Requesting an academic tutor DOES NOT INVOLVE ANY COST for students. You may request the assistance of an academic tutor in each of the following three instances:
In the first two instances you will be assisted by CIEE language professors and Spanish graduate students majoring in teaching Spanish as a foreign language at the Universidad de Sevilla. Students are encouraged to seek any help necessary related to writing in Spanish.
CIEE also organizes language tutorials for students in order to help them overcome linguistic barriers in reading, writing, comprehension, and speaking, which may affect their progress in content classes taught exclusively in Spanish. This is a wonderful opportunity to improve language skills on a one-on-one basis and to spend time with Spanish students of a similar age and background.
Request an appointment through your Program Manager, and one of our tutors will help you with your written assignments.
Keep in mind that towards the end of the semester many students request this service. So, try to request assistance as soon as you possibly can.
We suggest you don’t wait until the very last minute, as we may not have the time to help you. During the midterm and final exams period, you need to request your appointment somewhat earlier:
Keep in mind:
Likewise, you can request an appointment through your Program Manager and one of our tutors will be in touch to help you arrange a tutorial session for the discussion of your most pressing linguistic needs. You may enjoy a maximum of 12 hours of language tutorials throughout the semester. These sessions are intended to help you clarify grammar points, not as conversational exchanges.
All students directly registered in classes with Spaniards may request a private tutor for any and all of their regular university classes.
What is the tutorial program?
The tutorial program consists of private classes for each regular university class you have. It is highly recommended to have a tutor for each regular university class, but it is not obligatory. You may, if desired, organize group tutorials with other CIEE students registered in the same class.
Tutors may provide students with class notes, explain background information, help to overcome language barriers, share information on the types of exams professors give, and structure learning discipline by keeping students up-to-date with course readings and notes.
What are the conditions of the tutorial program?
Who gives the tutorials?
There are several possibilities for tutorial support:
Take your time and think about which of these possibilities will work best for you.
IMPORTANT: Please do not accept any offers from professors to be your tutor. Keep in mind also that the professors’ tutorías are not tutoring sessions. CIEE considers these his/her office hours. You should, however, meet regularly with the professor during these hours to resolve any pending questions or concerns. These consultations are different from tutorials.
What takes place during a tutorial?
Each tutorial will be different and will depend upon your specific needs in each class. You may spend time, for example, going over class notes to make sure you wrote down the most important information from the lecture. You may spend time going over concepts that you do not understand, or vocabulary related to the subject material that may not be very familiar to you. You should also ask for information concerning required and recommended readings; take time during the tutorial to go over the difficult ones, if necessary. The tutor could also help you go over papers, research projects, commentaries, etc. for use of the Spanish language prior to handing them into the professor. It is really up to you but try to make the most of this time.
What are the many advantages of having a tutor in each class?
What do I do if I am interested in requesting a tutor?
Ideally, you should be able to find a possible tutor amongst your peers in the class. If you can’t find one, CIEE may be in touch with your professor at the University of Seville/Pablo de Olavide/EUSA asking him/her for their recommendations on tutors. In most cases, they will recommend a tutor with whom you can work during the semester.
Once you have selected your tutor, stop by the CIEE office with him/her and staff will explain goals and procedures of the program. He/she will be given a form to fill out with his/her personal information where contact hours will be listed and signed by the CIEE student. In some cases, this may be done by phone or email (if from a different campus). We at CIEE will take down tutor’s name, phone, email, address, major, etc. and will inform him/her about the retribution.
Please make sure to do this before the eighth week of the program’s regular session.
What do I do if I am having a problem with my tutor?
This will most likely not happen, but if the tutorials are not working out (i.e. the tutor is not as well prepared, comes late or not at all, is not available, cannot meet with you, or doesn’t know enough about the class material, etc.,) please speak with us as soon as possible. You may change tutors at any time during the semester, and we will help you find one, if necessary. The previous tutor will be paid for the hours invested and may need to assist in the change.
Always speak with the Manager of your program.