“Life is about giving and getting.” That’s the philosophy behind why Sepide Ghafouri, an Electrical and Computer Engineering student, decided to become a Peer Tutor at the BCIT Learning Commons.

Sepide brings to the BCIT community a wealth of prior knowledge and experience from industry. Before immigrating to Canada in 2004, she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and worked as an engineer for four years in her home country of Iran. Because it had been almost ten years since her last university education, Sepide saw a need to upgrade and refresh her knowledge in order to keep up with the fast-paced field of engineering.

In September 2007, Sepide added to her busy schedule by becoming a Peer Tutor, assisting students in math, physics, and all subjects within her program. With eight courses on the go, just how does she manage to squeeze six hours of tutoring into her schedule? “This term will be a very tough term,” she admits. “We have eight courses and lots of our courses have labs and projects; those will really be keeping me busy. I’ll have to minimize my activities. It’s only four months so I don’t mind isolating myself from the rest of the world.”

Despite having to sacrifice leisure time, the commitment to being a tutor is well worth it. Not only does it provide Sepide with useful skills for future reference, it also gives her the chance to step out of her student role and get a different perspective on learning. Her tutoring sessions with students also serve as a refresher for herself because she has the chance to review her tutees’ notes. Most of all, Sepide enjoys the rewarding feeling from assisting in her peers’ success. “It is rewarding to give back what you have obtained so far.”

As with all Peer Tutors, Sepide underwent special training that included four sessions on the fundamentals of tutoring, the learning process, and work ethics. But even with all the training and knowledge in the subject matter, there are still some challenges to the job. She sometimes has to work with students who only want to get answers without learning the content, or others who are not prepared and don’t know what they really need help with. The biggest challenge is tutoring multiple students during the busy drop-in sessions on Wednesday afternoons.

The BCIT community is fortunate to have such great team of Peer Tutors who dedicate their time and efforts to help others succeed. If you need a little extra help and encouragement, drop by the Learning Commons for free tutoring with knowledgeable and caring tutors like Sepide!

Sepide’s #1 Tip for Success

“If there is a practical aspect to the course, like labs, focus on that. If you can touch and feel what is going on, that gives you a better understanding.”

For information about how to get the most out of peer tutoring, visit www.bcit.ca/learningcommons/peer/benefits.