Encourage students to communicate with their DLC Tutors.

In addition to online instructors, students can also get help from their DLC Tutors. Although every online student is matched with a tutor, not all students take advantage of this resource. Here are some ways to encourage students to work with their tutors.

Subject-specific help. If online students have trouble with coursework, suggest that they email their tutor. As the Teacher/Mentor, you are not expected to be an expert in the courses your online students are taking. However, the tutors are hired for their expertise in the subject matter.

College or career planning. Remind students who are making post-high school plans that they can ask their tutors questions about college and career opportunities. Tutors can help students whether or not they know what they want to do beyond high school. And since tutors are college students or recent graduates, they can easily relate to your students.

DLC Blog. Encourage your students to read the blog to get ideas for assignments or as a way to get to know their tutors better. The tutors post tips for using the DLC and information about their field of study. Asking a question about a blog post can be a great way for a shy student to break the ice with his or her tutor.

Teacher/Mentors can sign up to work with DLC Tutors too. This can be helpful if you're working closely with a group of students who are taking an online course in a subject out of your area of expertise. Or you can access a tutor directly to help students who are too shy to email their tutors on their own for coursework questions.