ISSUES PERTAINING TO TUTORIALS
BACKGROUND
Since 2003, at the instance of a large number of my fellow students in the Department of History and International Studies, School of Part-time Studies, Lagos State University, I have been taking varying numbers of students in academic tutorials. It is an entirely altruistic enterprise embarked upon by me, and my fellow students have encouraged me in this venture basically because they have learnt from experience that I am endowed with appreciable ability to effectively impart academic knowledge.
In the tutorials I give, I give special attention to compulsory courses and the number of students that attend range from as few as 20 at the initial stages, to up to 163 at the peak of semesters. Higher numbers have been recorded on some occasions.
I view the tutorials I give as part of my own contributions to the progress of fellow students, and I also believe that it complements whatever efforts lecturers make to train us.
This page is mainly about issues pertaining to my tutorials and allied matters.
PLEASE NOTE: Following the successful completion of our degree course in Lagos State University on Thursday September 25, 2008, my campus tutorial activities is now defunct.
All information about the defunct tutorial exercises are retained here with little or no alteration just for the purpose of information about my past activities.
THE NATURE AND RULES OF TUTORIALS
This information is particularly meant for students who have been attending tutorials/lectures delivered by me on request, and those who may have interest in the exercise.
The purpose behind this is to streamline the organisation of the tutorials/lectures, clear the ambiguities that may exist among concerned students and other persons about my mode of operation, and ultimately ensure collective convenience in the tutorials exercise.
[1] The tutorials I give are ABSOLUTELY FREE, with no precondition for any student to attend.
[2] IT IS ALL-EMBRACING; that is, it is not restricted to any special group of persons or any particular circle. Any student is free to attend. A person does not need to be my friend to attend, and needs not develop any friendship or relationship with me by reason only that he/she attends my tutorials.
[3] IT IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR OFFICIAL CLASS LECTURES; rather, it is meant to to complement class lectures that are given by official, professional lecturers.
[4] I give tutorials ONLY ON REQUEST from other students; I am not obliged to call or persuade any student[s] to attend tutorials/lectures.The meanng of this is that IF STUDENTS DO NOT REQUEST ME TO GIVE TUTORIALS/LECTURES, I shall not give it.
[5] I begin giving tutorials/lectures exactly three[3] weeks after the first lecture is delivered by the official lecturers in the class. Consequently, students shall not request me to give tutorials/lectures before these three weeks elapse. Even at the expiration of three weeks, I can only deliver if I am requested to do so.
[6] ALL tutorials from my own end will be rounded up THE MOMENT EXAMINATION TIMETABLE [whether tentative or final] IS RELEASED.This will be so regardless of whatever tutorial arrangement[s]exist between me and any individual or group prior to the release of the timetable.
[7] The trend of my tutorials/lectures will be determined by the trend of official lectures in the class: it is only what official lecturers teach in the class that I will teach, and I will not move ahead of them, in terms of sequence or order of topics.
[8] For any course I am requested to address, I shall deal with a minimum of three[3] topics and a maximum of five[5]. Each topic will be repeated twice. This will be so since I am usually requested to take many courses.
[9] I shall give tutorials/lectures ONLY ON SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS AFTER ALL LECTURES ARE CONCLUDED. Sunday is optional. TUTORIALS WILL NOT HOLD DURING WEEKDAYS.
[9a] TUTORIALS WILL NOT HOLD DURING EXAMINATION PERIODS AND ON THE DAY[S] OF TEST[S].
Thus, all tutorials will end before the beginning of exams[that is, from the moment the timetable is released].Then, students shall consequently not request me to teach again till another semester.
[9b] Since The Young Diplomats International hold their meetings every two weeks, tutorials will not hold on those Sundays that their meetings are held.This is to enable students to attend the meetings of the Young Diplomats International.
As for those who are not members of the above mentioned society, such days shall also be free of tutorials.
[9c] My practice of giving tutorials to private individuals AFTER THE RELEASE OF TIMETABLE has been discontinued. Thus, individuals who normally expect me to attend to them privately after I have rounded up normal tutorials, should note that I have phased out that practice.
[10] The venue of tutorials will be THE NEAREST VACANT CLASS TO OUR CLASS.
[11] I shall not give tutorials/lectures while an official lecturer of any of our courses is simultaneously delivering lectures/tutorials to our fellow students in the class. In the same vein, any tutorial/lecture I am giving shall be suspended if and when an official lecturer commences lecture/tutorial in the class.
[12] The tutorials/lectrures shall be generally done at all times in manners that are consistent with the rules and regulations of the university.
It is advisable that the concerned students, and others who may be interested in this exercise, take note of all the letters of this message, and be kind enough to let us work within the stipulations of these specifications.
God bless you.
DEBUNKING RUMOURS ABOUT RELAXATION ON TUTORIALS
At a point in time, it was viewed in certain quarters that I have relaxed on tutorials, which is not really the case.
The truth of the matter is that experience has shown that tutorial giving, at least as it concerns the level that I have taken my own to, is a serious business. It is as a result of the realisation of this that I have decided to make rules 'to streamline the organisation of the tutorials/lectures I give, clear the ambiguities that may exist among concerned students about my mode of operation, and ultimately ensure our collective conveniences'.
Having said this, it needs to be pointed out that the apparent lull in my tutorial activities, especially since the since semester 400 level, has much to do with the fact that a lot of students do not seem comfortable with the rules that I have set, and have actually expected that I would compromise on those rules. However, I have been open with these rules and have taken the necessay pains to explain the rationale behind them. It is significant to note that nobody has ever verbally challenged the rationality of these rules of tutorials and this has largely informed my decision to retain them in their present form.
In essence, I have to be faithful to the regulations that I have used my own initiative to set, and students need to acknowledge that it is basically they who have to incline to my way of doing this humanitarian task. For example, many students complain that I don't call them for tutorials, despite the fact that they know the rules. How many students, for example, will I be calling out to and how convenient can this be? How then will some people not be complaining that I call some and not some others? Rather, my position is that it is those who feel they are in need of my services that should come after me to request and not me going after them to urge them to request for my services.
My tutorials have always been absolutely free: I give them with no profit making intention; it is, to all intents and purposes, an essentially humanitarian exercise so it is a favour I am doing to people. But even those who charge money for their tutorials don't run after students, and if at all any do so, it is certainly not dignified. These are some of the rationale behind certain rules of tutorials.
The issue of my relaxing, therefore, never arises.
In fact, in my steadfastness towards ensuring that my fellow students continued to benefit from my tutorials, I rendered this sefless service from our 100 Level till 500 level. It was during our 300 Level that these tutorials were most intense but I did continue to give tutorials during our 400 level as well as at certain periods during our 1st and 2nd semester 500 Level, and this was because the groups that requested for my tutorials understood and abided by the rules which are meant for common good. It is certainly not right for any group to expect that it is special and that the rules shall be changed or bent in its favour.
Till the very end, I did my best to ensure fairness to all in the process of carrying out all these activities.
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