Tutor training and development
About required training for new tutors and other workshops tutors can do to develop their skills.
The Centre for Academic Development provides training, resources and support to Victoria University of Wellington’s tutors, demonstrators and sessional assistants. Tutors are part-time, limited term contract teaching staff at the University.
Visit the events, workshops and forums page to see a full list of upcoming training sessions and to register.
Tutors and demonstrators are responsible for registering for their own workshops.
Training for new tutors
If you’re new to tutoring at the University, you are required to do three hours of paid introductory training. Most tutors will do the standard three-hour Teaching skills for new tutors workshop.
Computer Science and Engineering tutors do different training—talk to your coordinator.
If you’re going to be marking student reports or essays, you also need to do the marking and feedback workshop.
Teaching skills for new tutors
These three-hour introductory training workshops are run twice a year—in February or March and again in July. They are led by the Centre for Academic Development.
This workshop complements School training and inductions. It covers:
- basic teaching skills
- some concepts about learning
- ice breakers
- getting your students involved
- solutions for common problems tutors encounter
- resources and support available to you at the University.
Marking and feedback
If you're going to be responsible for marking student essays or reports, you need to attend this two-hour workshop. Sessions are generally run during the early weeks of the trimester, when the first pieces of written work are usually due. The training covers:
- basic expectations around marking written work
- moderation processes
- how marking judgments are made
- how to use marking schemes or rubrics
- different ways of providing useful feedback to students
Training for new demonstrators
New demonstrators need to do two or three hours of paid training before they start teaching in laboratories.
You'll need to attend one of the Demonstrator training workshops run by the Centre for Academic Development.
In this workshop, you'll learn basic teaching and classroom skills as well as laboratory specific ones such as:
- asking and answering questions
- formulating explanations for concepts
- dealing with common laboratory problems.
There are usually two demonstrator training sessions scheduled at the beginning of each trimester. If you can't attend one of these then you can go to a tutor training session instead.
Development workshops
The Centre for Academic Development offers a range of other workshops and seminars that will help you develop you learning and teaching skills. You could learn how to handle tricky teaching issues or learn some new techniques to improve your tutorials.
Examples of recent topics include:
- Developing critical thinking in your tutorials: exploring simple strategies.
- Tutoring in culturally diverse learning communities, including inclusive teaching and cultural diversity at the University.
- The tutor's teaching practicum, based on the concept of micro-teaching.
If you attend enough workshops, you may be eligible for a Tutor Training Certificate of Attendance.
Tutor Training Certificate of Attendance
You can earn this by completing a series of tutoring development tasks over two years. To find out what’s involved, contact:
Senior Lecturer · Academic Development
Centre for Academic Development
Dr Rana Daoud
Academic Developer
Centre for Academic Development
Tutor resources
- Download the Tutor Survival Guide for everything you need to know when you start tutoring—from employment matters to teaching tips and information about students at the University.
- Watch a video, produced by Wellington School of Business and Government, about using tutorials to develop a learning community.
Supporting your tutors
The learning environment for students is most effective and enjoyable when their tutors are well supported and trained. The Centre for Academic Development offers a range of tutor training and development opportunities throughout the year.
Your class representatives
Student class representatives (class reps) play a vital role in the University community, liaising between staff and students to represent the interests of students to the lecturers. This makes them good sources of informal feedback from students. Reps also work with the VUWSA education team on any academic issues that arise.
Reps are elected by students by the third week of classes every trimester. Representation work can often be approved to count towards the Wellington Plus and the Wellington International Leadership programmes.
Find out more about class representatives and their training, read the Class Representative Handbook (PDF) or download the Class Representative Policy (PDF).
Supporting student success
As a teacher, you work with students and the wider University to support student success.
Student withdrawal from courses
Students giving notice of withdrawal from a course after a particular date are regarded as having failed that course unless the associate dean subsequently gives approval to withdraw. See course additions and withdrawals for more information on the course withdrawal deadlines that apply to each trimester.
Delivering great lectures
Get tips for delivering lectures and using supporting material, media and hand outs effectively.
Assessment, marking, and moderation
Make sure you are familiar with the requirement and good practice guidelines in the University’s Assessment Handbook (PDF).
Also see CAD's resources for assessing, grading and moderating student work—including marking presentations and creating a marking guide.
Academic integrity and plagiarism
Find out about your role in helping to detect and deal with academic misconduct or plagiarism at Victoria University of Wellington, including using Turnitin.
Using the Library
See how to use the library to stay up to date on new resources and developments in your subject area during the trimester.
Nuku at Victoria University of Wellington
Get Nuku support during the trimester on the Innovation Incubator or by talking to the teaching technology team at the Centre for Academic Development.
Feedback from students
As well as collecting informal feedback during the course, you may need to collect formal feedback on the course, if you are the course coordinator, and on your teaching. The feedback system is administered by the Centre for Academic Development.