ONLINE TUTORING PROVIDER GUIDE

Brainfuse LIVE eLEARNING

TUTORING
PROVIDERS
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PART 1. Guide to the Brainfuse Online Platform

What is Brainfuse?
Brainfuse develops and provides virtual learning solutions for schools, colleges, universities, libraries, government
agencies, and individual subscribers. Our philosophy is anchored on adherence to high standards and user-centered
technology to build a better educational experience for learners of diverse backgrounds.

Brainfuse helps students reach their academic goals by connecting them with qualified eTutors anytime, anywhere.
Students can also initiate and organize online meetings for peer-to-peer and instructor-led learning. Brainfuse learning
platform gives power to students, instructors and administrators to manage outcomes better by streamlining the latest
virtual learning technology

How Do I Get Started?

If you havent already, please send your resume and other relevant qualifications to jobs@brainfuse.com. All tutors are
freelancers and independent contractors and Brainfuse relays client expectations to the tutors who freelance with
Brainfuse. In this tutor information booklet, the terms client, student, and user are interchangeable and all refer to
Brainfuse customers/users.

Brainfuse will get back to you with the next steps if there is a match between your skills and our client needs. If there
appears to be a match, you will be asked to complete an application and also provide a proof of education. You will then
be sent an email with a username and password for your tutoring account. From there, you will be asked to complete
proficiency quizzes and additional paperwork.

Our clients expect tutors to be capable enough in their subject matter not only to solve most problems that students have,
but also be able to explain it in a manner beneficial to the students learning. It is widely accepted online tutoring standard
for tutors to guide the student and provide useful information without giving out the answers.

Brainfuse provides Live Tutoring as well as asynchronous Writing/Question Submission reviews. Tutors have the choice to
do either or a combination of both! Scheduling is flexible and is built around your availability. You can have a set schedule,
pick up Instant Staffing sessions when you are not scheduled, or both.

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Tutor Homepage

Once you receive your login information, go to www.brainfuse.com and click on the Login icon.

On the very top, you will also see an envelope icon and a clipboard icon. Click on the envelope and you will see 3 tabs:
Inbox, Tasks, Outgoing Tasks. The clipboard icon serves the same function as the envelope icon.

Inbox is generally not used.

Tasks is where you would see student questions, essays, or resumes that you are screened to provide feedback,
comments, proofreading, or step-by-step explanation. Brainfuse users expect tutors to follow the templates and
guidelines for providing feedback on student questions, essays, or resumes. When you see a task assignment and
accept it, Brainfuse users expect the tutor to complete the student submission.
Outgoing Tasks is not a feature that is used by tutors at this time.

You will also see the following menu icons on top: Home, My Schedule, Personal, Message Center, and Miscellaneous.

My Schedule opens up 3 menu options: My Calendar, My Preferred Schedule, and My Tentative Sessions.

My Calendar:
You can change your time zone from this page. You can also view your full schedule by clicking on View All
Schedule icon on the bottom. You can also choose the date for which you want to see your schedule.
IA means Instant Access and you are scheduled for a block of time where you get random students with
homework questions. Some IA students may log on even though they do not have homework but they want to
brush up on their math skills for instance.
PA means Pre-Arranged and you are scheduled usually for an hour or two with the same student on a regular
basis. In IA sessions, you can also right-click on the student's username to see if he/she has taken any tests but
unlike a PA session, you will not get the same student on a regular basis.
IA tutors also have the option of picking up sessions through Instant Staffing. Instant Staffing allows unscheduled
tutors to pick up sessions. Lets say you are not scheduled on Sunday evenings but you are available. You can pick
up Instant Staffing sessions by simply logging into your QC/tutor Whiteboard and letting it run on your computer
while you do other work online. You can also minimize the QC/tutor Whiteboard while you wait or do other work.
Once you accept an Instant Staffing request, you will be immediately routed to the student.
My Preferred Schedule: You can input your hours of availability from this page. Please note that the system will
not accept the inputted preferred schedule until your subjects are screened for approval based on the level of
your subject proficiency. You can also change your time zone from the My Preferred Schedule page. You can
select the number of time slots you need from the drop down menu. Our system does not recognize 12 am;the
system only recognizes up to 11:55 PM. The list of your screened subjects also shows up on the My Preferred
Schedule page. **My Preferred Schedule page is especially important for tutors who primarily tutor PA sessions as
unless the preferred schedule is in place, students cannot choose the tutor.
My Tentative Sessions: only applies to PA sessions where you either accept or decline sessions that our
automated scheduling system picked out based on the hours of availability that you put in on your Preferred
Schedule.

