U of T launches verified tutor database

Posted on November 5, 2024

By Sarah Ryeland-Etienne

On November 1, a new database of trained tutors became available to students on the St. George campus.
Part of the U of T Tutor Training Program (UT3), the database is supported by Nimbus Learning to connect students looking for tutors with specially trained peers.

“University can be highly competitive,” says Jonathan Vandor, Peer Programing Team Lead. “As a way to support their academic success, many students turn to private tutoring. But with so many unregulated enterprises out there, students run the risk of connecting with expensive, untrained or even predatory individuals.”

To complement the existing free aid centres and other resources on campus, the UT3 program offers both tutor training and a database of approved tutors for students to connect with. This provides high-quality training, guided by an internationally accepted standard of skills, and presents a steady source of private tutors with trusted credentials to the undergraduate student community.

“The system is one that benefits everyone involved,” says Vandor. “Tutored students enrich their academic experiences by gaining a deeper understanding of their course content, as we build on our peer support programming through experiential learning and student employment opportunities.”

Tutors listed in the database are thoughtfully selected through an application process and complete 11 hours of training. To remain in good standing, tutors must comply with the program’s rules of conduct. With active feedback and regulation in place, students can feel confident that they have access to ethically-sound support that reduces the chances of academic misconduct while supporting learning.

For more information on the U of T Training Program and database, visit uoft.me/tutors.