Online tutoring

Instructors roles in web-based learning

Site: TÜ Moodle
Course: E-learning course - instructional design and implementation (P2AV.TK.234)
Book: Online tutoring
Printed by: Lehti Pilt
Date: Friday, 15 January 2010, 02:45 PM
Table of Contents

1 Online tutoring
2 Introduction
3 Online tutors’ roles
3.1 Technical role
3.2 Managerial role
3.3 Pedagogical role
3.4 Social role
4 Five-step model of online learning
5 Additional articles and web links
1 Online tutoring

Lehti Pilt

Learning online does not mean that you put all the learning materials on the web and leave the students alone in the
learning environment. Learning online is more a question of a new pedagogical starting point where the learner focus is a
crucial element of understanding. There have to be people responsible for online tutoring.

Dr Gilly Salmon (2000) wrote: "Online teaching and learning should include effective e-moderator support, otherwise its
outcomes are likely to be meagre and unsuccessful. Even where technological infrastructure and support are strong, and
when worthwhile learning applications are developed, without e-moderating nothing is likely to happen beyond pilot
schemes".

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

● demonstrate the ability to apply good online tutoring practices

● demonstrate the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to work and interact with students and facilitate students´
learning online

In this unit we address the following issues:

1. Introduction to online tutoring

2. Online tutors’ technical, organizational, pedagogical and social roles and required competences
3. 5-step model of online learning
2 Introduction

Tutoring is crucial when aiming for quality of learning and quality has to be one of the basic values in the universities that
organise online studies. The teachers´ role in online courses is moving towards facilitating the students´ learning rather than
teaching. Teachers should concentrate more on supporting the process of learning, instead of just being experts of content
and authoritative disseminators of knowledge. Online learning is accompanied by changes in classroom management
strategies with more emphases placed on organizing classes with small group activities and less on lecturing to the whole
class.

Salmon (2000) describes e-moderators as a new generation of teachers and trainers who work with learners online.
Therefore online tutors need new skills and new pedagogical basis for their work. The effectiveness of online courses is
highly dependent on how well the teacher can use technology to promote learner-centred learning and support the learning
process. This means that it is not enough to understand the potential and limitations of the networks, but also to be familiar
with the teaching techniques associated with successful use of ICT.

Teachers should develop and implement strategies to invite learners to participate and assume an active role in the
learning process. The teacher does play a vital role in designing the learning activities and using a variety of assessment
strategies as integral parts of the learning process.

Although online teaching and learning is accompanied by changes in teachers’ roles, these "changes does not diminish the
role of teacher ... the teacher carries a heavy responsibility to structure content that provides a framework to connect and
make sense of ideas and facts" (Garrison, 1993, in Gunawardena and Zittle, 1996).

A moderator of a web-based course does not have to be an expert on the content, but he/she should be familiar with the
content of the learning materials of the course. He/she should have some experience with computers, incl. experience with
online learning. It is important that the potential tutor would have the required desire to do this work and willingness for
self-improvement. Many skills necessary for a tutor of an online course can be developed through training and many skills
are learned during the first year of tutorship.
3 Online tutors’ roles

There are several classifications of the roles of tutors.

Mason (1991) identifies 3 roles: managerial, social and intellectual. The best known is probably Berge’s (1995) classification,
which includes four categories:

1. Technical – providing technical assistance (related to the computers and the learning environment) to the course
participants.
2. Managerial – planning and management of the learning process, establishment of goals, specification of a schedule,
establishment of procedures and rules.
3. Pedagogical – directing attention to important materials, providing additional information, planning and implementation
of exercises and other activities, supervision of the independent work of the learners, providing feedback and evaluation.
4. Social – creation of a friendly, encouraging and supportive atmosphere in the course, creating the feeling of united study
group (learning community).
3.1 Technical role

In order to be successful in an e-course, the learners should have basic computer and Internet skills and some experience
with using online learning environments. Many learners do have the desire and motivation to participate in an e-course, but
they lack the necessary skills. Extensive instruction manuals for using the learning environment should be available to these
learners, and they should have access to a person who could provide assistance in the case of technical problems.

