MD/SPAS Tutoring Policy

The University of Florida College of Medicine is strongly committed to the success and well-being of every student. Instances where personal and/or academic events adversely affect a student’s academic success, the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) can assign available tutors at no cost to the student.

Eligibility:

• Medical education (MD) students with an overall score of 79% or below in a course.
• School of Physician Assistant Studies (SPAS) students with an overall score of 74% or below in a course.
• Other personal and/or academic circumstances may warrant consideration for tutoring as determined by the MD / SPAS respective academic promotions committees.

All students, whether eligible for free tutoring support or not are encouraged to utilize one or more of the following resources for academic support:

• course directors,
• faculty/instructors,
• teaching assistants,
• fellow students,
• Associate/Assistant Dean of Student Affairs (MD students),
• Faculty Advisor (SPAS students),
• Learning Specialist

STUDENT / TUTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Students receiving tutoring services agree to the following:

• Proactively arrange appointments with their assigned tutor.
• Regularly attend learning activities, including but not limited to, all classes, laboratories, and structured sessions. Tutoring is not a replacement for the scheduled curriculum.
• Prepare for tutoring sessions in advance (e.g., create a plan of topics for discussion, brainstorm and write down questions).
• Keep scheduled appointments with assigned tutors and make every effort to provide reasonable notice to cancel or reschedule a session.
• Notify the OSA Learning Specialist and respective program (MD/SPAS) when tutoring support is no longer needed.
• If tutoring services have not been utilized within the assigned semester, the tutoring connection will be reviewed for continuation of service.

Tutors providing tutoring services agree to the following:

• Exhibit preparedness, professionalism, integrity, and openness to feedback.
• Keep scheduled appointments with assigned student and make every effort to provide reasonable notice to cancel or reschedule a session.
• Submit required tutor data to include timesheets in a timely (within 3 business days) and accurate manner to the OSA Learning Specialist.
• Abide by FERPA confidentiality laws.
• Contact the OSA Learning Specialist for concerns regarding a student’s personal and/or professional success.

The OSA tutoring program reserves the right to replace active tutors as needed to ensure programmatic balance and effectiveness based on evolving priorities and student support needs.