Higher Education Tutors Research Articles

Tutors’ Responses to Student Disclosures: From “Suicidal Ideation to “Feeling a Little Stressed”

Tutors in higher education are receiving and responding to student disclosures that include racism, anxiety, loneliness, legal disputes, family upheavals, physical, emotional, and mental health, bereavement, legal battles, and harassment. In many cases, this caring aspect of the tutor role is not acknowledged, allocated time in job descriptions, or accurately remunerated. This qualitative study explored how tutors experienced and managed student disclosures, the personal and professional impact of responding to disclosures, and how tutors believed they could be better supported. Data was collected from two cohorts of participants tutoring at a University in Aotearoa New Zealand. using interviews and questionnaires and analysed by reflexive thematic analysis. Our findings showed that our participants believed they were positioned vulnerably between a rock and a hard place. At the rock, tutors were told to follow university guidelines and refer distressed students to over-loaded course coordinators or over-subscribed support services. At the hard place, tutors were often the first to be disclosed to, because of their front-facing positioning at the university and once they had heard the disclosure felt it was unethical not to try and help. Tutors believed they could assist students with personal challenges if their precarious positioning within the university was protected and strengthened and if appropriate support was provided by their university through training, time, and remuneration. Findings have implications for higher education providers to reconsider how tutors are supported to support students.

How can we ensure limited individual tutorial time is reflective? The reflective individual tutoring model for higher education

ABSTRACT University tutoring can play an important role in the transition from content-centered learning to student-centered learning in the transformations that are taking place in higher education institutions. This transition needs evidence-based proposals that go in this direction but that adapt to what teachers are already doing when they individually tutor their students without adding new workloads to their saturated schedules. Reflective Learning is conceived as an active Student-Centered Learning methodology that aims to increase learners’ agency, focusing specifically on developing learners’ capacities to influence their learning environments and their lifelong learning trajectories. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no model that describes how to implement reflective individual tutoring in higher education, leaving a significant gap in knowledge and research about this area of university teaching activity. The aim of this work is to present the RITHE (Reflective Individual Tutoring in Higher Education) model, based, on one hand, on the lessons learned studying highly effective tutors in primary and secondary education, and on the other, on the theoretical and methodological principles of reflective learning. This article will explain a tutorial proposal, which is structured in three blocks and seven phases. The model is intended to serve as a guide for university educators, with applications in various areas of knowledge, and to encourage evidence-based practice research on the subject.

Attitude Towards Virtual Tutoring in Higher Education

Virtual tutoring has been an essential need to give continuity to education. In this sense, the attitude, both of the teachers and the student, was also a support that allowed the approach in higher education. The present study aimed to identify the attitude towards virtual tutoring in higher education. The method used was argumentative criticism based on documentary analysis, considering the approach to the problem (Introduction), the development (arguments) and the conclusions that have been inferred. As a conclusion, it was found that the attitude shows a motivation in the behavior of people to maintain a mental disposition, generating adequate results in the educational field.

Tutors’ Responses to Student Disclosures: From “Suicidal Ideation to “Feeling a Little Stressed”

Tutors in higher education are receiving and responding to student disclosures that include racism, anxiety, loneliness, legal disputes, family upheavals, physical, emotional, and mental health, bereavement, legal battles, and harassment. In many cases, this caring aspect of the tutor role is not acknowledged, allocated time in job descriptions, or accurately remunerated. This qualitative study explored how tutors experienced and managed student disclosures, the personal and professional impact of responding to disclosures, and how tutors believed they could be better supported. Data was collected from two cohorts of participants tutoring at a University in Aotearoa New Zealand. using interviews and questionnaires and analysed by reflexive thematic analysis. Our findings showed that our participants believed they were positioned vulnerably between a rock and a hard place. At the rock, tutors were told to follow university guidelines and refer distressed students to over-loaded course coordinators or over-subscribed support services. At the hard place, tutors were often the first to be disclosed to, because of their front-facing positioning at the university and once they had heard the disclosure felt it was unethical not to try and help. Tutors believed they could assist students with personal challenges if their precarious positioning within the university was protected and strengthened and if appropriate support was provided by their university through training, time, and remuneration. Findings have implications for higher education providers to reconsider how tutors are supported to support students.

