TutorTracHelp: Online Resources for TutorTrac Users

Click for video Jump to Video How-To ...

 

Academic Mentors ::

Create Availability

Document Visits
with Students

Edit Availability

Delete Availability

 

Students ::

 

Live Help via Instant Message
Click Here to See if Dr. Getty is Available Online.

More Resources: Walk-In Support Hours at the Cornerstone Tech Lab Thursdays 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

 


 

Table of Contents

 

For video demonstrations, watch for
Click for videoCLICK TO SEE HOW IT'S DONE!


What TutorTrac Does
  • Record data on services offered through Cornerstone
      TutorTrac is a massive database about which of Cornerstone's many services – from academic mentoring, advising, and disabilities – are provided to whom, by whom, and when. This data is crucial to supporting Cornerstone's accountability to the University, to special donors, and to government agencies.
  • Manage schedules for Academic Mentors and for students seeking Academic Mentors
      TutorTrac allows Academic Mentors to make their availability visible and searchable online, allowing students in need of academic mentoring to be matched to mentors by subject area and book appointments with them.
  • Generate payroll for Academic Mentors and other student employees
      Cornerstone is Washington University's largest single employer of student workers, and TutorTrac is its main engine for ensuring that those workers are compensated.
  • ↑ Back to Top
Instructions for Everyone
    TutorTrac is a web-based system that moves information back and forth between a secure browser session and a server owned by Washington University. A few general guidelines will ensure that your TutorTrac experience is productive.
  • Learn TutorTrac Vocabulary
      "Student"
      A WU student who is seeking or receiving help provided by an Academic Mentor employed by Cornerstone. TutorTrac gives Mentors the ability to search for Students by last name or student ID.
      "Tutor"
      Anyone who delivers services provided through Cornerstone, whether staff members, academic mentors, or student employees
      "Availability"
      A span of time – in the future or the past – entered in TutorTrac by an Academic Mentor that will be or was available to students. For Mentors, "Creating an Availability" in TutorTrac is always the required first step in the process of getting paid.
      "Visit"
      A meeting that has occurred between an Academic Mentor and one or more students seeking help with a given course or subject. TutorTrac gives each Tutor the ability to search, edit, and delete past visits.
      "Visit Reason"
      A field that is part of a TutorTrac Visit record created by an Academic Mentor and designates the visit as either 'One on One,' 'Group Study,' or 'Help Desk.'

      ↑ Back to Top

  • Use Student ID Numbers
      The best way for Academic Mentoring sessions to be documented TutorTrac – which is crucial, especially for payroll – is with the student ID numbers of everyone in attendance.

      If you are serving as a Mentor, always ask for student ID numbers. If you are attending a session with a Mentor, it's helpful to volunteer your student ID number.
       
      ↑ Back to Top
  • Use Mozilla Firefox If You Can
      We get occasional reports of TutorTrac options that don't show up or execute properly. These issues tend to arise with users of Microsoft Internet Explorer and tend to go away when they switch to Mozilla Firefox, which can be downloaded for free at Mozilla.com.

      ↑ Back to Top

  • Log In and Get Going
      Please disregard any warnings your browser may give you about TutorTrac's "security certificate!"
      The user name you're assigned will depend on your function within Cornerstone. The first part will always be your @wustl.edu e-mail address before the @. The second part will be as follows:
      • Students: Nothing. If jsmith@wustl.edu is your e-mail address, your TutorTrac user name is just jsmith.
      • General Academic Mentors: (Except for those staffing Help Desk hours)
        Add _am: jsmith@wustl.edu → jsmith_am
      • PLTL Leaders:
        Add _pltl: jsmith@wustl.edu → jsmith_pltl
      • Residential Peer Mentors (RPMs):
        Add _rpm: jsmith@wustl.edu → jsmith_rpm
      • Cornerstone Writing Programs:
        Add _cw: jsmith@wustl.edu → jsmith_cw
      • Help Desk Mentors (NOT Including Writing):
        Add _hd: jsmith@wustl.edu → jsmith_hd
      • Technology Lab Assistants:
        Add _tech: jsmith@wustl.eduu → jsmith_tech
      • Cornerstone Student Assistant:
        Add _sa: jsmith@wustl.edu → jsmith_sa
      NOTE THIS! If you have more than one role at Cornerstone, for example as an Academic Mentor and Tech Lab Assistant, you must log in separately for each function!
  • Watch Your Browser!
      NEVER leave a page, click an option, or take any other action if your browser is still loading the page you are on.
      If you have entered data on a visit, for example, you can click "Save," but if you leave the page before it has finished loading, your data will be lost! Let every page finish loading before you do anything else!