Technical activities of the tutor:

● explains the hardware and software requirements for the course;

● provides instruction on how to open various file formats;
● provides information on the learning environment and course log-in procedures;
● provides tips for moving around in the learning environment and using the tools of the learning environment;
● assists in the case of any technical problems;
● modifies the learning environment as required during the course;
● uses the course administration tools.

The purpose of technical work is to make the technology invisible so that the learners could concentrate on learning the
content of the course.
3.2 Managerial role

In e-learning the role of the learner in the process is different as well. The largest challenge for the learners is adjustment to
the new technologies and teaching methods. In traditional classroom learning (lectures) the learner is usually a passive
recipient of the knowledge. E-learning enables the learner to become an active participant in the learning process. Every
learner can choose the time and place of learning, acquire the material at a suitable pace, independently of fellow learners,
and manage his/her own learning. Adaptable learners will find the new approach to the learning process unproblematic. For
more conservative learners the adaptation difficulties may decrease motivation, creating inability to manage the course.
Without motivation, people are easily inclined to give up and withdraw from the course.

Therefore, one might say that e-learning requires from the learners a desire to learn in an online environment, adaptability
with new technologies and methods, high motivation and time planning skills. The learners often lack the required learning
skills and they may develop problems with planning and managing their learning. Here is where the tutor could be of
assistance.

Managerial activities of the tutor

The task of the tutor is to ensure smooth and methodical progression of the learning process in online courses.

At the beginning of a course the tutor monitors course log-ins by the learners and contacts the learners who have not visited
the course in 4 or 5 days after the beginning of the course. The learners may be contacted by e-mail or phone.

During the course the tutor continuously monitors, whether any participants have ‘disappeared’. If possible, the tutor
identifies the reasons of disappearance and helps to eliminate them. Course participation can be monitored by the tutor
through special tools of the web environment.

The task of the tutor is to ensure that the course would take place as scheduled. The schedule could be modified if
necessary. The learners should be clearly notified of the schedule and the deadlines for the performance of exercises should
be fixed. During the course the tutor constantly posts messages (on the forum, through the mailbox, on the opening page of
the course) that help the learners to get an overview of the activities of the course. The tutor should be familiar with the
progress of exercise completion by the course participants, send reminders to late submitters and offer assistance and
support if required. It is important to involve less active learners in group discussions, using various activation methods.

One of the great advantages of an online learning process is that several different discussions can take place at the same
time. In order to manage successfully the active exchange of letters, the tutor should create a discussion structure suitable
for the particular course: create different forums for different topics or divide the study group into smaller groups.

Another benefit of an online course is that each participant is able to choose a suitable time and place for visiting the course.
However, this could also lead to certain fears and concerns, which should be definitely addressed by the tutor. The task of
the tutor is to explain to the learners how often it is recommended to visit the course, what exercises they are expected to
complete, what are the deadlines and how much time of being online may be required. People who are only starting to use
an online learning environment do need more time to complete the exercises than more experienced participants. A tutor
should guide the learners in the rational use of time.

A managerial tutor supports the learners in their independent learning process: helps to manage time to handle various
activities, organises real time discussions, motivates the learners to be more active, provides feedback, and helps in the
case of organisation problems.