Personal Tutoring in Higher Education: an action research project on how to improve personal tutoring for both staff and students

ABSTRACT In highlighting the changes in demands on personal tutors as part of university support networks, this paper identifies how to improve the personal tutor experience for both the personal tutor and the student. Drawing upon the experiences at Nottingham Law School, Nottingham Trent University, England, this paper explores the importance of the personal tutor in the student experience, the challenges faced by staff as a personal tutor, and areas for improvement are identified. The methods section of this paper explains the benefits of the use of action resech into personal tutoring and how it can lead to greater success of a project by engaging key stakeholders, both staff and students, involved in personal tutoring. An analysis of the data collected identifies three key issues for analysis: the ambiguity of the role of the personal tutor, the lack of clarity or purpose of personal tutor meetings and a lack of confidence in staff. The paper concludes with recommendations for personal tutoring in the development of resources for staff and students on personal tutoring, which include a clear definition of the role. Moreover, future training for personal tutors is recommended.

Tutors visualized through metaphorical narratives: a role unquestioned?

ABSTRACT Do tutors in higher education have a clear vision of their role? Using qualitative methodology, this case study interprets and analyses the metaphorical narratives constructed by a group of 50 tutors referring to their own role. The results show a predominance of the most classical perspectives from which the tutoring role can be considered, in which the participants perceive themselves as the means whereby they can guide, inform and give emotional support to the students from an individual and transactional position. However, these perspectives are far removed from the idea that this function is carried out from a paradigm that is social and/or shared with other agents, based on a horizontal relationship and for the purpose of encouraging individual autonomy and a capacity for self-regulation. The unquestioning acceptance of a complex role invites us to reflect on the tutors’ professional learning, which leads us to new questions.

Virtues and shortcomings of guidance and tutoring in higher education: a longitudinal study of the TIMONEL Project

This research is established within the framework of Project TIMONEL, developing in three phases under a concurrent mixed research model. The ultimate goal was to create a Web Recommendation System (RS) to complete the tutorial and guidance work of university professors. Both qualitative and quantitative data are collected from a large sample of students and professors from different European universities on the needs and situation of guidance practice (phase 1). In addition, certain cases are investigated and the reasons, knowledge, feelings and good practices in guidance and tutoring are explored, in order to identify opportunities for improvement and elements that enable the design of the RS (phase 2). The data collected in the first and second phases of project development were used to finally build a SR capable of receiving feedback from user contributions (phase 3). Finally, the SR was evaluated, proving to be a tool of great use for university students and faculty.

Narrative encounters of pedagogic partnership, and the development of collegial capital in higher education

PurposeThe study explores the relational encounters of five higher education tutors and programme leaders, working in collaboration across contrasting institutions: one, a modern, civic university in the Global North, and the other, a parastatal institution in the Global South. The purpose of the study is to deepen the understanding of evolving collegiality within a transnational partnership, stimulated by the COVID-19 pandemic related shift to online teaching and learning.Design/methodology/approachThe inquiry is informed conceptually by the concept of narrative encounter as a site of learning, with inductive, meta-analysis undertaken across our individual reflective narratives.FindingsThe narratives reveal three emergent themes: shared purpose, shared responsibility – through focus, routinised dialogue and concreteness; collective and individual risk-taking – through negotiated decision-making; and trust in self and in peers – through reciprocity, caring, duality and building on stable practices.Research limitations/implicationsThe data from which this paper is developed and its related central thesis of collegial capital are limited and partial. However, when agility within higher education partnerships is at a premium, this paper is a useful touchstone for further reflection.Originality/valueThe paper seeks to further the concept of collegiality and collegial capital, a dialogical affordance which enabled the partnership to build on previous collaborative successes.

The role of tutoring in higher education and improving the student's academic success

The role of tutoring in higher education and improving the student's academic success

Artificial Intelligence: A Universal Virtual Tool to Augment Tutoring in Higher Education.

Artificial intelligence is an emerging technology that revolutionizes human lives. Despite the fact that this technology is used in higher education, many professors are unaware of it. In this current scenario, there is a huge need to arise, implement information bridge technology, and enhance communication in the classroom. Through this paper, the authors try to predict the future of higher education with the help of artificial intelligence. This research article throws light on the current education system the problems faced by the subject faculties, students, changing government rules, and regulations in the educational sector. Various arguments and challenges on the implementation of artificial intelligence are prevailing in the educational sector. In this concern, we have built a use case model by using a student assessment data of our students and then built a synthesized using generative adversarial network (GAN). The dataset analyzed, visualized, and fed to different machine learning algorithms such as logistic Regression (LR), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), K-nearest neighbors (KNN), classification and regression trees (CART), naive Bayes (NB), support vector machines (SVM), and finally random forest (RF) algorithm and achieved a maximum accuracy of 58%. This article aims to bridge the gap between human lecturers and the machine. We are also concerned about the psychological emotions of the faculty and the students when artificial intelligence takes control.

