Seminars for Tutors
To ensure student tutors at FAU are well-prepared for their educational role, the FBZHL provides a wide array of comprehensive continuing education courses, including certification opportunities. Throughout the training, participants acquire extensive educational, personal, and social skills, enabling them to design tutorials, exercises, or internships that enhance the learning experience. Moreover, they engage in reflective practices regarding their role as student educators and focus on effectively translating knowledge into practical application. Discover more in our video:
Offers for Qualification
At the beginning of each semester, we offer a varying range of basic and advanced courses as well as the opportunity to participate in peer observation. The seminar program and the possibility to register can be found online on StudOn.
The basic workshops “Educational Skills for Tutors” with the thematic focus on “Methodology and Pedagogy” are offered throughout and across faculties for tutors. These cover contents such as
- my role as a tutor,
- planning and designing tutorials,
- activating teaching methods, and
- mastering difficult situations in tutoring.
Advanced workshops delve into higher education teaching topics relevant to tutors. Each semester, we offer several rotating, inter-faculty advanced courses, such as:
- Public Speaking/Rhetoric
- Presentation
- Vocal Training
- Appearance
- Visualizations
- Use of media
- Group leadership, moderation, and discussion
The workshops in the Writing Center’s Writing Tutor Training can be recognized as an advanced course for the certificate.
In addition to training courses, tutors have the opportunity to participate in peer observation. Participants visit each other’s tutorials and thus gain engaging insights into other people’s tutorials, practice giving feedback, and also receive valuable feedback on their own teaching.
Certificate Program
FAU tutors can participate in the certificate program, which documents the FBZHL seminars you have attended. In doing so, you are developing important key competencies. When applying for a job, presenting the certificate can be helpful. For the certificate, at least 30 study units (AE) must be acquired, which are composed as follows:
| Achievements | AE |
| Participation in the basic workshop “Educational Skills for Tutors” | usually 8 |
| Participation in freely selectable advanced workshops in the scope of at least 8 AE | 8 |
| Participation in the seminar “Peer Observation” as well as implementation of an observation session | 8 |
| Preparation of a reflection report (approx. 3-5 pages) | 6 |
| Total | 30 |
We follow the national standards for qualification and higher education teaching certification of the Netzwerks Tutorienarbeit.
The acquired achievements are recognized towards the Certificate in Higher Education Teaching of the Bavarian Universities – provided that participants teach at FAU after their studies.
To apply for the certificate, please submit the following documents to fbzhl-tutoren@fau.de:
- Scans of the certificates of participation.
- Submission of your reflection report.
- Entering your data and the FBZHL trainings you attended in the following online form.
Here is some feedback from tutors who have successfully completed the certificate program:
It was especially helpful that we were able to think through the conception of our Ancient German course with the basic course’s concrete professional examples.
I have become more confident and professional. I can react more calmly and purposefully to unplanned disruptions, more difficult situations, such as unrest.
I pay much more attention to details than before, whether it’s how loudly I read a text or whether I’m blocking the audience’s view of an image. For me, it is precisely this general increase in awareness that is the greatest achievement from the seminars.
My conclusion on peer observation is entirely positive. I found the support and assistance from the lecturers very helpful. The exchange with experienced tutors was instructive and gave me impulses for my own teaching.
Guide to Planning and Designing Tutorials
Would you like to read up on the basics of educational planning and designing tutorials? In our guide you will find suggestions on your role as a tutor, how to use media and methods in a targeted manner, or how to master difficult situations in your classes.
The guide (German) is available for download on our blog.