Personal opens up 2 menu options: My Account and My Timesheet

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My Account is where you can view and edit your personal information including your payroll information. If you
move, in order for payment to be processed without delay, tutors need to update the address and other
information immediately. If you change your bank and you opted for direct deposit then you need to notify our
payroll department at payroll@brainfuse.com.
My Timesheet is where you can view your timesheet. If you have questions about your pay, send an email to
payroll@brainfuse.com with your username and a brief description of the issue. Calling the office will only delay
the payment process although if our payroll dept does not respond within 3-4 business days by email, you can call
1-866-BRAINFUSE and leave voicemail at Extension 513 or 519.

Message Center opens up 2 menu options: My Inbox and My Brainshare.

My Inbox is the same as the envelope and clipboard icons found on top of the homepage.

My Brainshare is where you or the student can exchange documents in real time. Clicking on the Brainshare
button opens up a pop-up window that allows the student to browse and send a document to the tutor in real
time. Whatever the student sends or the tutor sends to the student is stored in the My Brainshare page. Both
students and tutors can access My Brainshare through their Whiteboards or through their homepages. On the
tutor Whiteboard, My Brainshare is found under the Favorites menu. Students can use Brainshare, even if they are
not registered with Brainfuse.

Brainfuse users can view documents sent to their tutors under the student Message Center including
documents sent to the tutor during a live tutoring session. Brainfuse users can create a Brainfuse
username by clicking on Login from the student homepage.
If a student asks for help reviewing a paper during a live session, it is part of industry standards to review
as much as possible with the student to find common errors. Use Brainshare/File Share, or have the
student post a parts of the paper onto the White board.
When you send documents to students, whether it be through Brainshare, the Writing Lab, or Send
Question, be careful with how you name the file. Our system doesn't recognize most symbols, meaning
that the paper will not open for the student. Please stick to numbers and letters when naming documents
to send to students.
If the student says that the Brainshare icon or File Share (paper clip on HTML 5 WB) is not opening then
ask the student to turn off their pop-up blocker and to check his/her computer/web browser settings.
Miscellaneous opens up My Subjects, My Session Logs, My Students, My Tests, My Curriculum, and the Download Center.

Download Center is where you download our virtual classroom.

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Tutor Whiteboard
For live tutoring, Brainfuse uses a virtual Whiteboard platform to communicate with users. In order to
download the software, please visit www.brainfuse.com and use your username and password to sign in. Then,
click on the Miscellaneous option at the top. Within the drop down menu that appears, click on Download
Center. Click on the appropriate link based on your operating system and follow the on screen directions to
install.

Once you have downloaded the Quick Connect (QC) software, you can then open it and view the Practice
Whiteboard. If you log in during a time you are scheduled, you will also be given an option to enter your
scheduled session.

System Requirements
Windows
Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, XP, ME, Windows Vista, and later versions
Pentium 90 processor or above
128 megabytes (MB) of RAM
At least 27MB of free disk space (plus 7MB for QuickConnect installer)
Active Internet connection
Screen resolution 1024 x 768 or above

Mac OS X
Macintosh computer with a PowerPC processor
Mac OS X
128 megabytes (MB) of RAM, with virtual memory on and set to at least 128 MB.
At least 7MB free disk space (plus 2MB for QuickConnect installer)
Active Internet connection
Screen resolution 1024 x 768 or above

Brainfuse also works with: Fujitsu Lifebook P1610, mini notebook; Fujitsu Lifebook model T580 or T730;
Wacom Bamboo Tablet; DigiPro 4" x 3" Drawing Tablet Model No. WP4030.; and Trust TB-6300 Slimline
tablet with pen.

Brainfuses QuickConnect, for live tutoring, does not work with ChromeBooks.

