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Meet our UCL Engineering Student Tutors: Joseph Eno, Engineering (Mechanical) MEng
5 February 2021
Continuing our new series featuring some of our wonderful UCL Engineering student tutors, Mechanical Engineering student Joseph discusses how he has learned to "adapt quickly" whilst tutoring during the COVID-19 pandemic.
How has being a student tutor helped you?
Being a student tutor has mostly helped me:
- Improve my communication: I do a lot of talking with the pupils and other staff and over the last year, I’ve learned how to communicate in the right tone given the circumstance.
- Time management: I’ve been able to organise both my classes or other related activities and tutoring sessions in the best way possible, to be able to give the best to my tutees and get the best out of my time.
What's the best thing about being a student tutor?
Probably the best thing about being a tutor is the feeling you get when your tutee understands a concept that they were previously finding hard to grasp. That feeling is just incredible!
How has COVID-19 impacted upon your tutoring?
I’ve had to adapt quickly and learn new ways to help tutees understand concepts and keep them engaged. The whole programme was moved online and we started using video conferencing. It can be a bit tougher to keep your tutees' attention so sometimes I had to improvise. This could be giving breaks or talking about something different for a few minutes up to doing physical activity (walking around for a bit then coming back to continue the session).
...the best thing about being a tutor is the feeling you get when your tutee understands a concept..."“
What advice would you give to students considering taking part in tutoring/mentoring programmes?
- Always be patient with your tutee and try to be as friendly as possible.
- Don’t be patronizing and always try to speak in the right tone.
- Lastly, remember that you’re taking the role of a mentor, and not just a tutor.
Why are such tutoring programmes needed?
Sometimes, the concepts taught in class may not have been understood and the programme gives pupils the chance to have one-to-one attention to solve any difficulties.
Tell us something funny, unexpected or really special that has happened during your tutoring sessions
The first session I had this year with all my tutees, when I got the great news that everyone had improved on their previous result, was really special for all of us. It showed what we were doing was having a tangible positive effect.
UCL Engineering student tutors are featured on page 6 of the UCL East Engagement Report 2019/20.
With thanks to Dr Elpida Makrygianni and Garance Mourgaud.
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- Credit: Joseph Eno.