      ↑ Back to Top

  • Always Log Out When You're Finished
      TutorTrac deposits cookies in your computer's web browser folders. If you leave TutorTrac without first clicking on "Exit" from the Main Menu, other people – especially other TutorTrac users – may mess up your account.
  • Get Technical Support
      Send an e-mail to tutortrachelp@wustl.edu or call Cornerstone's Technolgy Services Specialist at 314-935-5914
  • Get a User Name and Password
      TutorTrac access requires a user name and password that is distinct from those on any other University systems you may use. User names and passwords are assigned by Cornerstone staff as follows:
    • Academic Mentors:
      E-mail tutortrac@wustl.edu – but only from your own wustl.edu e-mail account.
    • Students Seeking Academic Mentors:
      Come to Cornerstone in Gregg Hall between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm to meet with the Student Resource Assistant, Monica McKenna.
    • Student Employees: Request from your supervisor
    • Password Resets: To have your password reset, e-mail a request to tutortrachelp@wustl.edu. This request must be sent from your wustl.edu e-mail address
    • ↑ Back to Top

  • Change Your Own Password
      Log in to TutorTrac, and from the Main Menu, select "Go To..." and then "Edit Contact Info" (Mentors) or "Edit Information" (Students). Enter and confirm your new password, then click "Save."
  • Get Information about Payroll or Employment Status
      Academic Mentors:
      Call 935-7991 or e-mail lashawnda_fields@wustl.edu – but only from your own wustl.edu e-mail account.
      Student Employees: Request from your supervisor

    ↑ Back to Top

Academic Mentors, RPMs, and PLTL Leaders: How to Get Things Done in TutorTrac
  • Creating Availability

    Click for video CLICK TO SEE HOW IT'S DONE

      An "Availability" is a just span of time (in the past or in the future) entered in TutorTrac using the procedure below.
      For Academic Mentors, these steps make appointments available to students using TutorTrac to find help with a given course or subject.
      Residential Peer Mentors and PLTL Leaders create availability for days and times in the past as the first step toward documenting meetings with students.
      For all Mentors and PLTL leaders, creating availability in TutorTrac is always the required first step in the process of getting paid.
    • Step 1: Log in, and from the Main Menu, click on "Create Availability."
    • Step 2: Enter Date, Time, and Duration of the availability
    • Step 3: Under "Type," always enter "Group."
    • Step 4: For Study Groups, "Max Students" = 8.    For One-on-One, "Max Students" = 1.
    • Step 5: In the "Subject" field, enter as follows:
      • Regular Academic Mentors:
        Always enter * – an asterisk.
        This allows TutorTrac to match your availabilities to the courses for which you are certified as an academic mentor.
      • PLTL, RPM, and Problem-Solving Teams: Enter the appropriate subject, e.g. Calc131, BME141
    • Step 6: Enter "Location" – Optional.
    • Step 7: For "Group Reason", select as follows:
      • Academic Mentors and Residential Peer Mentors (except Writing):
      • Look for the appropriate choices under {Academic_Mentoring}.

      • PLTL Leaders:
      • Below "{PLTL}" from near the bottom of the list and make the choice for your course, e.g. Calc 131.

        Click for video CLICK TO SEE HOW IT'S DONE

      • Writing Residential Peer Mentors:

        Your Group Reasons can be found further down the list under "{Cornerstone Writing}"...