The main tasks of the tutor of an online course include motivation and activation of course participants.
3.3 Pedagogical role

The main pedagogic tasks of the tutor:

● Facilitating interaction between the learner and the learning materials. At the stage of distribution of information about the
course, the learners start to comprehend the extent of information available on the web. They like immediate access to
information and rapid changing of information. At the same time, large amount of information may also scare the learners,
which is why the tutor needs to raise the confidence and enthusiasm of the learners.
The participants should develop interaction with the course content, with the tutor and fellow learners. At the stage of
distribution of information about the course, the learners expect the tutor to help them orient in the abundance of
messages and learning materials and to refer them to the most suitable materials on the web.
● Moderation of discussions. The tutor should be able to start, follow and close purposeful and constructive discussions,
which are understandable to the learners, and encourage active participation. It is very important that the tutor has a good
command of different questioning and argumentation techniques, because these are the main tools of teaching.
Periodically, the discussions have to be summarised. The tutor may appoint for each topic a learner, whose task is to
prepare an introductory presentation of the respective topic, to initiate a discussion and make interim and final summaries
of the discussion. In this case the tutor is only responsible for directing the discussion and providing feedback.
● Supporting the learners in the completion of exercises. The tutor recommends useful ideas and strategies for learning
(e.g., selection of key ideas, expansion of references, illustration and schematic imaging). The tutor provides
recommendations for working with the learning instructions, independent work with learning materials (e.g., recommends
using the systematic reading technique), participation in group work and discussions, writing written papers (e.g.,
recommendations on the structure of the papers, proposing some ideas, referring to useful sources, reviewing a draft
version and suggesting venues of improvement, etc.)
● Assessment of the learners and provision of feedback. Assessment may be accomplished in various ways – self-assessment,
computer assessment, or assessment by the tutor or fellow learners. The tutor provides feedback on and evaluates written
assignments (essays, summary papers, projects, problem solutions, etc.). One of the key tasks of the tutor is provision of
timely and personal feedback on the contributions and questions of the learners.
● Evaluation of the course learning process. The efficiency of the learning process is evaluated and conclusions are drawn at
the final stage of the course. Success of cooperation is discussed, technical facilities are evaluated as well as the impact of
technology on the achievement of established goals, and recommendations are given for further improvement of the
course.
3.4 Social role

Learning is a social activity and communication plays an important role in learning.

In e-learning the learners sometimes tend to feel left alone. In order to enable the learners to feel the presence of the
instructor and fellow learners, the instructor should use various socialisation methods. The learner should feel that he/she is
welcome at the course (feeling of social presence) and may freely share his/her experiences and knowledge with fellow
learners, express his/her wishes and emotions. Studies indicate that the satisfaction of the learners with e-courses is directly
related to the extent they experience the social presence of the instructor, tutors and fellow learners (Gunawardena, Zittle,
1997).

The communication tools in an online learning environment create the opportunity for communication and socialisation
between the learners. During the course the learners should develop a feeling that they are part of a unified group, with all
members working for the same goals. This leads to participant identity in the online environment and getting acquainted
with the fellow learners.

The actual socialisation depends on the planning of communication and the activities of the tutor. It is important to start the
course with a warm welcome letter, which could motivate the participants to remain actively engaged for the whole duration
of the course. It is also recommended to greet each learner individually as well to make them feel that they are indeed
welcome to the course.

In any case the tutor should introduce himself/herself to the learners and let them know how often he/she will visit the
course. The tutor should recommend the participants to visit the course regularly and should follow this recommendation
himself/herself as well.

The tutor ensures a good atmosphere in the virtual space, monitors that the learners would communicate with each other in
a correct manner and makes new participants feel welcome at the course, etc. The tutor provides instruction on how the
learners should behave on the course (rules, guidelines, netiquette).

He/she should also direct attention to improper conduct in the virtual space.

The tutor should be able to participate in the team, which is engaged in the development and implementation of flexible
web-based learning. In addition to pedagogic skills, the skills required in the team also include web technology and specific
field skills. As the tutor is a part of the team in which the members hopefully complement each other, he/she does not have
to be equally good in all departments. There are other team members with the necessary level of skills who are responsible
for solving a particular task. What is important is the practical ability of the team to work as a competence unit.
4 Five-step model of online learning

An online course delivery can be divided into five stages (Salmon, 2000):

1. Access and motivation

The learners and tutors need information and technical support for logging in to the online course. Frequently, individual
technical assistance is required related to specific problems. At this stage, motivating and encouraging the learners is
important, particularly if they experience problems.

