Role of the Online tutor

Hello everyone,

I see the “constructivist, learner-directed” instructional model being promoted in the EPA.  This is in stark contrast to the teacher centred learning many of us – or at least I – have been used to in previous classes..  I say this because we are not simply being given a set of information and asked to recall them in an “assessment”.  We are asked instead to create our own learning experiences but more that that we are expected to create the experience of our peers by the quality and quantity of our interaction with them.

Based on the five roles students elucidated were necessary in an online tutor namely planner, model, coach, facilitator and communicator I found it difficult to select only three however the following are my choices for the most important:

Responsibility	Why it is important
Communicator	In an online setting a tutor’s communication responsibilities multiplies ten-fold.  Students lack the numerous opportunities for information sharing which naturally abound in face-to-face classes.  They do not have the benefit of hearing their peers questions nor the tutor’s response to those questions as they would in an on-the-ground classroom. As such it is the tutor’s role to anticipate these questions and provide ample guidance and opportunities for student collaboration to ensure all students are aware of course policies, course content, modes of delivery, assessment schedule, tutor availability, synchronous meeting times (if applicable), tutor expectations of the students and many others.  The tutor must communicate these things and more in a manner which does not overwhelm the student but is comprehensive enough to lead to an informed student group.  If the communicator role of an online tutor is neglected or poorly performed the students are unlikely to become engaged with their course material.
Model	The online environment is fairly new to most students and the tutor must lead by example with the types of behaviour they wish to see modeled by their students.  Timeliness w.r.t. grading and feedback on the part of the tutor will likely lead to students being timely with assignment submissions and group or discussion contributions.  If the instructor does not lead by example in this regard students will get lost along the way and possibly never recover.
Coach	In an online environment it is even more necessary for instructors to cheer on their students when they perform well on their assignments or tests.  The disconnect students often feel when enrolled in an online class can be overcome by having the instructor applaud success and provide positive critiques on work submitted by persons at risk of becoming discouraged in the class.

These are my thoughts for now on the matter.

Web 2.0 tools and my teaching approach

There are three main ways I see the use of web 2.0 tools affecting my teaching approach:

1.  Feedback – these tools improve the immediacy of accessing and digesting student feedback.  I can now adjust my teaching or lesson plan to the needs of my class as I progress through the semester thereby creating a more custom tailored classroom experience for the student(s)
2.  Active rather than passive participation – The use of these tools often encourage ‘doing’ over seeing.  I would incorporate more quizzes and group activities in my lessons.
3.  Flipped classrooms – The tools available make it easy to provide students with course material (text, audio and video) one week in advance so that they can read it through and even start completing a study/work sheet thy will complete at the next class.  I believe this will be of great benefit as it will allow me to offer the student support when they need it most – while doing the activity!