Social Robots in Applied Settings: A Long-Term Study on Adaptive Robotic Tutors in Higher Education.

Learning in higher education scenarios requires self-directed learning and the challenging task of self-motivation while individual support is rare. The integration of social robots to support learners has already shown promise to benefit the learning process in this area. In this paper, we focus on the applicability of an adaptive robotic tutor in a university setting. To this end, we conducted a long-term field study implementing an adaptive robotic tutor to support students with exam preparation over three sessions during one semester. In a mixed design, we compared the effect of an adaptive tutor to a control condition across all learning sessions. With the aim to benefit not only motivation but also academic success and the learning experience in general, we draw from research in adaptive tutoring, social robots in education, as well as our own prior work in this field. Our results show that opting in for the robotic tutoring is beneficial for students. We found significant subjective knowledge gain and increases in intrinsic motivation regarding the content of the course in general. Finally, participation resulted in a significantly better exam grade compared to students not participating. However, the extended adaptivity of the robotic tutor in the experimental condition did not seem to enhance learning, as we found no significant differences compared to a non-adaptive version of the robot.

Tutoría académica en la educación superior: el rol del autor académico, tutor pedagógico y del estudiante en la modalidad a distancia

Academic tutoring constitutes a pedagogical practice that allows the construction of knowledge for the different actors involved in the process, thus, this work reflects on academic tutoring in higher education, in education careers with a distance modality, made up of three subjects, the academic author, the pedagogical tutor and the student. This analysis, based on a set of questions about each of the different roles, as well as mentions the realities located, the purpose in the environment and virtual social environment and identifies four dimensions, the pedagogical, the administrative, the technological and the social, which are involved in the process of teaching and learning, which has as its purpose to learn to understand, learn to be, learn to live together, learn to act and learn to decide approaching reality as an actor in your role and enabling autonomous and collaborative work. Academic tutoring requires a process of reflection on the goal of personal formation, deepening of the role, identification of the needs of students, academic goals, emotional aspects in which the dimensions facilitate the teaching and learning process.

The role of tutoring in mastering German languages in higher education

The article reveals the problem of introducing quality tutoring in higher education, in particular Germanic languages. As practice shows, the number of students who want to master Germanic languages is growing; such students need to have an individual educational trajectory, where a special place belongs to the tutor. However, the problem of tutoring in domestic science is quite new, despite available works that reveal the theoretical and practical aspects of the tutoring development as a teaching profession, the issue of tutoring in mastering Germanic languages in higher education remains unnoticed by scholars, which makes the study relevant. Tutoring is an additional necessary component that complements the basic educational process; the tutor is a creative person, the leader of the study group, who conducts group classes, provides psychological support and individual assistance to students in solving educational and personal problems related to learning; provides career guidance and counselling. The quality of tutoring in mastering Germanic languages depends on the success of various interrelated work processes – Quality circle of tutoring: development of tutoring concept (determining the scope of classes, number of students, required number of tutors and educational goals), search for tutors (at the end of the previous semester with submission announcements and organizational meetings), training of tutors (professional and didactic), management of tutors (through regular meetings-consultations), assessment of tutoring (self-assessment and within the official evaluation system of the educational institution). A special place in the tutoring concept belongs to the documentation of all processes in order to analyse and transfer materials to the next generation of tutors. Tutoring is an important element of the quality management system in a modern higher education institution, as it realizes the values of individualization and self-determination. Prospects for further research are in the theoretical substantiation of the tutoring effectiveness in the mastering of German languages in higher education.

