The Math Cafe

With the move of the Mathematics and Statistics department from the university college to the college of health and natural sciences in the Spring of 2018, there was a need to have an academic support service for students taking math 200 level courses within the department. It was decided to start a training center that will help students with their math courses in general and with their math skills in particular. The Math Café mission is to guarantee that all students have the chance to excel by providing guidance for their success at Zayed University and identifying programs that support students’ progress toward graduation and enrich their undergraduate experience. The Math Café offers students help for all mathematics courses varying from quick tutoring to multi-session workshops. Tutoring is offered by appointment or on a walk-in basis during regular hours of operation. The Math Café offers workshops based on students’ needs as requested by their faculty. Math faculty will tailor workshops to small groups of students with similar deficiencies and needs thereby providing targeted assistance to help students improve their math skills.

A pre-diagnosis test will help with determining students’ needs in terms in skills. With the aim of helping students improve their math skills, students will be required to attend the workshop three to four times a week. However, students will be expected to take the workshops seriously and to not miss any; consistent attendance is essential for achieving their goals. The Math Café will train high-performing student volunteers to become effective tutors by running training sessions on tutoring guideline: tutoring do’s do not’s, beginning, managing, and ending a training session, learning styles, and time management. Future tutors will be knowledgeable of ZU’s mathematics and sciences course materials and will be helped to develop the skills and pedagogy necessary to be effective tutors. The math café will recruit, hire and train qualified peer tutors through the year which will not only give tutors a chance to increase their own command of the material but to also build experience and develop leadership skills.

Math Café Services

These is a walk-in space where faculty and students tutors are available several hours a day to assist students with their courses. Students are welcome to come to the Math Café without an appointment and stay as needed. We offer personalized tutoring to accommodate students’ needs per their own or faculty’ request. We offer also workshops which is a service that targets classes that have been shown to be difficult for large numbers of students and provides out-of-class sessions and workshops. The workshops service aims at helping not only students struggling with specific course content but also students aiming at earning higher grades. Students who attend the workshops will learn appropriate study strategies and become confident with the course content. Faculty running the workshops use the course booklet and supplementary handouts as tools to help students.

Faculty:

For the aim of helping students improving their math skills, one faculty will be responsible for a set of workshops for all students and also train interested students on tutoring and delivering short workshops to help students.

The faculty working in Math café will be responsible for:

• Working with all ZU students as identified by their faculty
• Run the workshops as planned
• Provide opportunities for students to show their understating to the course content or lesson during the workshop and not to do the work for them.
• Provide students with a pre and post-test.
• Discuss with students their progress.

Tutors:

Tutors are required to take the training offered by the Math Café. The training program will follow the model of the International Tutor Certification Program, sponsored by the College Reading & Learning Association (CRLA). This internationally recognized program targets the standard for the minimum skills and training required for tutors to succeeded in their mission. We will work on certifying our training program to keep training not only ZU students but tutors from other UAE institutions.

• The Math Café tutors will be knowledgeable of ZU’s mathematics and Sciences courses material.
• All tutors should have the training offered by the Math Café.
• Tutors work WITH students not for students. The tutor will go over examples of similar problems in order to develop your understanding of concepts
• Tutors will not correct students homework, projects, or take-home exams. They will provide useful comments and suggestions and serve as guides not as professors or editors. It is a violation of ZU’s Academic Policy to ask Math Café tutors to do your homework for you. Tutors will report such violations.

Tutees:

Students success matters to us. The Math Café works closely with mathematics and sciences faculty to ensure that their students achieve their academic goals. Tutees will have access to qualified tutors and faculty mentors to help them.

• Tutees are responsible for planning and providing adequate time to receive tutoring from the Math Café and should schedule their time well in advance of their assignment's deadline.
• Tutees should arrive on time to the Math Café.
• Tutees should bring all necessary materials (class notes, assignment guidelines, textbooks, drafts, syllabus, calculator, etc.) to the tutoring session.
• Tutees should read and sign the expectation sheet.
• Tutees should complete a Tutoring Session Information Sheet at the end of each session.

Becoming a Tutor

Becoming a trained tutor will provide students with an opportunity to work with their peer students, develop communication skills, provide help to others, and strengthen their leadership potential. In addition to be part of a great experience, tutoring training support is an excellent addition to students’ resume.

Tutors are required to be Passionate, Patient, Positive, Punctual and Prepared. (5 P’s). Committed to supporting their follow students with various needs. All new hired tutors will be required to attend and participate in a mandatory training workshop. The training workshop will provide future tutors with the skills they need to practice effective communication, assertiveness and empathy.