Tutoring

Each new student has their own tutor. In many degree programmes, the new students are divided into tutoring groups that include a selection of students in the same year and at least one tutor.

It is possible to gain one study credit from tutoring.

How to become a tutor?

At Aalto, tutors are recruited and coordinated at School and association level. At the Schools of the technology field, the ISO operations are handled by the guilds; on the Economics side, the tutoring is coordinated by the tutor coordinator hired by the Student Services in cooperation with KY; and in ARTS, the recruitment is handled by the Student Services’ tutor coordinator. The tutors are mainly recruited in early spring.

Any feedback on the tutoring can be given to your own guild’s person in charge of ISOs or a Freshman Captain, to the tutor coordinators of BIZ and ARTS or directly to the Student Union’s person in charge of new students.

What does tutoring involve?

Tutors have a very important role to play, especially in the first weeks of the autumn term. Tutors organise get-togethers for new students, show them around the campus and guide them through getting started with their studies and questions to do with scheduling.

Tutoring is a great opportunity to experience the best bits of your first study year all over again – while learning important skills related to e.g. group leadership and communications at the same time.

Tutoring does not end after the first week. Tutors stay in contact with the new students in their group throughout the first term – in ISO operations, all the way to the (possible!) Wappu celebrations. In the best-case scenario, the friendships made in the tutor activities last a lifetime.

Tutor training

All tutors take part in the tutor training organised by AYY, for which you sign up via MyCourses. In addition, field-specific training sessions are organised for the tutors.

AYY’s tutor training is organised in late spring each year, and it contains plenty of useful information on tutoring in the Aalto community as well as on group dynamics in general. The additional section organised for international tutors delves deeper into multicultural communications and the importance of integration, for example.

To gain the study credit, tutors must take part in all of the relevant training sessions as well as write a final report on their personal tutoring contribution.

Tutoring of international students

The tutors of international students can have tutoring groups consisting of exchange students and international degree students under their guidance, as well as groups with some Finnish and some international students in them.

The support of the international tutors is extremely important for the international students arriving in Finland for the first time. At the same time, it is an opportunity for the tutors to develop their own language and cultural skills. The international tutors get to learn about new cultures, to know students from around the world and to develop internationality skills which are also valued in working life.

It is possible to gain a separate study credit for international tutoring, in addition to which the international tutor may receive a financial reward for their participation. This requires attending AYY’s training sessions, writing a report and commitment to the tutor duties.

Tutor guides

You can get more information on tutoring from the tutor courses JOIN-A0001 and JOIN-A0002 on MyCourses and from the tutor guide below (in Finnish).