The Brainfuse system works with:

Internet Explorer version 6 and above
Firefox version 2 or above
Google Chrome
Safari 2 or above

Troubleshooting Tips
Download the latest Java if experiencing issues.
Use another web browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, etc.)
Whenever possible, send TechSupport Report from the Tutor QC as this helps us identify the issue more quickly
than an email.
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TUTOR WHITEBOARD

> WB Tabs Depending on the student traffic, you will hear a cuckoo sound and see another WB tab on the
upper right corner showing another student. It is widely accepted industry standard to greet the extra student
quickly. To use our system, your speaker volume must be up on your computer at all times. You can also create
multiple boards for the same student (click on New Board as shown above), as well as stretch the board
horizontally and vertically (just type something at the bottom of the whiteboard until the whiteboard expands).

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Select This is the default state. It lets you use the selected function from the tools on the left side. This
function is only available on the Practice Whiteboard.

Move This allows you to move a certain object such as a shape or a grid. This function is only
available on the Practice Whiteboard.

Whiteboard Mode This is the standard mode. Click on this after using Web Share or PowerPoint.

Web Share - Click on this icon to go back to the HTML format after you clicked on the MARK-UP icon.
This icon will be enabled after you load a lesson from CloudPack.

PowerPoint - Power Point icon for Power Point slides. All of our lessons are in HTML or SAV so this
feature is rarely used. This icon will be enabled after you load a PowerPoint from CloudPack.

Markup - Click on this icon to write on the lessons loaded onto the Whiteboard. Most lessons in HTML
format and you need to click on the Mark-Up button to write on the lesson.

CloudPack Browse and upload lessons from Brainfuse server. Also allows tutor to upload their own
files onto the cloud server.

Session Notes - Click on this icon if you have been instructed by Brainfuse administrators to view
specific instructions regarding the session/student and also to upload any assigned lessons specific to that
session/student.

Notifications Used for specific sessions.

Print Whiteboard Prints what is on the Whiteboard.

Brainshare Allows students and tutors to exchange files. Clicking on this allows you to send files and
view what files have been sent to you by the student.

Email Transcript Allows the student and tutor to email the transcript of the session to their email
account.

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Author/Slide Screen Mode Used for creating lessons in the Practice Whiteboard.

Pencil Drawing/free writing.

Eraser Erases what you want on the board.

Text Allows you to type text on the Whiteboard.

Font Changes the font style and size of the text.

Colors Changes the colors of the text, shape, and other objects.

Paste Allows you to paste what have copied from elsewhere.

Lines Allows you to draw lines.

Number line and Graph Allows you to create a number

line or a coordinate graph. Double clicking on the icon allows
you to change the properties of said icon.

Shapes/Symbols Allows you to draw selected shape/symbol.

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Undo Undoes the previous step.

Math Symbols Allows you to draw the selected symbol commonly used in math texts.

Science Symbols Allows you to draw the selected symbol commonly used in science texts.

Superscript Allows you to write superscripts. Click on the text icon to return to normal text writing.

Subscripts Allows you to write subscripts. Click on the text icon to return to normal text writing.

Clear Whiteboard Clears the entire Whiteboard.

Scroll Lock Synchronizes the students Whiteboard view to your Whiteboard view. Default mode is
On.

Capture Screen Creates an image of what is on the Whiteboard. A link to the image is then posted in
the chat box.

Audio
Audio is not used unless a Brainfuse relays to the tutor that certain users expect to use Audio. If you notice that
audio is activated with a student connected with you, please simply click on the microphone and speaker icons
next to the student's name in the Participants box left of the chat box. If anyone asks, let him/her know that
audio is not used with Brainfuse tutors but can be used in a Meet session scheduled by the student. JobNow
users do not have Meet but HelpNow users do. For additional information, please direct the client to the email
address info@brainfuse.com.

Web Links
How to send Web Links - When you send a web link through the chat box and the student clicks on the link
directly, this may cause a momentary disconnection if the student is using Internet Explorer and have a pop-up
blocker. Students can also copy/paste the link instead of clicking the link.

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Tutor Whiteboard & Using Brainfuse

#1 What is instant staffing?

If you are not scheduled, you can log into Quick Connect to pick up any available sessions with
clients. If a tutor is needed, you will see a pop-up that asks you whether you want to accept a
session.

#2 This is an important feature on the whiteboard ?

This is the Brainshare button.

