Conversation Partner Program

ABOUT

The Conversation Partner Program gives IEP students an opportunity to practice English outside the classroom through casual conversation with UO student tutors. AEI Tutors are native or near-native English speakers who can also help AEI students learn about university resources and ease students' transition to life at the University of Oregon.

 

OUTCOMES

All IEP students will be assigned a Conversation Partner who will provide each student with one 50-minute remote session per week, in which they can help students experience authentic conversation and social interaction, such as:

  • Practicing and improving English conversational skills
  • Learning about American culture
  • Getting involved on the UO campus
  • Receiving basic help with homework, presentations, vocabulary, and pronunciation
  • Bridging the gap between what is learned in the classroom and beyond

WORKING WITH A CONVERSATION PARTNER

  1. All IEP students will automatically be signed up for a Conversation Partner. Please email aei@uoregon.edu as soon as possible during Week 1 if you do not want a Conversation Partner.
  2. The Conversation Partner Program resets every term. Thus, students have the opportunity to work with a different tutor each term. Students might not be able to have the same tutor every term due to scheduling conflicts and hiring fluctuations.
  3. A Conversation Partner will write to you at your UO email address to set up a date and time for your first meeting. Plan to talk with your Conversation Partner for one 50-minute session each week.
  4. Come prepared to each session with questions and/or ideas for how you want to spend your time. Conversation Partners do not prepare a lesson plan. Their goal is to help students develop conversational skills.
  5. Conversation partner tutors have a professional relationship with students. You can choose what you want to do with your conversation partner, but everything must be legal, safe, and public.

If things aren’t going well or you are having problems, please report this to the AEI Tutoring Office by emailing aei@uoregon.edu. We will work with you to try to resolve issues.

Check out the Tutoring Program Handbook