Tutors’ and Tutees’ Behaviors, Attitudes, and Perspectives Regarding EFL Peer Tutoring in Higher Education in Mexico

This article reports on the findings of a mixed methods research study on tutors’ and tutees’ behaviors and attitudes during the tutoring sessions and their perceptions about English language peer tutoring at a bilingual, international, and sustainable university in central Mexico. Observation, peer assessment, and semistructured interviews results suggest that tutees and tutors asked and answered questions and had a positive attitude towards error correction in almost all the sessions. Likewise, they reveal that participants clarified doubts, seemed motivated, motivated their peers, and had a constructive attitude towards teaching and learning from a peer most of the time during the tutoring. Furthermore, results indicate that the participants were positive about the experience, the sessions, their peers, and the influence in their learning.

Re:Learn

Librarians and writing tutors in higher education are working intensely to teach information literacy to students. But the extent to which this work is done collaborative or separately differs greatly between the universities. 
 •How can we facilitate collaborative learning on questions regarding the teaching of academic information literacy?
 •How do we relate this teaching to various national and international frameworks and guidelines?
 •How do we find new ways and methods for writing tutors and librarians to work together?
 •Is it possible to create a platform to facilitate the exchange of ideas and tools?
 These are some of the questions that led us to start this project: to develop an open web course on student learning of information literacy in higher education. But instead of targeting students in higher education the target group for this course is librarians and writing tutors at Swedish universities. The project is funded by the Swedish library Association.The purpose of the course is to:
 •Place information literacy in an academic context, where academic writing is included together with information seeking, referencing, plagiarism etc.
 •Develop national cooperation on issues related to the teaching of information literacy and academic writing
 •To facilitate online peer learning between collegues on issues related to teaching information literacy and academic writing
 •Develop a platform for sharing experiences regarding tools and methods
 The participants will get the opportunity to participate in workshops and PBL-inspired group work on themes regarding the teaching of information literacy in higher education. In this way we hope to facilitate a creative and collaborative learning environment. The first iteration of the course will take place April-May 2021. This presentation will be about the development of the course and what we have learned so far.

Assessing university guidance and tutoring in higher education: Validating a questionnaire on Ecuadorian students.

This study was intended to explore and confirm the factorial structure and to analyze the psychometric properties of an instrument for university guidance and tutoring, apply it, and detect differences between sociodemographic variables. A total of 1,048 students from five universities in the province of Manabi (Ecuador) participated. The study was divided into two phases with differentiated samples. An exploratory phase, made up of 200 subjects (19.1%), and another confirmatory phase, made up of 848 (80.9%), where the questionnaire was also applied. The results supported the three-factor structure of the instrument called "Questionnaire for the Assessment of Guidance and Tutoring in Higher Education" (Q-AGT), with of a total of 21 items. The indices of goodness of fit, reliability and internal consistency of the model were considered satisfactory. The application of the questionnaire did not show statistically significant differences in the assessment of university guidance and tutoring between men and women, with a high value given by both sexes to the importance of tutoring, the demands and the competences of the teaching staff in the university. The differences were mainly found between universities and branches of knowledge. Among the main conclusions, what stands out is the achievement of a valid and reliable instrument to measure the development of guidance and tutoring in Latin American universities. This contributes to the assessment of university guidance and tutoring as a strategy for the integral development of the student- personally, academically and professionally- and as a possible protective factor against academic dropout.

Digitally proficient but disconnected from the outdoor world? A reflection on pedagogies used in an Early Years degree in higher education

