Towards research-based organizational structures in mathematics tutoring centres.

This article investigates organizational structures of undergraduate mathematics tutoring centres in the USA to generate hypotheses about characteristics of effective centres. Using quantitative data from over 26,000 students across ten institutions and qualitative data describing centre features, the study employed the Delphi process with expert centre leaders to identify plausible hypotheses. Key findings suggest that centres with more specialized tutor models tend to have higher student visitation rates, tutors responsible for fewer courses struggle less to answer questions, tutor training correlates with increased return visits, and having instructors hold office hours in the centre may enhance tutoring effectiveness. While these hypotheses are grounded in exploratory data and professional experience, the study emphasizes that further research is needed to rigorously test their validity and that effectiveness may depend on local context and implementation.