Pair Tech Tutors with older adult learners and document the outcome of each support session.
With Tech Tutors qualified and ready to help and a list of curious seniors to support, it’s time to align each learner with a volunteer. After each assistance session concludes, it’s important to reconnect with Tech Tutors to establish whether or not a follow-up call is required. This section of the website is intended as a guide for organizations to use as a framework to aid in the coordination and record-keeping process.
Phase 1
Set Up a Tech Tutor Phone Call Appointment for Each Identified Learner
To initiate a new connection between a Tech Tutor and an older adult learner, start with an email to the volunteer. In this message, you’ll request a call with them over the phone to pass along sensitive client details, including their name and phone number. As a best practice, telephone communication is the best way to maintain the highest level of security and privacy on behalf of the older adult client. An example of this email message is included below.
To reinforce how the volunteer should proceed, you may want to remind Tech Tutors about the Tech Tutor Process section of this website for all the right steps to follow and tools they can use to enhance their success with each learner. The Tech Tutor Process can be reviewed at the following link: https://www.techtutorhandbook.ca/tutoring-process
NOTE: All volunteer and learner connections identified and communicated to Tech Tutors should be documented accurately for your organization's records in the Call Planner file.Phase 2
Overseeing the Tech Tutor and Learner’s Progress and Outcomes
After every support call that a Tech Tutor has with an assigned learner, the volunteer is responsible for providing you with an update via email. This ensures you have accurate insight into the Tech Tutor’s experience and whether or not a follow-up call is required.
It’s common for new users to need more than one phone call with a Tech Tutor to achieve their video calling goals. Many learners will be good to go after two or three sessions with a volunteer.
If a volunteer needs to connect with a particular learner more than four times, your organization should intervene to establish realistic next steps. A phone call or Zoom with the Tech Tutor is helpful at this point to gain a deeper understanding of why the sessions are not progressing forward as planned. Collect the volunteer’s ideas about what they think is causing the delayed progress. Establish if the issue is a technology hiccup that the Tech Tutor and the organization cannot support.
The Call Planner file is an essential record-keeping tool to document the status of each learner and Tech Tutor interaction throughout this entire process.
NOTE: After some experience working with each Tech Tutor, consider the strengths of each volunteer and decide if they are eligible to work with more than one new user at a time. This will also be largely dependant on the hours and frequency the Tech Tutor is volunteering and how many learners are waiting for support. Be sure to ask the Tech Tutor if they can manage more than one learner at a time and do not assume they want to.Phase 3
Debrief with Tech Tutors and Follow-up with Older Adult Learners to Close the Loop
As indicated previously, volunteers are responsible for reporting an update to you via email about the outcome of each support session with a learner. Ensure this point is understood in your regular communication with Tech Tutors to avoid the need for chasing individuals down to get this important information.
In short, Tech Tutors will advise you whether or not the learner was successful at conducting a Zoom video call and can likely do so again independently. When appropriate, they will also tell you if another support call is scheduled and when, or if it’s been determined that the Tech Tutor cannot be of assistance any longer due to technical issues.
If a learner was successful, document the outcome in the Call Planner file and freely schedule the volunteer to start working with another older adult eager to learn, which restarts the Tech Tutor cycle again. Then, reach out to the successful learner via telephone to confirm they are ready to go. If your organization has the capacity/time, perhaps conducting a short Zoom meeting instead will reinforce the learning with another practice opportunity, which will boost comfort and confidence prior to joining any digital programs. In either format, use this call to share your organization’s virtual program schedule so the new user can start participating ASAP.
If the learner was unsuccessful after 4+ support sessions, connect with the Tech Tutor via phone call or Zoom and record any valuable insight about how the scenario could be corrected in the Call Planner file. Try and establish the specifics about why the learner is having problems, which often includes one of the following:
Wrong or Unknown WiFi password
No existing Email address
no access to existing email address, such as wrong/unknown password
Broken//outdated device (other device limitations) no camera/microphone/speakers
After this conversation, the volunteer is ready to be scheduled with a new older adult to begin the Tech Tutor cycle again.
With the information collected from Tech Tutors, reach out to the older adult learner over the phone to let them know what next steps are possible and provide any recommendations you have that might help them overcome technical problems they are having with their device or Internet connection. It’s almost always likely that a family member or friend needs to visit in person with the learner to assist.
At this time, you may approach the end of the assistance that the Tech Tutor support program and your organization can provide to someone who has been unsuccessful due to technology troubles. This can be a challenging conversation, which is why it should not fall on the volunteer to have it. Please do your best to encourage the learner to pursue any suggestions you’ve made that may remedy the problem they are having. Let them know that once solved, a Tech Tutor will be happy to reconnect with them for the video call component of their learning. A follow-up to this call after a week or so can help motivate some learners to persevere and coordinate the solutions you and the Tech Tutor previously recommended.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Tech Tutors cannot visit older adult learners in-person or at their home to help fix/troubleshoot technology that is not working. The Tech Tutor Handbook does not equip or qualify anyone to do so and it is not recommended in order to maintain a safe and private project for everyone involved.