.

If you have used every method and still struggle to deliver effective lessons to grad school pupils, you can easily find short courses on effective tutoring online to identify the problem areas and polish your skills. But, if you want to practically test your skills, you can sign up for a certified tutoring program or internship in colleges, universities, and other institutes.

These classes will give you the experience you need in teaching and help you develop the hard and soft skills needed to stand out as a professional educator. At the very least, you should have the necessary degree or certification to apply for tutoring jobs at the university level.

What are the Top Methods for Tutoring University Students?

University students are known to have hectic lives. Most of them are studying for their degree while starting their career. Learning and growing simultaneously is difficult, especially when your life is packed and schedules tight.

So, how can you effectively teach someone so distracted while helping them grow in their field?

We’ve compiled some handy tips every university tutor should practice in their classes.

Keep your Schedules Diverse

If there’s one thing every university student is accustomed to, it’s a consistent schedule. For each student, class timings can differ throughout the week, and free periods often get compromised. Thus, many students must carefully mark their free hours if they’re looking for private tutors.

Why does this matter? Because you’ll have to keep your schedules flexible for them. You might find that your students have very different schedules for the day. In that case, you’ll have to ensure you can set their class timings at their convenience. It also means you have to expand your available hours throughout the day, as students could contact you in the early and late hours as needed.

Instill Moral Values

At the university level, students are looking for more than just learning the subjects by the book. Most students look for moral and ethical qualities in a tutor. They are more likely to learn effectively from a tutor whose moral and ethical values align with theirs.

Thus, as an instructor tutoring adult students, do not shy away from discussing subjects like morals, ethics, etiquette, and societal values. Moreover, focus on imparting moral values into students that can help them progress not only professionally but also personally. Engaging students in such discussions can be a constructive yet interesting, fun break between monotonous lectures.

Prove Your Expertise

Obviously, you wouldn’t provide tutoring lessons on a subject you’re not good at. Having the skills and knowledge to teach a particular subject is a mandatory trait for any teacher. However, university students know that the market is filled with experts and amateurs, and they usually look for the best. Thus, you don’t just have to master the subject material but also prove your grip on it.

One way to prove your expertise and improve students learning is by staying up to date with the latest trends related to the learning materials in your field. We’ve all experienced the inconvenience of having an old teacher unfamiliar with your course’s newer topics. This is quite common with math teachers, as they often stick to old methods to solve questions or physics teachers unfamiliar with the recent developments in the Theory of Relativity or String theory. This sort of inability proves that they’re not aware of how the field is growing and might not be reliable. Therefore, you must demonstrate your capabilities by studying and exercising the latest topics, concepts, and techniques.

Furthermore, if you are a university student planning to start tutoring lessons as a side hustle, you need to prove your efficiency as a learner. You’re more likely to be hired if you’re a top achiever with a presentable academic record.

A common method university students use to test a tutor’s efficiency is asking them a question regarding the subject. It could be an advanced question, possibly referring to the logic behind a particular concept. A tutor could discard that question, look it up, or answer it on the spot. The way they respond will highlight their proficiency and interest in their subject.

Incorporate Online Tools and Apps

If the 2020 pandemic has shown us anything, it is that technology and online tools can change the game for any industry. The education industry is no exception. From online classes to recorded tutorials, the teaching and learning process is quickly optimized through digital tools, enabling new students and teachers to adapt to new methods. In fact, most tutors look for potential students on tutoring websites, such as Wyzant, Chegg, and Varsity Tutors. These online platforms allow students to browse through numerous tutors, filtered according to their preferences.

Usually, students have to test each tutor separately through face-to-face interactions. But with these tools, communication, and evaluation becomes much faster as each tutor’s credentials are available in their profile, and students can talk to them through instant messaging.

University students expect you to know your way around these interactive tools, as it makes their lives easier. If they find you falling behind the curve, they might have second thoughts about learning the subject from you.

Keep your Students Motivated

Although university students are focused enough not to need supervision, they’re still generally distracted because of their busy schedules. So, it’s not surprising that they can get demotivated every now and then and stop making progress. Believe it or not, you can motivate your students as an educator. 55% of students have reported that they felt much more confident in public speaking after learning from online tutors. How can you motivate your students to keep learning without interfering with their personal lives?

Well, you can start by understanding and compromising with them. You’ve probably also been to university, so you know what they’re going through. You understand the strain of exams, constant pressure, and heavy deadlines, so apply that relatability factor by teaching your students more engagingly. Don’t hesitate to repeat any points that might’ve gone over their head. Don’t back away from leaving summaries or recorded videos of your lectures.

Above all, encourage them to learn and practice independently. Your role is to give your student a boost or head start, not to be their cheat code. So, point out their mistakes, help them understand the material, and tackle their queries until they no longer need your help. That will highlight their motivation.

Help Them Get Ready for Exams

Let’s discuss the core issues any student can face during exam preparation.

Mix it Up a Bit

Last but not least, try using different techniques to keep your students engaged. We’ve talked about flexibility a bunch of times today, but it’s perhaps most important in your teaching methods. Every student works differently, so each has their own preferred learning method. Once you figure out what clicks for them, bringing them on track will be much easier.

You might find students who are hesitant to learn and understand principles. You may come across students who prefer animated visual aids over bland textbook explanations. It helps to talk to each student in a language they’ll listen to.

Besides, using the same old formula for every class can feel dull. If you’re teaching a group of students in the same class, you can surprise them occasionally by taking them to a lab or showing them live presentations. It will lift their spirits and keep them engaged throughout the course.