      • Problem-Solving-Teams:

        Your Reason entries are under "{Problem_Sovling-Teams}".

    • Step 8: In "Recurring Information," enter any details you need (especially for Help Desk).
      PLTL Leaders: You are free to set up recurring availabilities to match your regular meeting times.
    • Step 9: If wanted or needed, check the box next to "Split the availability into increments..." and enter any number or fraction of hours.
    • Step 10: Click on "Save" and wait for the page to completely reload!
    • Next Step: Document Your Visits!
     
    ↑ Back to Top
  • Searching, Editing, and Deleting Availability
      NOTE:If you have an Availability for which one or more students have already signed up, TutorTrac will send out automatic notices if you cancel or change the meeting time of an Availability, but the messages may not go out immediately and will arrive from tutortrac@wustl.edu.

      Click for video CLICK TO SEE HOW IT'S DONE

    • Log in and from the Main Menu, use the "<previous" and "next>" buttons to navigate to the day of the availability you want to edit (select "Go To..." and "Week Schedule" if you want a larger view), then click as follows:
      • To Edit Date, Time, Duration, Max Students, Group Reason, and/or Recurring Information:
        Under the column "Start - End," click on the entry for the availability you want to edit.
        • Make changes, click "Save," then wait for the page to completely reload.
        • Delete:
          If you click on "Delete" on this screen, your Availability will be cancelled, and students will receive an appropriate notice from tutortrac@wustl.edu.
      • To Edit Attendance and Communicate with Students:
        Under the column "Who - Type", click on the availability you want to edit.
        • Edit the entries for Attendance or Duration.
        • For an easy way to communicate with your students, click on the button "Send Note to these Students." Include your e-mail address in the note; the note itself will arrive from from "tutortrac@wustl.edu."
        • Delete:
          If you click on "Delete" from this screen, your Availability will only be cancelled if it is the past!
          Illustration: Editing Parts of an Availability
      • After saving or deleting, do nothing until your page completely reloads!
      • Editing a Recurring Availability
        • When you set up a recurring availability, TutorTrac creates individual availabilities according to the frequency (daily, weekly, etc.) you specify.
        • You can edit each of these availabilities individually by selecting clicking on under the "Start - End" column for the availability in question. Then click the the "Modify this entry only option."
        • To delete a recurring availability entirely, follow these steps:

          Click for video CLICK TO SEE HOW IT'S DONE

          • Step 1: Navigate to the first instance of the recurring availability and click under the "Start - End" column for the availability you wish to delete.
          • Step 2: Change the "Total Remaining" entry to zero.
          • Step 3: Click on "Save" and wait for the page to completely reload.
          • Step 4: These steps will delete all availabilities except for the first in the sequence. If you wish to delete this one as well, navigate to it, click under the "Start - End" column, and click on "Delete." When the page reloads, your availability will be completely gone.
        ↑ Back to Top
  • Getting Paid: Help Desk Mentors and Residential Peer Mentors
    • Help Desk Mentors and Residential Peer Mentors (RPMs) should follow the same procedures as outlined here for all other academic mentors.
      The only differences are that (a) Help Desk Mentors and RPMs always "create availability" after-the-fact, i.e. to document visits that have already happened; and (b) are paid for all available hours, regardless of whether they meet with students.
      The steps are as follows:
    • Step 1: At or shortly after the end of your shift, log in to TutorTrac and use the Create Availability procedure to document your hours.
    • Step 2: After you have used this procedure to document your hours, go back and use the procedure for documenting visits to record any time spent working with students.
  • Getting Paid: Documenting Visits After Pre-Scheduled Availability
    • Creating Availability is the first step to getting paid for your time, but it is not the last. After every meeting – or "Visit" – with a student, you must log in to TutorTrac and record Visit details. Then come back and document which students you worked with.

