{"id":45475,"date":"2020-04-09T07:37:33","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T11:37:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=45475"},"modified":"2020-05-05T12:59:51","modified_gmt":"2020-05-05T16:59:51","slug":"emus-tutors-find-fresh-purpose-in-helping-fellow-students-through-online-shift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2020\/emus-tutors-find-fresh-purpose-in-helping-fellow-students-through-online-shift\/","title":{"rendered":"EMU\u2019s tutors find fresh purpose in helping fellow students through online shift"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Looking back over the last few weeks, Professor Linda Gnagey<\/a><\/strong> thinks about one meeting as particularly fortuitous. As director of Eastern Mennonite University\u2019s Academic Success Center<\/a>, Gnagey recruits, trains and manages about 35 student tutors from across all disciplines.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lunch gathering for STEM tutors and the faculty who teach in courses they support happened just as news was breaking of an imminent move to online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of the smiling faces of Eastern Mennonite University tutors who might greet you at the beginning of a session.. Sophomore Anisa Leonard shared this selfie by request. Anisa notes that straightening up her home office is now part of her pre-session prep during these unusual times.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was a perfect time to think about how tutors could connect with students in new ways,\u201d Gnagey said. \u201cIdeas from that brainstorming were shared with other content and writing tutors in the days ahead. Our tutors continued to work, even when classes were canceled and professors were preparing for online formats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis has been a really unique opportunity for our tutors to help students as they face learning challenges with new instructional methods,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of those STEM tutors is senior engineering major Collin Longenecke<\/strong>r, who is embedded with a first-year engineering course. Though initially he wasn\u2019t sure how Zoom sessions would work, he\u2019s been pleased so far. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe students pop in and out and they can share their screen with me,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is almost like I am in the engineering lab looking over their shoulder trying to help them troubleshoot the problem. I have been helping a few students that I had not helped before we went to online school which is cool. A class like this is very collaborative and not being able to do homework together does make it harder, so I am trying my best to be as available as possible for the students.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n