PurposeThe purpose of this case study is to reflect on the blended pedagogies applied with a second year cohort of Early Years (EY) undergraduate students. It focusses on the experiences of both learner and educator as they explore the use of blending technology and outdoor learning to support a holistic curriculum in 21st century early years practice.Design/methodology/approachA reflective case study approach was applied to practice in situ as part of an outdoor learning project within a Level 5 module. One Higher Education (HE) tutor and 24 EY students participated in the study. Three research questions informed the reflective study: an exploration around the tensions of how digital technology might be blended with the more traditional, sensory and experiential pedagogies of outdoor learning, using an app. It considers the effects of this approach on student learning and what lessons can be learnt by the tutor in attempting to model these pedagogies.FindingsThis case study reveals the advantages and discomfort of role modelling a practice as HE tutor that has not been applied before in this context and as such is considered an innovative pedagogy (Koros-Mikis, 2009). EY students engaged in the blended provision, applying digital technology for educational purposes and this resulted in enhanced collaborative learning between students and tutor, affecting attendance and motivation to try new approaches in their practice. Reflecting on this practice has revealed that pedagogical thinking can be transformed when ideas are shared in a way that appears non-judgemental and new approaches can be applied where the right environment affords such opportunities.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations are around sample size, and a longer period of time for students to engage with a Personal Learning Environment (PLE), evidencing sustained engagement. The focus is one that is pertinent to the issues currently being considered as part of curriculum reform in Wales and as such may not hold the same weight in other parts of the world. As a case study, it is recognised that this is not generalizable and thus not easily replicable (Gilbert, 2008).Practical implicationsIssues around modelling pedagogies that depict 21st century learning are highlighted for “digital immigrant” HE teaching staff members. Understanding how to apply digital technology in a digital world within our own, often traditional practices, particularly in the field of early years outdoor learning needs further exploration in light of the new curriculum for Wales so that future practitioners are able to consider the holistic approach of blending pedagogies across areas of learning and not working in subject-specific silos.Social implicationsThe implications of this case study raise questions around the appropriateness of training and development for “digital immigrant” staff members, understanding student digital competency, blending pedagogical approaches, as well as the debate around digital technologies being part of young children's learning within a reformed curriculum in Wales. These challenges present questions that require social consideration as well as arguments as to why they cannot be overlooked.Originality/valueThis case study identifies a need to explore the ways in which blended pedagogies are applied and modelled in HE practice and to observe how it influences students learning and beliefs in their own pedagogical practices. The curriculum reform in Wales suggests that teaching and learning will need to be far more holistic in nature and these two areas currently collide as pedagogies. Thus being able to demonstrate the value of them in synergy will be most helpful to practitioners who will need to make a paradigm shift in their approaches to embrace the new curriculum.

Can Online Collaborative Works Offer a Solution to the Over Crowded Classes in Egyptian Universities?

This study investigates tutors’ perception towards students’ group work when they learn online as a proposed solution for overcrowded classes. The study context is the Egyptian Higher Education (HE) system and the research participants were 20 HE tutors who either teach in a blended learning environment or virtual classroom. This research adopted a phenomenological qualitative approach and data were collected through focus groups and one-to-one interviews. The study concluded that online collaborative learning offers opportunities for studying outside the standard brick-and-mortar classroom and potentially overcoming the problem of overcrowded classes. Although such option has certain advantages, it also presents its own challenges. Tutors acknowledged the benefits of online collaborative learning; however, the tutors also raised some cultural and pedagogical concerns they deemed as hindrances to the learning effectiveness as a whole. Recommendations concerning the effective implementation of online collaborative learning are given.

Questioning personal tutoring in higher education: an activity theoretical action research study

ABSTRACT Personal tutoring as an academic role is neither innovative nor one-dimensional. Engagement in the personal tutoring system correlates to student retention and ultimately achievement. Today the role is considered extensive with the Personal Tutor endeavouring to provide students with both academic and personal support. Whilst literature recognises the value of personal tutoring, little is known of role perceptions or associated practice. The study, undertaken with staff across two University of Cumbria departments, took an action research approach and utilised semi-structured interviews to explore their personal tutoring role perceptions and practice. Analysis was abductive, first through inductive open coding thematic analysis, then deductive, considering the categories and themes using Activity Theory. Key themes, contradictions and areas of development recommended for practice and policy are considered.

La recherche sur l’encadrement à distance en enseignement supérieur

Le but de notre projet est de réaliser une revue de littérature de la recherche sur l’encadrement à distance en enseignement supérieur, publiée en français et anglais. Cet article décrit la première étape de ce projet, dont la réalisation a permis de répondre aux objectifs suivants : (1) constituer une base documentaire ouverte sur le thème de l’encadrement à distance ; (2) analyser la notion d’encadrement à distance ; (3) dresser une synthèse des publications contenues dans la base documentaire. La méthodologie herméneutique de la revue de littérature (Boell et Cecez-Kecmanovic, 2014) a permis de clarifier la notion d’encadrement à distance et de cibler l’encadrement dans les cours à distance comme le thème principal de la revue de littérature. La base documentaire, disponible en accès libre sur le web, comporte 486 publications sur ce thème. Les résultats présentent une vue d’ensemble de la recherche dans les deux perspectives, anglophone et francophone ainsi que son évolution entre 1974 et 2016, en tenant compte du contexte organisationnel et institutionnel (université unimodale à distance vs université présentielle) des pratiques de l’encadrement dans les cours à distance.