      Click for video CLICK TO SEE HOW IT'S DONE

    • Step 1: Log in to TutorTrac and from the Main Menu, navigate to the day of the Visit you are documenting. To view your availability for an entire week at a time, point to "Go To..." and select "Week Schedule".
    • Step 2: Under the column "Who / Type ," click on the entry for the availability corresponding to your Visit.
    • Step 3: Search on the student(s) you met with by either of these methods:
      • Search on Student ID (best): In the blank at the upper right of your screen, enter one student's ID and click on the "Find Student" button on the left.

      • Search on the Student's Last Name: Enter the last name in the blank at the upper right of your screen and click on the "Find ??" button on the right.
    • Step 4: Your Student's name will appear in the upper left under "Student Info."
    • Step 5: Leave the "Fund" and "Status" fields empty. Do NOT enter ATTENDED under "Status."
    • Step 6: Click on "Save Appointment" and wait for the page to completely reload.
    • Step 7: Repeat for each student who attended. Add ALL of your attendees before you proceed to Step 8.
    • Step 8: You're not done yet!

      Look at the entries for each student under the "Attended" column and, as appropriate, click on each "No" to change it to a "Yes."


       
      ↑ Back to Top
Students Seeking Mentoring - How To Use TutorTrac

Click for video CLICK TO SEE HOW IT'S DONE

  • What TutorTrac Does
  • Logging In and Using TutorTrac
  • The 24-Hour Rule
    • All appointments must be made with at least 24-hour notice. You may search for availabilities within 24 hours, but to make the appointment you will need to e-mail the Mentor to check their availability.

      ↑ Back to Top

  • Getting Started: Making an Appointment
    • Step 1: From the Main Menu, point at "Go To..." and select "Make Appointment."

    • Step 2: On the next screen, select the appropriate date range in the upper left corner.
    • Step 3: Under "Select a Center," choose as follows:
      • Writing Help Desk and Writing Fellows: Choose "Cornerstone_Writing."
      • Mentoring related to a specific course: Choose "Academic_Mentoring."

    • Step 4: At this point, the page will update itself. DO NOTHING until your browser finishes loading!
    • Step 5: In the lower box on your screen, you will see a list of the courses in which you are currently enrolled. Click on the course for which you are looking for academic mentoring. For example:

    • Step 6: Click on "Search" and wait for the page to completely reload.
    • Step 7: SCROLL DOWN to the bottom of the page, where you will find a list of available mentors, days, and times.
    • Step 8: Choose the appointment that fits best, then click under the column marked "Availability" for the time you choose

    • Step 9: On the next screen, note any location. If you see none, expect the Mentor to contact you with location information. You can also use this page to include a message to the mentor.
    • Step 10: Click on "Save" and wait for the page to completely reload.

      ↑ Back to Top

  • Viewing and Cancelling Appointments
    • When you first log in to TutorTrac, your Main Menu will show you appointments coming up that day.

    • From here, you can click on "week sched." to jump ahead or review your past appointments.
    • To cancel an appointment, click on the date associated with the appointment. On the next screen, click "Delete" and wait for the page to completely reload.
    • IMPORTANT: Cancellations within three hours of the appointment will be treated as a "missed" appointment. After two missed appointments, TutorTrac will prevent you from scheduling new ones.
    • ↑ Back to Top

Disability Resources: Downloading Your VISA (Verification of Individual Student Accommodation)

Click for video CLICK TO SEE HOW IT'S DONE

  • Step 1. Check your e-mail for a message from Cornerstone containing a TutorTrac user ID and password. If you didn't receive an e-mail or need a password reset, please call 935-5970 between 8:30 and 5:00 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
  • Step 2. Log in via tutortrac.wustl.edu.
  • Step 3. From the opening screen, point to "Go To ..." and click on "Document Post."
  • Step 4. Under "File Name," click on the file that has your name and the last two digits of your student ID number in it. If your name is Jane Doe and your student ID number is 123456, for example, your file will be janed56_visaFY09.pdf
  • Step 5. Print your VISA and present it to your instructors in the classes for which you wish to make use of your accommodations.
Live Help via Instant Message