E-tutoring

Draft

See also: tutoring.

Definition

E-tutoring refers to online-tutoring. The word ‘tutor’ is most frequently used “to include, amongst others, academics, faculty, instructors, corporate trainers, animateurs, facilitators, moderators, subject specialist and learning support staff. The term online tutor includes any person undertaking a role to support and enable students to learn online effectively” (Higgison, 2000). Communication is an important mainstay of e-tutoring: technology enables people to learn new things because it gives a range of different ways of communicating to students. There are several software tools that enable e-learning, e.g blog, wiki, social bookmarking, podcasting, etc. A teacher who directs the studies of a number of students helps them to come up with new strategies for developing learning and studying skilful plannings.

What makes a good e-tutor

Tutor’s roles and activities are slightly different from those required in a face-to-face class. “In a telematics-based environment the teacher is more or less just another participant, though very active one and the teachers role as an organiser is greatly emphasised. So in this way it is much more efficient to learn to communicate, and learning is not just a one-way street" (Tammelin, 2000). E-tutors teach, motivate and direct students while maintaining high interest and achievement. They should be able to effectively interact with different populations of students at a variety of academic levels. They guide students to improve their knowledge through media such as email, asynchronous discussion forums or chat rooms.

According to Berge’s classification (1995) the roles of an online tutor involves four main aspects:

• technical – which involves the technological support; e-tutors have to be ready to resolve technical queries quickly and effectively;

• managerial – e-tutors have to arouse learners’ participation and autonomy providing clearly tasks and deadlines of the e-tivities; they don’t have to rewrite learners’ papers but they have to correct them improving their work and their writing skills; they guide students to outline and structure their writing assignments;

• pedagogical – it aims at the educational experience involving students in an active collaboration and it goads them into a deep reflection; e-tutors aspire to establish excellent relationships with learners;

• social – it’s linked to a learning community: e-tutors provide adequate means for social interaction between learners, all members are encouraged in contributing to the discussion.

What is required to learners

The changed role of tutors necessarily implies a different participation of learners: they are more involved in the matter, they play an active part in the process of learning and they have to better organize their time in order to respect e-tivitity deadlines. Tutors demand for comments, posts on blogs, assessments, etc. and learners always have to be ready to face them.

References

• Cornelius, S. (2000). Learning Online. In Carol A. Higgison (ed.)Online Tutoring e-book Retrieved December 11, 2006 from http://otis.scotcit.ac.uk/onlinebook/. Excellent resource for starting. Includes a large collection of case studies.

• Tammelin, M. (2000). Exploring the roles of the tutor in a mixed mode course for university students. In Online Tutoring Skills (OTiS) Project Website. Retrieved December 11, 2006 from [1]

• Cornelius, S., & Higgison, C. (2000). The Tutor's Role. In Carol A. Higgison (ed.) Online Tutoring e-book (chapter 2). Retrieved December 11, 2006 from [2]