The computer science department recognizes that sometimes students who may be struggling with course content will look to hire outside tutors to help them.  The department neither encourages, nor discourages the hiring of tutors. However, this document is designed to provide guidance with the types of issues tutors can help with and those that should be avoided with respect to academic dishonesty.

Tutors can help students by explaining course materials in a one-on-one basis, reviewing students’ solutions to sample problems and exams, and answering general questions about programming assignments.  However, it is important that tutors do not help write programming assignments or solutions to graded home work assignments. Talking about abstract solutions to problems is generally OK.  However, if the tutor is writing code or proofs (even on a white board) this crosses the line of academic dishonesty.  Likewise, a tutor can provide general help with debugging an assignment, but should never directly debug a student’s program. A general rule of thumb is that the nature of the help provided by a tutor should be similar to that provided by an instructor or TA during office hours, but with more personal attention.

Generally, tutors are other students who have previously taken the course they are tutoring for, and earned an “A” in the class.  Students and their tutors should negotiate the pay to be provided prior to starting a tutoring relationship.  Generally tutors are paid an hourly rate that both parties agree to.