#3 How does Brainshare/live file sharing work?

Brainshare allows clients to exchange documents with tutors in real time. Clients can upload
documents by clicking on the Brainshare button. Clients and tutors can also exchange
documents using CloudPack, which allows clients to upload directly onto the whiteboard.

#4 How do I contact the live project facilitator (may also be currently referred to as Session
Monitor)?
From the QuickConnect, click on Tools from the top, Contact > Session Monitor.
Monitors are only available between 2 pm 1 am ET. No monitors before 2 pm ET

#5 How do I upload lessons that I want to use onto the whiteboard?

Click on CloudPack explorer button on the whiteboard.

#6 Tutors do not have direct access to the Brainfuse practice tests. Tutors can review any
Brainfuse practice test that a Brainfuse user has already taken by right-clicking on the
users Brainfuse username and choosing the Who Is link.

#7 Is there a difference between the tutor and the user whiteboards?

The tutor whiteboard has the tools menu at the top and more buttons (clients cannot access lessons, etc).
CloudPack is different for both whiteboards. User whiteboard is web-based and is not the same as the
tutor wb which is software based. Brainfuse users for instance do not have the Mark-Up button so if you
decide to load a lesson onto the whiteboard, be sure to click on the Mark-Up button so that the user can
write on the board. The links below lead to the different Brainfuse Whiteboards.

Tutor Whiteboard
Student Whiteboard (JAVA version)
HTML5 Whiteboard (Student Whiteboard; there is no tutor version of the HTML 5 WB at this time)

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#8 What should I do about Brainfuse users who ask non-tutoring questions?

You should always refer non-tutoring/classwork related questions to info@brainfuse.com. If the user is a
parent or an administrator, then you should also take down their contact information and send it to
curriculum@brainfuse.com.

#9 Does Brainfuse need to know if I unapprove myself from certain subjects?

Yes

#10 How do I contact Brainfuse?

- For tutor payment issues, email payroll@brainfuse.com

- For scheduling issues, email schedule@brainfuse.com
- For technical issues, email support@brainfuse.com

and .
The first button is the HTML icon, and the second is the MARK UP button. Some lessons are in HTML
format, so you cannot write on them/interact with them on the White Board. In order to be able to,
please click the Mark Up button. To switch back, click the other icon.

**Student whiteboard is not the same as tutor whiteboard; certain buttons/features not located in the
same exact location)

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JAVA Student Whiteboard (fewer buttons than the tutor whiteboard)

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The HTML5 Whiteboard looks like this (see below). Please note the following differences:

1) The drawing and writing tools are on the BOTTOM of the window. The chat box is on the right.

2) FONT, SUPERSCRIPT, and SUBSCRIPT are hidden under the TEXT button. Simply click the T and a menu
will open, showing FONT, SUPERSCRIPT, SUBSCRIPT.

3) Some math symbols are under the SHAPES button (such as SQUARE ROOT, SIGMA, INTEGRAL,
PARENTHESES, BRACKETS). The NUMBER LINE and X/Y GRID are also under the SHAPES button menu.

4) The MATH and SCI buttons also dont appear in the HTML5 Whiteboard, so students will have limited
capabilities when writing complex math or science equations.

5) The UNDO button looks like this:

6) The CLEAR WHITEBOARD button looks like this:

7) For students to upload a file, they need to press on the paperclip button on the left of the textbox in the

chat area. The UPLOAD button looks like this:

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Brainfuse User Interfaces (what Brainfuse users see when they use Brainfuse)

K-12/Library HelpNow Page

Brainfuse HelpNow is our flagship service and is offer to many different types of clients including libraries, schools
and colleges. HelpNow is primarily for receiving help with classwork including paper reviews through the Writing
Lab.

When the student clicks on HOME, he/she sees the following service options:

Live Tutoring: choose the grade and subject to get a live tutor.
SkillsSurfer/LearnNow: SkillSurfer/LearnNow- These are two names for a similar service. All library clients will have access to
SkillSurfer, which allows students to access all of the text lessons, video lessons, quizzes, helpful links, and more that we have
compiled. This will include all basic subjects up through High School. LearnNow will only be available to certain clients and
will include what I just described for SkillSurfer, plus many additional topics. This will include higher level subjects, specialized
test prep info, career-specific exams, and much more.
Writing Lab: upload and submit essays, short paragraphs, or any form of writing for feedback from Brainfuse tutors.
Send Question: ask math, science and other academic questions for feedback from Brainfuse tutors.
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Language Lab: learn Spanish from a live tutor.

