Nominating a Student to be a Peer Tutor

Nominating students who will make good tutors positively impacts student success at Sierra! The Rocklin Tutor Center hires students the last month of a semester for following semesters. Please consider recommending your A or B students who possess a growth mindset about academic skills and who like to help their peers as appointment tutors. Students hired to be appointment tutors:

· help students online and in person in one-on-one sessions.

· develop work skills that are useful in many jobs,

· get job experience as an educator and peer role model,

· get connected to other students serious about being successful at Sierra,

· receive paid trainings that lead to an internationally recognized tutoring certification,

· have fun and get paid!

To recommend your student(s) as a tutor for fall 2025, please fill out a recommendation for them by May 5. The recommendation form is linked here.

Information on the Embedded Tutor Program at Sierra College (PASS peer)

When can I request an Embedded Tutor?

Embedded Tutors are hired the last month of a semester for the following semester. Check the request form linked below for the current due date.

What is the purpose of the Embedded Tutor program?

The purpose of the Embedded Tutor program (formerly PASS peer program) is to bring academic support to Sierra College students directly by placing trained peer tutors in classes. The program is designed to encourage students to develop an awareness of their learning processes as college students. To that end, Embedded Tutors are trained to help students learn how to learn. The ETs do not provide specific answers to work, or act as teachers, but instead facilitate student knowledge, lead collaborative group sessions, act as role model students, participate in active learning activities and foster effective study skills. Embedded Tutors can help in person or online classes and can choose whether to have sessions in the Rocklin Tutor Center in LR 402, in the NCC Learning Commons space or in the Tutor Center zoom space.

How do I get a new Embedded Peer Tutor (PASS peer)?

Talk to your supportive, responsible, A/B students about applying to be a PASS peer a few weeks before the end of the semester. Interested students can access the Tutor Application here and/or they can contact the Tutor Center for more information.
Send a completed Tutor Recommendation Form (linked here) to the Tutor Center for all students you think would be good tutors.
Also, please fill out an Embedded Tutor Request Form (linked here) for the classes you want a new or returning Embedded Tutor in. The Embedded Tutor requests for the Fall 2025 semester are due by May 5th. Requests made after that date may not be able to be fulfilled.
When the Tutor Center has received an application and recommendation for a student, the student will be invited for an interview. Once a student is hired by the Tutor Center, the student employee hiring process can take many weeks to complete. You will be notified as soon as possible if your tutor requests can be fulfilled, or if the student you requested becomes unavailable.

What’s required of me as an instructor with an Embedded Tutor?

Plan to meet with your tutor for an average of half an hour a week during the semester. Some instructors combine email with meetings on zoom or meet with them before or after class.
Before the semester starts, work with your Embedded Tutor to determine how many hours a week you would like them to be active in your Canvas shell class, or on ground class.
Please find a way to introduce your Embedded Tutor, and what an Embedded Tutor does early in your class. Give a strong and clear message to your students that you respect and value the Embedded Tutor Session component of the class. Give the Embedded Tutors a space early in the class to introduce themselves and announce session times and group session zoom links.
Your Embedded Tutor will be put into your Canvas class site as a TA. Encourage ETs to send out email reminders and announcements about session times and session plans often through Canvas.

Supply your tutor with class texts and any supplementary materials you would like them to review during group sessions. Embedded Tutors can also work with students on homework, class concepts, and projects in online group sessions.
Encourage your students to attend Embedded Tutor group sessions. Data show that students at Sierra College who attend tutoring group sessions, whether online or on ground, do significantly better in classes than similar students who don’t go to sessions.

How can I use an Embedded Tutor in class?

Embedded Tutors should be focused on the needs of students when they attend classes, not the needs of the instructor. Many teachers find ETs are especially useful at helping with hands-on activities, and at helping to facilitate group work. Embedded Tutors are encouraged to be active in the class but let them know what you would like them to do. Some are natural at jumping in to help, but others may need some guidance. Peers aren’t allowed to grade papers, lecture, or ever be in classrooms unsupervised with students. Some of the things Embedded Tutors can do in class are:

act as a role model for desired behavior by modeling presentations, writing sample notes on the board during discussions, or by sharing how they would study for, and in general tackle an assignment.
facilitate group work, model skilled feedback in peer review sessions, and lead small group discussions.
work with weaker students on specific tasks or topics.
circulate in class during group or individual activities to answer questions, and to encourage students to ask the teacher questions. (Often students will be less intimidated asking a peer a question than asking the instructor.)
act as a “second pair of eyes”. (ETs often notice which students are not engaged, or which ones do not understand the material. Also, students may be more likely to talk to a peer about life situations that might be affecting class performance.)

How can I use an Embedded Tutor in my asynchronous online class?

Some ways teachers have used Embedded Tutors in online classes are by having them:

moderate discussion boards,
send peer to peer announcements about Sierra’s student resources,
spend time in Discord to advertise sessions and help build community (but not tutor or answer class work questions),
share examples of how they would start/do/think about an assignment,
share subject specific study tips,
offer help with time management to those who would like a “nudge” about deadlines.
reach out to, and work with weaker students on specific tasks or topics,
encourage students to interact with the teacher.

Of course, you may come up with other creative ways to use tutors in classes. Please share your great ideas with the Tutor Center faculty.

How does my Embedded Tutor hold synchronous tutoring sessions online?

Online Embedded Tutors are required to hold synchronous sessions that take place in the Tutor Center’s zoom space, so they can be supervised by Tutor Center staff and faculty.
Links to the group session zoom space will be shared with the Embedded Tutors, and then the link can be shared with your students in Canvas.
Online group sessions are facilitated using interactive techniques. Embedded Tutors always have their cameras on in the online Tutor Center and are trained in ways to interact effectively in the online space using advance zoom share tools.
An online Embedded Tutor can be put into multiple sections of a teacher’s same class, so all students in those classes can choose which group session times to attend.
Embedded Tutors are provided with any technology tools they need to be successful online tutors by Sierra College.

Who can have an Embedded Tutor?

The Embedded Tutor program is especially effective in classes that are entry level/gateway classes, support classes, and/or classes that often have high fail rates. The availability of Embedded Tutors for some classes can depend on funding.

I have a lot of students needing help. Can I have more than one Embedded Tutor, or can an Embedded Tutor have more than one group?

Yes. An instructor can have several Embedded Tutors. An online Embedded Tutor can be put into multiple sections of a teacher’s same class, so all students in those classes can choose which group session times to attend. Embedded Tutor group sessions take place in the Tutor Center’s zoom room space, so all sections can access them.

What are my Embedded Tutor’s responsibilities?

Attend all required Tutor trainings.
Be enrolled in a minimum of 6 units and maintain a g.p.a. of at least 2.7 at Sierra College.
Meet with students outside of class in a Tutor Center space at least two hours a week for each section.
Get input from the teacher weekly.
Participate in the class Canvas shell and or in person class at least one hour a week, so students know who they are and feel comfortable reaching out to them for support.
Optional--May spend time planning collaborative activities for group sessions.

Are Embedded Tutors paid?

Yes. Embedded Tutors are paid minimum wage when first hired. When tutors pass the required tutor trainings, and have tutored 25 or more hours, they receive an internationally recognized tutoring certification called CRLA1 and are eligible for a raise.

For more information, please contact Jennie Longmire at jlongmire@sierracollege.edu or Nicola Baldwin nbaldwin4@sierracollege.edu .

Nevada County Campus Faculty should contact Ingrid Keriotis ikeriotis@sierracollege.edu for information on the Embedded Tutor program there.