Learning Advisors – Useful Information
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I become a Learning Advisor?
Learning Advisors are classified as Casual Academic Staff members at CQUniversity. To become a Learning Advisor, please review the position description and apply via the careers portal to submit your expression of interest, along with your resume/CV, certified qualifications and brief overview (1 page max) of how you meet the essential knowledge and education criteria. Successful applicants will be contacted prior to being appointed to the position of Casual Learning Advisor.Once your appointment has been processed; you will have access to the ITAP mentoring platform on Chronus. You should then update your Learning Advisor profile and ‘about me’ section with relevant information, so students can find you on the system and understand your background, expertise and availability. The Chronus system uses this information to promote your profile to students.
How do I start tutoring students?
The Chronus system assists in matching students with potential Learning Advisors based on student needs and Learning Advisor expertise. Students will then advise the Office of Indigenous Engagement of their preferences, who will assist with confirming the tutoring arrangement. The Office of Indigenous Engagement will then send you a formal workload allocation for casual employment, outlining the number of tutoring hours claimable across a specified timeframe (usually based on academic terms).Please Note: Separate offers of casual employment will be sent to you for each individual student that you agree to tutor. The number of hours allocated per student may vary and is based on student need.
How do I get started with my student/s?
Learning Advisors must make contact with their allocated student/s within three (3) business days of receiving a formal workload allocation from the Office of Indigenous Engagement. Your formal workload allocation will include the students’ details, including the units in which they require tutoring. All communications with the student/s should take place via the Chronus platform or your official CQUniversity email, and online tutorial sessions should take place via Zoom or Microsoft Teams. If you wish to meet with your student face to face, please contact the Office of Indigenous Engagement to arrange a space booking. Learning Advisors should work with their student/s to determine what kind of support the student requires. This support may include planning study workloads, general assistance to help students adjust to university. Other likely supports include assisting with academic referencing or academic writing style and helping students to understand concepts within specific units of study.The relationship is not going well, or I am concerned about my students – what should I do?
We encourage the Learning Advisor to contact the Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Program Officer about the situation immediately (oie-admin@cqu.edu.au). We will provide our full support to resolve the situation in a positive and satisfactory manner.Learning Advisors, please:
1. Take responsibility to initiate contact with your student/s. Studying at university may be a new and daunting experience for students, so please do your best to make students feel welcome.
2. Schedule tutorial sessions in line with the needs of each student, ensuring each session has a pre-planned topic. These topics may be aligned with the unit curriculum, but keep in mind that the needs of students may change (i.e., a focus on academic writing and refereeing may be appropriate leading into assessment). It is recommended that one of the first activities completed with students should be to plan tutorial sessions for the term and create a study plan for each student, each term.
3. Communicate frequently with students via a method agreed upon with the students (i.e., Zoom/Microsoft Teams, Chronus, phone, staff email, etc., as appropriate). If email is the preferred method of communication for your student/s, please respond to emails within two (2) days of receipt.
4. Refer students to support services if you believe they need additional support. Please keep information that your student has shared with you confidential. If something concerning the student needs to be discussed with others, it should first be discussed with the student that they are happy for you to do so.
5. Submit Learning Advisor Pay Claims through ESSO each fortnight, for each student you tutor. Please remember to have your student confirm your session in Chronus to ensure a smooth approval process.
2. Schedule tutorial sessions in line with the needs of each student, ensuring each session has a pre-planned topic. These topics may be aligned with the unit curriculum, but keep in mind that the needs of students may change (i.e., a focus on academic writing and refereeing may be appropriate leading into assessment). It is recommended that one of the first activities completed with students should be to plan tutorial sessions for the term and create a study plan for each student, each term.
3. Communicate frequently with students via a method agreed upon with the students (i.e., Zoom/Microsoft Teams, Chronus, phone, staff email, etc., as appropriate). If email is the preferred method of communication for your student/s, please respond to emails within two (2) days of receipt.
4. Refer students to support services if you believe they need additional support. Please keep information that your student has shared with you confidential. If something concerning the student needs to be discussed with others, it should first be discussed with the student that they are happy for you to do so.
5. Submit Learning Advisor Pay Claims through ESSO each fortnight, for each student you tutor. Please remember to have your student confirm your session in Chronus to ensure a smooth approval process.