Flashbulb: access and create interactive learning games/flashcards.

Meet: schedule a live study group session with peers and teachers. Invitees receive the invite in their email inbox and simply
click on the Meet link to join the organizer. Invitees need not be Brainfuse users.

Brainwave: record movie-like Whiteboard sessions to record solutions to homework problems, class projects, or any
other concepts that involve motion or sequencing.

CloudPack: (aka My Briefcase for adult learners) allows students and clients to upload, create, and store documents
to their account. Please note that if Cloudpack is used, even though the link will not show up on your White board, the
student will have to ask you to click the mark up button so they can write on the White board.

Past Sessions contains the full archive of all of the past sessions; students can also print the transcripts from this page.

Message Center is where the students see tutor responses after sending essays or homework questions using the
Writing Lab, 24/7 Help, or Brainshare. The key difference between Brainshare and Writing Lab and 24/7 is Brainshare
can be used during a live session. That is, Brainshare is a real time exchange of documents between the tutor and the
student.

My Tests is where the student would find a full record of all of the tests selected and taken by the student. Students
can also retake a test from this page. There is a retake button next to the completed tests.

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Adult Learning Center is frequently offered in conjunction with HelpNow and JobNow (see below for a description of
JobNow). On HelpNow, users click on the Adult Learners as shown below to access the Adult Learning Center.

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HelpNow SkillSurfer

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LearnNow (similar to HelpNow SkillSurfer but stand-alone service)

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JobNow

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Brainfuse Contact Information and Payment Information

Payment Through Brainfuse
Tutor Status & Taxes: All tutors are independent contractors and are not employees of Brainfuse. For tax purposes, tutors
are required to complete a W-9 form. Taxes are not taken out of the tutors paycheck. A 1099 form will be sent to a tutor
if more than $600 is made in a year. If the tutor makes less than $600 in a year a 1099 will not be sent, unless otherwise
required by applicable law, though, the tutor is still required to include the amount in their tax return.

Calculation of tutoring time is done automatically by our system. Tutors are paid hourly and there is a difference
between live, tutoring rate and waiting rate. Live, tutoring rate is listed on your timesheet. Tutors who log on for
Instant Staffing sessions are paid their regular, live tutoring rate (note that tutors on instant staffing sessions are
not compensated for waiting between sessions).

**Please Note that Brainfuse tutors are paid by the hour.

You may qualify for a referral fee if the recommended tutor teaches in physics, calculus, trigonometry, geometry, or
chemistry and tutors with Brainfuse for at least 2 months AND is an active tutor with
Brainfuse at the time of the referral request. You can send email to payroll@brainfuse.com with the name of the
referred tutor after the referred tutor tutors with the company for at least 3 months. The referred tutor should also
send email to payroll@brainfuse.com confirming the referral. All resumes should be sent to jobs@brainfuse.com

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PART II: ONLINE TUTORING INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES

**Instant Access Tutoring (Not Pre-Scheduled with Specific Students)

Based on the information found below and your subject expertise, please exercise your judgment in tutoring a
Brainfuse user (K-12 students, college students and adults).

Brainfuse partners with live project facilitators who look over tutoring sessions in real time for sudden spikes in
student traffic. Live project facilitators can try to transfer students who require new tutors or if the tutor is
stumped on a question.

Live project facilitators are extremely tied up at all times with thousands of tutoring sessions and do not
have time for non-emergency issues.

#1 When a user logs in to receive tutoring, the standard, accepted greeting based on tutoring industry
standards is How can I help you?

#2 How do I know when I have temporary overflow of users on the Brainfuse interface?
On the Brainfuse interface, an additional whiteboard tab with the Brainfuse users name will appear in the
upper-right corner. There will also be a cuckoo sound so it is highly recommended that you keep your
volume at maximum level at all times.

