Tips to help you get appointments

We know that getting a tutoring session with Spanish tutors is difficult. We came up with a short list of things you can do that better your chances at booking appointments as well as getting a better connection. We recommend doing the following in order to meet your requirement for the semester:

• Get into groups. This is the best way to hit your hour requirement. You will have enter in this information when you make an appointment. For the sake of the tutors and for optimal learning, please have no more than three in a group.  Be sure to include everyone's name and student ID number in the "Group Info" section of the appointment so everyone gets credit. At the end of your appointment, ask your tutor to make sure to add everyone's information into the log sheet.
• Book early and book out. There is a two week window for scheduling. Only one week is displayed at a time, and you have to click a small arrow in the upper right corner to view the next week. The days roll over, so, for example, if today is Tuesday, then the next 14 days out will be shown online. The next Wednesday two weeks out, will appear at midnight. All of those slots will become available then. We suggest booking appointments out as far as possible. 
• Get hardwired. If not, then... The best connections will happen when working at a desktop that is wired via ethernet cable to the internet. This is the best way to do a meeting on Teams. When you are using public wi-fi, you will have connection issues. However, we understand that this isn't a possibility for everyone. We suggest using a computer at the Fulton library, or that you have your phone on you.
• ...have your phone on you. With the Microsoft Teams app downloaded on your phone, tutors can send you a "call" once the meeting has begun. As far as we know, this feature does not exist on the browser version of Teams. Tutors will use this feature of Teams to try to get a hold of students who have not connected within the first five minutes of a meeting.

What do I do if...?

The move to online tutoring has been difficult for tutors, staff, and students. We are doing what we can to mitigate issues and pass along technical problems to the appropriate teams. With a shift this big, with so many people involved (we had over 2,800 appointments alone last semester), there are bound to be issues. Here we list the most common issues and how to respond to them. This is what you do...

• ...if you don't have have a link. The first thing to do is wait. Tutors rarely, if ever cancel appointments without students being informed first. The tutor is likely wrapping up a session with another student. Next, make sure that you are at the right time for the appointment. Search your email inbox for the automated confirmation email from the Appointments page to check the date and time. If you still do not have a link, or have not received a Teams call within the first 5-10 minutes of your appointment, email languagelab@uvu.edu with the following information:
  • First and last name (of everyone in a group session)
  • Student ID (of everyone in a group session)
  • Instructor last name
  • Course number (i.e. 1010, 202G, etc.)
  • Description of issue
• ...if the connection is bad. The best thing to do is to switch to a desktop with an ethernet connection. Check your wi-fi connection, and see if you can switch to a better wi-fi. As a last resort, you can turn off the video feed (for non-ASL languages). This will require less bandwidth for the session to occur and should improve the audio quality and latency. 
• ...if you can't make your appointment. Please let us know right away. Send an email to languagelab@uvu.edu and we will cancel the appointment so that slot opens up for others.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is there a cancellation waitlist for students who need an appointment so they can appointments faster?

A: No. There is no fair or feasible way to maintain this type of list with our limited resources and staff. All appointments are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

 

Q: Why can't you hire more tutors?

A: The short answer is funding. However, the Language Lab will have alternative methods for students to meet their hourly requirements. We hope to roll these out as soon as we are face-to-face, and will significantly lessen the demand for our tutors.

 

Q: Are tutors canceling on me without me knowing?

A: It is extremely unlikely tutors are canceling on you. Less than 1% of sessions that did not happen were due to tutors unreasonably unable to make sessions or neglected to send out links. Sometimes tutors will have to cancel appointments due to them being sick, or for personal reasons. When this occurs, the language lab staff will notify students and do our best to reschedule those sessions.