Facilitators are embedded in a specific course and work with the same group of students over the course of an entire semester. Whereas tutors work primarily with a single student or small groups of students at one time and may only see the same student once or twice a semester.   

Facilitators are responsible for weekly session planning aligned to the course content, taking student needs and challenges into account. In contrast, tutors work with students on whatever content the student would like to work on for that session and do not spend significant time planning for sessions in advance.  

Facilitators and tutors do use similar skills, including written and spoken communication, breaking down complex concepts into more easily understood chunks, and actively engaging students in the learning process. The major difference between tutoring and facilitation is the format in which these skills are used. 

The primary difference between SLA and PASS is whether or not students are required to attend the additional sessions. Students can see if they are registering for a course that has an SLA or PASS component in the course schedule on Banner.  

For SLA, the workshop times are embedded into course registration. Students are required to attend SLA sessions until they reach a certain grade, this is determined by the professor and is unique to each course. Once this grade is reached, students are no longer required to attend, however the attendance requirement will apply if the grade drops below the required amount again. Students are always encouraged to attend even if they are not required to.  

For PASS, the session times are decided after the first week of class. Students will be polled with a range of preferred workshop times, with the most popular times becoming the weekly PASS times. Students voluntarily sign up for sessions and are not required, but are always encouraged, to attend.  

SLA and PASS sessions take place in various classrooms around the Allendale and Pew campuses, depending on the location of the lecture sections (Allendale or Pew). For SLA, classroom locations are consistent for the whole semester and the location is listed on the student’s schedule in Banner. For PASS, we do our best to book consistent locations for the semester, but this may vary based on classroom availability when PASS meeting times are determined in the first week of classes.  

All facilitators must have a B+ or better in any class they wish to facilitate, as well as a positive faculty recommendation for each class you plan to facilitate.  

Facilitators also need to have good communication and interpersonal skills and be able to work well with a group of people with different backgrounds and experiences.  Students in SLA/PASS sections are often there because they have struggled with similar material in the past and are looking for additional practice and support. Good facilitators also demonstrate patience and empathy when working with others.  

Most importantly, we are looking for tutors who believe that all students can learn anything under the right conditions and are willing to help students find and create the conditions that allow them to learn best, even when the material is challenging for them.   

Facilitators who have excelled in this role typically are at least second year students and have previous experience with tutoring, teaching, group facilitation, or peer mentoring. However, we encourage anyone who thinks they fulfil the requirements above to apply, regardless of previous experience or class standing.  

Facilitators can expect to work around 8-10 hours per week. This time can vary depending on how many SLA/PASS sessions the course has, as well as how much time is needed to lesson plan.  

For SLA and PASS, there are certain times of work that are not flexible—such as SLA/PASS sessions, course lectures, and staff meetings—as well as certain tasks that can be completed at any time, such as lesson planning.  

For SLA each week you are expected to:  

• Attend all course lectures for your section  

• Plan appropriate materials for your SLA sessions that week. 

• Communicate with your course professor about how sessions are going and what material should be emphasized in SLA. 

• Attend a weekly professional development meeting with other facilitators and led TRC staff   

• Attend all SLA sessions for the week (1-3 per week depending on the course) where you facilitate group work and collaboration with students in the session. These sessions are included in the course schedule on Banner. 

For PASS each week you are expected to:  

• Attend at least one course lecture for your section each week  

• Plan appropriate materials for your PASS sessions that week 

• Communicate with your course professor about how sessions are going and what material should be emphasized in PASS 

• Attend a weekly professional development meeting with other facilitators and led TRC staff  

• Attend all scheduled PASS sessions for the week (1-3 per week depending on the course) where you facilitate group work and collaboration with students in the session. PASS session times are determined in the first week of classes with student input.  

Facilitators are required to attend an initial training that takes place before the semester officially begins. This training includes information on how to structure an SLA/PASS session, facilitation skills and strategies, active learning tools, the history and philosophy of supplemental instruction programs, as well as program logistics (taking attendance, communication expectations, etc.).  In addition, there are weekly professional development meetings throughout the semester with other facilitators where additional training and resources are provided.