#3 What are some of the recommended ways I can handle user overflows?
Its distracting for Brainfuse users to hear about other users; based on tutoring industry standards, you
can do your best tabbing between different whiteboards until the overflow slows down. Our live project
facilitators will do their best to transfer so it is recommended that you do your best to help the extra
user(s). Trying to message the live project facilitator will only slow down the transfer process.

#4 Based on widely accepted tutoring standards, Brainfuse will exercise its discretion in terminating the
tutoring contract with the tutor if the tutor engages in the following:

Referencing Wikipedia, YouTube or other web sites

Having personal conversations with Brainfuse users, project facilitators and other Brainfuse staff while
tutoring
Asking a Brainfuse user for personal information (email address for example), or exchanging personal
information with a user.
Sending inappropriate links to a Brainfuse user.
Contacting a Brainfuse user outside the tutoring session.

#5 It is part of Best Practices to notify the Brainfuse user at least 15 minutes prior to logging out. There
usually is a live project facilitator on weekdays between 2 PM ET 1 AM ET so you can try transferring the
Brainfuse user to another tutor.

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#6 How do I get rid of the End of Session Report that pops open when I try to exit the tutor whiteboard?

Simply check off the small box and type in Done.

#7 I keep getting emails about open session reports?

Ignore them.

#8 I received a message saying that there is a new message in my inbox but when I check, nothing is there.
What does this mean?

This means that another tutor has accepted the student submission (through the Writing Lab or Send
Question page on the student interface) before you.

#9 It is widely accepted tutoring industry standards not to refer online tutoring users to 3rd party sites.

#10 A Brainfuse user is being rude/using profanity/not using Brainfuse for its intended purpose. What are my
options?
Inform the user that all sessions are recorded and can be reported to parents and administrators. If the
behavior escalates, try notifying the Brainfuse live monitor. If there does not appear to be a live monitor
then you may release the Brainfuse user. It is standard practice to inform the online tutoring user that
he/she is getting released before releasing the user. The live monitors should intervene and take
down the name, email and phone number before sending it to info@brainfuse.com.

#11 Many Precalculus and Calculus courses allow students the use of graphing calculators such as the TI-89.
We have compiled a list of third party links that you can use to familiarize yourself with the functions. You
can access the resources by going to Miscellaneous > My Curriculum > Brainfuse Lessons > College >
College Algebra > Extras > TI 89 Tutorial Pages.

#12 Brainfuse user is using or asking for standards/methods that I am not familiar with. What should I do?

With the introduction of the Common Core standards, more of our clients are aligning their curriculum to these
new standards. If the Brainfuse user is specifying for a certain method to be used, a suggestion would be to ask
him/her for a practice problem that they have done in class so that you can see how this particular users
school district is applying the Common Core Standards. There is no one way of solving questions in Common
Core Standards. Here is a site that details the Common Core standards: http://www.corestandards.org/

Brainfuse is also working with clients from Canada, specifically Alberta. For additional information regarding
Albertas standards, please go to: http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mychildslearning/index.html

#13 Do Brainfuse users use mobile apps?

Yes, as shown below.

https://itunes.apple.com/app/brainfuse/id575242780?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brainfuse.android

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#14 Currently, Brainfuse users can connect to a tutor using the HTML 5 whiteboard or the JAVA whiteboard.

#15 Clients have expressed concerns about tutors answering problems for accounting students. Clients would
prefer if tutors gave students practice problems with similar numbers and work through that problem
with the student, so that the student gains a better understanding of how to solve the problem. It then
allows the student to work through their homework problem more independently with the tutor there to
remind them of steps from the practice problem if the student gets stuck.

#16 Please note that clients do not like effusive comments or comments that suggest the tutor is grading the
student on writing lab reviews. Clients deem comments like outstanding essay or you are an excellent writer
as unnecessary for tutors to add to reviews. Clients would rather tutors focus on how a student can improve
than on praising them for what they did well. For example, instead of saying excellent thesis, a tutor may say
something like Your thesis clearly lays out your central argument. Make sure each of your paragraphs fully
supports and advances your thesis.

#17 Even if you opt for direct deposit, the first check is always manually mailed.

#18 The Writing Lab and Brainshare are two separate things, and they are not interchangeable.

During a live tutoring session, a student sends their writing assignment to a tutor via Brainshare. The tutor
should actively review elements of the assignment with the student during the live session. All tutoring on that
assignment must be completed during the live session, and if the tutor has anything to send back to the
student, they need to send it to the student via Brainshare before the tutoring session is over.

