First Online Tutoring Session: A Checklist for Before and After

Before a first online tutoring session, confirm the student's goal, collect recent work, send the link and prepare a short diagnostic. During it, check the tech, agree goals, run the diagnostic and teach one thing well. Afterwards, share a summary, set homework and plan the next sessions from what you found.

The family is asking three questions: does this work, does this tutor understand the problem, and will it help? This checklist makes sure the answer to all three is yes.

What should you do the day before a first tutoring session?

The day before, confirm the goal, ask for materials, send the link and prepare a diagnostic task.

1. Confirm the goal. Ask the student or parent what they want: a better grade, help with homework, preparation for a specific exam. Ask for the exam date if there is one.
2. Ask for materials. A recent test, homework or the textbook pages they are working on tells you more than any description.
3. Schedule the session and send the link. Educastic lets you schedule the session with the guest and duration and share an invite link. With Educastic's Google Calendar sync, the session appears in your calendar too.
4. Tell them what they need. A laptop or tablet with a browser, a headset if possible, a notebook and a pen. The Educastic whiteboard runs in the browser, so there is no app to install.
5. Prepare a diagnostic task. Three to five short problems that start easy and get harder. Upload them as a PDF or write them on a board tab.

What should you check 15 minutes before the session?

Fifteen minutes before, check your audio, camera and pen, and set up your tabs, tools and files.

• Tech check. Open the session early, test your microphone and camera, and write a few lines on the board with your tablet or stylus.
• Set up your tabs. For example: "Welcome", "Diagnostic", "Lesson", "Summary". Pick a dotted or ruled background for any tab with handwriting.
• Choose your tools. Educastic lets teachers choose which tools appear in a session. For a first lesson, a short toolbar is easier for a new student to follow.
• Load your files. Open the diagnostic PDF and any worksheet from Educastic's My Library or from Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive, so you are not searching while the student waits.

How do you start the first five minutes?

Start by letting the student in, checking they can hear, see and write, and stating the plan. The Educastic waiting room helps: guests wait until you admit them, so you can finish setting up and let the student in when you are ready. Then:

• Say hello, check they can hear and see you, and ask them to type something in the chat.
• Give them the pen and ask them to draw a circle or write their name on the board. Educastic lets the teacher give or take back drawing access for each student at any time.
• Explain the plan for the session in one sentence.

Small technical problems are normal in a first session. Solving them calmly builds more trust than pretending they will not happen.

How do you run a diagnostic in a first tutoring session?

Run a diagnostic by giving the student the pen on a short set of graded problems and watching their working as they think aloud. Spend about ten minutes on it.

1. Talk about goals. Write them on the "Welcome" tab in the student's own words.
2. Run the diagnostic. Open the diagnostic tab, give the student the pen, and ask them to think aloud while they solve. Watch the working, not just the answer.
3. Note patterns. Use a second colour to mark where they hesitate or slip. Do not correct everything yet.

Teach one thing well

Pick one gap from the diagnostic and teach it properly, because a student who leaves saying "I can do this now" books again. Build the idea step by step on a fresh tab, then give the student a similar problem to try.

Consider recording the session. Educastic keeps recordings in the My Recordings tab of My Library, and only the class participants, admitted guests and the owner can watch them. Mention that you are recording and why at the start.

What should you do in the last five minutes?

Use the last five minutes to summarise, set one task and book the next session.

• Write a short summary on the "Summary" tab: what you found, what you covered, what comes next.
• Set one clear piece of practice.
• Agree the next session time before you leave the call.

What should you do after the first session?

After the session, save the board, send a short follow-up and plan the next three lessons.

Keep notes on each student from the first session. They make every later lesson faster to plan.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a first tutoring session be? Usually the same length as a normal session, though some tutors offer a shorter trial. Make sure there is time for goals, a diagnostic and one short piece of teaching.

What if the student cannot get their audio working? Switch to the chat while you troubleshoot, and keep writing on the whiteboard so the session continues.

Can I stop a student from drawing on the board? Yes. In Educastic the teacher can give or take back drawing access, tab access and file loading for each student at any time.

How does the student join the first session? From the invite link, in the browser. The student waits in the Educastic waiting room until you admit them.

Run your first session with confidence

Save this checklist, schedule your first session, and teach it on the Educastic online whiteboard. Still setting up? Read how to start online tutoring.

Schedule your first session