Kansas State University

Totally Tutoring believes that there is a need to recognize K-State’s outstanding tutors and created several awards. Student tutors select the award-winning tutors each semester, and the awards are funded by Academic Excellence monies from the Offices of the President and the Provost. The Totally Tutoring awards show tutors that faculty, staff and their tutees appreciate all the hard work they do.

The student-led award committee looks for tutors who have been particularly successful in bridging the gap in education. Whether that gap is between student and subject or even student and teacher, tutors are there to help students have a better understanding of their coursework and to provide them with the peer support they need to make the grade.

On the recommendation of the award committee, Totally Tutoring honored four tutors for spring 2015:

 “Tutors Make a Difference” Award Winners

Patrick Riggin, tutor for Leasure Hall

Zacharia Bishop, tutor for Educational Supportive Services

Caitlyn Vohs, tutor for the Writing Center

“Honorable Mention”

Benjamin Nye, tutor for Educational Supportive Services

During 2014-2015 school year, Totally Tutoring provided three successful events for K-State tutors.

On October 28th, 2014, Totally Tutoring held its fall workshop sponsored by Michael Lynch (on behalf of the Office of Student Life) and Jill Shields (on behalf of Student Athletics). This workshop, entitled, “Voicing Our Manifesto: A Tutoring Revolution,” served as an opportunity to bring tutors and coordinators together to share the best tutoring practices with each other. During the workshop several stations were set up, designed to encourage tutors to discuss practices, experiences, key concepts and ways to improve their pedagogy with one another.

On April 19th, 2015, Totally Tutoring held its spring workshop at the Kansas State Union with the aid of Academic Excellence funds and a Tilford Incentive Grant awarded to Shay Dodson and Kara Northway. Tutors and coordinators came together to discuss tutoring practices and to share how tutoring experiences have benefited them. Tutoring awards were announced, and the workshop also featured a talk on identity, difference, and democracy, by Dr. Sue Mendelsohn, Columbia University, titled, “How to Change the World: One Tutorial at a Time.”

In addition, Totally Tutoring hosted its annual spring showcase on April 17th, 2015, to share how K-State tutors are benefiting personally and professionally from K-State tutoring programs’ collaboration. The showcase featured a Q&A panel with K-State tutors, giving the Provost, directors, deans, and other administrators the opportunity to ask the panel members questions on how experiences in varying tutoring programs are helping tutors become better campus leaders and enhancing the quality of their pedagogical work with K-State students.

Totally Tutoring has been an informal assembly of K-State’s tutoring programs since spring 2011. Since then, Totally Tutoring has provided enrichment activities that have benefitted K-State’s tutors and students. Totally Tutoring allows tutors to maintain their tutoring skills at a high level by hosting workshops and lectures by visiting scholars on tutoring.

Currently there are approximately 300 tutors on campus, many of whom participate in Totally Tutoring’s collaborative efforts to improve campus tutoring. Some of the programs involved with Totally Tutoring include: Educational Supportive Services, the Writing Center, Academic Assistance Center, the Pilots Program, Athletics, and Scholars Assisting Scholars.

Support Us

This year’s Totally Tutoring events have been made possible thanks to the help of many individuals and organizations on campus. We are grateful for this support!

If you would like to be a part of our organization or provide financial support, please contact Scott Velasquez, 532-5360 or sev9355@ksu.edu.  We also welcome support for Totally Tutoring through contributions to the All University Campaign. Our foundation account is C38905 Totally Tutoring.

To learn more about Totally Tutoring, including our upcoming events, please visit our website at http://www.k-state.edu/totallytutoring/.

To learn more about the many different tutoring services that K-State has to offer, please visit http://www.k-state.edu/tutoring/.

Finally, we would like to encourage readers to pass this information along to all students campus wide. Tutoring makes a difference, and by sharing this knowledge, you can too!