Students can also submit assignments via the Writing Lab for tutors to review. When a tutor submits an
assignment, that assignment is sent to all available tutors for a tutor to accept. Tutors must finish the review by
the indicated due date/time on the task assignment, and return the review to the student through the Writing
Lab.

#19 When a student asks for their essay to be reviewed, clients expect that tutors do the best they can actively
reviewing the paper with the student on the whiteboard. Clients do not want tutors to review the paper without
student input or tell students that tutors cannot review a paper during a live session. At the end of a session, it
is acceptable to suggest that the student submits their paper to the Writing Lab if they would like additional
help.

#20 If a tutor removes lower level subjects in a general subject area (such as removing Elementary Writing and
keeping other Writing subjects such as College Writing), this will likely result in a decreased amount of hours.

#21 While not every computer science question requires a code editor and a compiler to be answered, it is a
good idea for computer science tutors to download their own code editors and compilers in order to be
more prepared when tutoring Computer Science students. This way, computer science tutors will have the tools
needed to test out code.

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Code Editors:
Eclipse (Java) - https://eclipse.org/downloads/
CodeBlocks (C++) - http://www.codeblocks.org/
SublimeText (Almost all languages) - http://www.sublimetext.com/

Compilers:
GNU Compiler for Java - http://gcc.gnu.org/java/
GNU Compiler for C++ - https://gcc.gnu.org/

#22 Some computer science questions can require extensive worka large amount of code may be required
to be written. If during a live session a computer science tutor receives such a question, it may be good to ask
the student to focus the question and to provide, generally, conceptual help.

#23 Tutors scheduling depends on a variety of factors:

--Tutor availability.
--Number of subjects with which the tutor can work.
--How proficient the tutor is in his/her area of expertise.
--How advanced the tutor is in his/her area of expertise.
--Point in the academic calender (our clients are k-12 schools, libraries and colleges so the student traffic is
seasonal; super busy during midterms and finals and really slow during winter and summer breaks).
--Peak hours are usually in the evenings but we also need tutors in the mornings and early afternoons.

#24 On Transferring:

Clients expect tutors to handle the students that are routed to them. If you need to request a transfer, the
facilitator will ask for the reason. To request a transfer go to Tools Contact Session Monitor. Though,
keep in mind that the facilitator is not always available.

#25 For Nursing Tutors:

Brainfuse offers many services for nursing students. We offer practice tests for the NCLEX-RN, the NCLEX-PN,
and the TEAS exams. Additionally, the TEAS exams are linked (in the LEAP) to lessons that can help students
strengthen material that they have not yet mastered. These resources are available under the Career Prep/Job
Resources and TEAS coursesets; lessons are available when students complete the TEAS in the LEAP platform.

Please let us know if you have questions about nursing curriculum by emailing info@brainfuse.com.

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Canadian Clients

Our Canadian clients expect tutors to be familiar with Canadian education standards. Although much of the
content is similar to content taught in the U.S., there are differences in standardized testing and subject
terminology that will come up. Please refer to the Online Tutoring Source Guide (Misc > My Curriculum >
Brainfuse Lessons > Information for Tutors > Brainfuse Information Documents > Tutoring Information or click
here:
http://www.brainfuse.com/jsp/curriculum/mgr.do?action=view&subType=6&catIDParam=132739&catNamePa
ram=Tutoring%20Information&objectCat=curriculumCat&viewStyle=) for more information. For resources for
our Canadian students, follow the pathway Misc > My Curriculum > Brainfuse Lessons > Alberta K to 12
Lessons or click here:
http://www.brainfuse.com/jsp/curriculum/mgr.do?action=view&subType=3&catIDParam=123762&catNamePa
ram=Alberta%20K%20to%2012%20Lessons&objectCat=curriculumCat&viewStyle=

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Alberta Education: Information for Tutors

In Canada, educational requirements and agendas are the responsibility of each province (the Canadian equivalent
of a state). Education in Alberta looks different from other Canadian provinces, as well as America. Although much
of the content is similar, there are differences in standardized testing and subject terminology that will come up.
This document will familiarize you with some of these differences in order to maximize your tutoring experience
and the services you provide to students. Well look at the structure of the Alberta curriculum as well as Test prep
to look out for.