This stage ends when the learners have posted their first messages.

2. Online socialisation

At this stage, the participants develop identity in the online environment and get to know their fellow learners. Those who
are interested should have an opportunity to retain their social contacts even after completion of the second stage of the
course.

3. Exchange of information

At this stage of the course, the learners start to realise how much information is available on the web. They like immediate
access to information and rapid changing of information. At this stage, the tutor should make sure that the discussions
would be focused on specific topics and problems and would be aimed at finding solutions. At this stage, the learners expect
the tutor to help them orient in the abundance of messages and to refer them to the most suitable materials on the web.
The tutors should introduce the topics and provide guidelines on the questions that are most important for a particular topic.
It is recommended to use a ‘frequently asked questions’ section in order for the learners to find immediate answers to
certain questions without the need to post a separate message on the forum.

4. Knowledge construction

This is the most interactive stage of the online course. At this stage, the participants are engaged in intense and open
mutual communication. They formulate their ideas and opinions on topics, read the posts from other participants and
respond to them. The discussions and examples from the fellow learners will not offer much new information to the
participants, but they help them to expand their standpoints, complement their concepts and theories, familiarise
themselves with the processes, get new ideas and improve the understanding of the course materials for themselves as well
as for the fellow learners. Consequently, this is not only a stage of information sharing but also one of acquisition of
knowledge.

5. Development

This is a stage for evaluating the results of the learning process and providing feedback. Success of cooperation is discussed,
technical facilities are evaluated together with the impact of technology on the achievement of established goals, and
recommendations are given for further improvement of the course.
5 Additional articles and web links

● Cornelius, S., Higgison, C. (2000). Online Tutoring e-Book. The Tutor's Role.
Shepherd, C. (2000). Competencies for online tutors. http://www.online-trainer.com/compets/tutor.htm
● Berge, Z. L.(1995). The Role of the Online Instructor/Facilitator. http://www.emoderators.com/moderators/teach_online.html
● Salmon, G. (2001). Salmon's 5 - Step Model. http://www.lmu.ac.uk/lis/imgtserv/elstrat/explorations/salmon1.htm
● Templeton, E. (2000). Online Tutoring e-Book. Tutor Support. http://otis.scotcit.ac.uk/onlinebook/otisT704.htm
● McAteer, E., Peacock, S. (2001). Using Computer Mediated Conferencing.
http://146.176.29.37/modules/cmc1/introduction.htm
● McAteer, E., Peacock, S. (2001). Purposes of CMC for learning support. http://146.176.29.37/modules/cmc1/purposes.htm
● Dowie, S. Virtual Discussion Groups. http://www.ualberta.ca/~sdowie/groups.htm
● Mason, R. (1991). Moderating Educational Computer Conferencing. http://www.emoderators.com/papers/mason.html
● Paulsen, M. F. (1995). Moderating Educational Computer Conferences.
http://www.emoderators.com/moderators/morten.html
● Athabasca University (2002). Computer Conferencing Tips.
http://ccism.pc.athabascau.ca/html/courses/global/edtech/conftips.htm
● Collins, M., Berge, Z. (1996). Facilitating Interaction in Computer Mediated Online Courses.
http://www.emoderators.com/moderators/flcc.html
● Grow, G. (1996). Teaching Learners to be Self-Directed. Motivating Stage 1 Learners.
http://www.longleaf.net/ggrow/SSDL/MotivateS1.html
● Dowie, S. Providing a stimulating atmosphere for learning. http://www.ualberta.ca/~sdowie/Motivation/stimulate.htm
● Hiltz, S. R., Benbunan-Fich, R. (1997). Supporting Collaborative Learning in Asynchronous Learning Networks.
http://eies.njit.edu/~hiltz/CRProject/unesco.htm
● Millis, B. J. Managing—and Motivating!—Distance Learning Group Activities. http://www.tltgroup.org/gilbert/millis.htm