General Questions

Student Questions

Tutor Questions

General Questions

How do I login?

Simply visit the welcome page! Or, alternatively, you can click the "Login" link on the left of any page. If the "Login" link has been replaced with "Logout," then don't worry, you're already logged in! Finally, you can simply click any link on the left, and if you are not already logged in, you will be detoured to a login page.

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How do I change my password?

You can change your password on your Profile page. There is a link at the bottom that says "Change Password." Make it something memorable!

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I can't log in!/The site doesn't work!

The Online Tutoring System requires both cookies and Javascript be enabled on your computer. Both of these should be enabled by default, but if you have disabled them for any reason, you will need to turn them back on. We also recommend you install the latest version of Flash Player to watch our tutorial videos or participate in tutoring sessions.

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I forgot my password!

We're working on an automatic password-reset script. In the meantime, just e-mail an administrator or report a bug and we can reset it for you.

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My name doesn't show up!

Many pages on this site use your "nickname" instead of the full name you used to register. If your name is not appearing on certain pages, go to your Profile and make sure your nickname is set.

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What is my "nickname"?

Your nickname is a short name you prefer to be called, such as "Jim" instead of "James" or "Jack" instead of "John." Also, the nickname field allows Chinese, as well as many other, characters, so feel to use them! Please make sure your nickname is both something you respond to, and appropriate.

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All of my appointments are at the wrong time!

Make sure you've set your timezone in your profile. We have users all over the world, and to insure people are here at the same time, our system lets you use your own local timezone. If you're in the US, you can set your timezone to automatically update for Daylight Saving Time by checking the box in the "Update Timezone" window.

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How do I start an appointment?

When it's time for a scheduled appointment to start, you will see a button in the top right corner of every page allowing you to begin the appointment. Simply clicking this button will take you to the audio chatroom to meet with your student/tutor. Alternative you can navigate to "My Appointments" and select the appointment.

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What hardware do I need?

You will need a computer with a fairly fast internet connection (broadband recommended) a microphone, and speakers. We recommend you use a headset with attached microphone, as this will give you the best experience.

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I can chat, but how do I talk?

Once you are in an audio chatroom with a student/tutor, you will see two things: on the left is a window allowing text chat, and on the right is a list of members of the chat (usually just you and one other person) and a button that says "Talk." When you want to talk, simply click and hold that button down. Release it to stop talking.

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Can I get e-mail reminders of my appointments?

Yes! Go to your Preferences and set your e-mail frequency. Weekly e-mails are sent on Monday mornings (server time), daily e-mails are sent at 5am (server time) and e-mails sent "two hours before" are sent roughly two hours before the start of your next appointment. You can also turn off e-mail reminders by selecting "None".

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How do I report a problem?

If you come across a page that does not function correctly, or gives you an error message you do not understand, please use our new Bug Reporting and Tracking service by clicking on the "Report a Bug" link on the problematic page.

Student Questions

How do I schedule/cancel an appointment?

To schedule a new tutoring appointment, just head to the Tutor Schedules page. You can either check when a tutor is available by name, or click "All Tutors" to see all available time slots. Once you've selected the appointment you want, click the "Select Appointment" buttom (you may have to scroll down to see this). On the screen that pops up, just click "Confirm Appointment" and your appointment will be recorded. To cancel an appointment, you will need to go to your appointments, select the appointment, and click "Cancel Appointment" in the screen that pops up.

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Why can't I schedule more appointments?

Our system limits students to 60 minutes of tutoring per week at this time. Unfortunately, this means you cannot have more than 60 minutes scheduled at this time, even if you attempt to schedule appointment for the next week or later. We are attempting to resolve this issue.

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What are all these things in my profile?

Your profile contains lots of basic information about you, such as your name (really a nickname, which can include Chinese characters) your e-mail address1, your birthdate, your primary language, your timezone2, and your Chinese language proficiency. Your primary language can be selected from a list, but it makes little difference at this point. This feature is included for future expansions. Your Chinese language proficiency should be set according to how comfortable you are speaking Chinese. This will allow tutors to tailor their lessons to your level.

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Tutor Questions

How do I change my availability?

To change your availability, you'll need to head over to your slots page. There you'll be able to add or remove available slots, or groups of slots. (You can also cancel scheduled appointments from this page.) Click the "Add Slots" button (you may have to scroll to see this) and fill in the simple form to add new slots. This form is similar to Microsoft Outlook™ or other calendar programs. Please note that slots are limited to between 15 and 60 minutes long.

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How do I report a problem student?

Please e-mail an administrator.

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What are these things in my profile?

Your profile contains lots of basic information about you, such as your name (really a nickname, which can include Chinese characters) your e-mail address1, your birthdate, your primary language, your timezone2, and your language specialty. Your primary language can be selected from a list, however, it makes little difference at this point. This feature exists for future expansion when you will be able to view our site in multiple languages. Your language specialty is an area of Chinese that you are particularly well-equipped to teach, such as "Business" or "Sports."

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