>>Curriculum/Structure: Like the United States, K-12 schooling in Alberta is divided into elementary, middle, and
high schools. However, in Alberta, elementary is from grades K-6, middle is from grades 7-9, and high school is
from grades 10-12

Grades K-9 all study ELA, Math, Social Studies, and

Science.
Equal weight is placed on each subject (unlike the U.S. focus
on Math and ELA)
The curriculum is similar to what we would learn in the
U.S.except in Social Studies, students learn about the
history, geography, and civics in Canada and Alberta.
The menu for tutoring looks like what you see on the right.
(writing is for the writing lab).

Grades 10-12 (high school) get a bit more specialized, as

reflected in the menu to the right.
In high school, students take courses in sequences from
102030, where 30 represents the highest level in a
sequence.
Math 30 is the highest level of math taken (equates to pre-
calculus), and so in grade 12 it replaces math.
Science gets split into biology, chemsitry and physics,
depending on the track students take.
Options are available for both Canadian S.S. (civics, history)
and global history, depending on student needs.
>>Standardized Testing: Like the U.S., Alberta loves
standardized tests. These are the exams
students from Alberta will write over the course of
their K-12 education.
Type of Test Info Subjects Tested
Test

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ELA 30-1 & 30-2 (tests both reading and writing)

**Written at the end of
12th grade Applied Math 30 (graphs, analysis of functions, statsitical distributions, matrices)
Pure Math 30 (precalculus, trig, and basic statistics)
Diploma
Tests **A big deal, S.S. 30-1 & 30-2 (document-based essays and multiple-choice questions)
comprising 50% of the
students grade in each Biology 30, Chemistry 30, Physics 30
class.
French Language Arts 30
Grade 3 tests in literacy & numeracy are still in development/beta stage.
Provincial **Written in the lower
Achievem grades, at the end of Grade 6 tests ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies.
ent Tests elementary and middle
(PATs) school. Grade 9 tests ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Content is similar to what a U.S.
test would be at that grade levelexcept keep in mind that S.S. is Canadian-specific.

>>High School Sequence: Explore course descriptions & sequences here by subject (left menu).

ELA 102030 Math 102030 Social Studies 102030 Science 102030

Students analyze a variety
of texts (from popular
nonfiction to a
Shakespeare play) using
knowledge of
literary/rhetorical devices.
They also write their own
texts (from personal
narratives to literary
cricisism.
Each level is divided into
two courses: version 1 and
2.
University track: ELA 10-
1ELA 20-1ELA 30-1. Math 31, which is
Basic track: ELA 10-2ELA
20-2ELA 30-2.
You can switch between
tracks depending on
academic ability.
Students learn algebra, Students learn about the themes
basic geometry, of globalization, nationalism, and
trigonometry, and ideologies (like liberalism) in the
precalculus. context of Canadian history,
civics, and global history.
Math 10 is divided into 2
courses: 10C and 10-3. Global history is similar, but
Math 20 is divided into students explore Canadian-
20-1, 20-2, and 20-3. specific history and civics. For
Math 30 is divided into example, Canadas government
30-1, 30-2, and 30-3. has a Parliament and an
appointed Prime Minsiter (totally
The university level track different from the U.S.).
is Math 10-1Math 20-
1Math 30-1. Math 30- Emphasis is on the analysis of
1 is the prerequisite to primary and secondary
documents, models, and graphic
Calculus. organizers. The diploma and
exams are full of these.
The other courses
represent the basic/non- Each level is divided into two
university track. courses (as with the above
subjects). The university level
track is S.S. 10-1S.S. 20-1S.S
30-1.
A range of options here.
Students start from Science 10
(university track) or Science 14
(basic track), exploring
biological, chemical, and
physical concepts in relation to
energy.
Students can then move on to
the following tracks:
Science 20Science 30
Biology 20Biology 30,
Chemistry 20Chemistry 30
Physics 20Physics 30
Science 20 & 30 explore a
variety of topics: changes to the
earth and climate,
environmental science& human
health.
Bio, Chem, & Physics track
content compares to what we
learn in the U.S. for these
subjects.

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