An importance–competence analysis of the roles and competencies of e-tutors at an open distance learning institution

Abstract

This study investigates the role of the e-tutor within an open distance learning (ODL) higher education institution in terms of perceptions of the work roles and assessment of the competencies of the e-tutor. As part of the universities' strategic plan the importance of providing excellent service to learners is strongly emphasised. E-tutors are the learner's first and foremost contact with the university; they invariably become the face of the ODL university for the geographically distant learner. E-tutors are therefore strategically important for the perceived quality and attractiveness of the university, however, they can also be a vulnerable link in the university's educational chain. The process of online tutoring therefore becomes a critical success factor in learners' acceptance of e-learning. The first phase of this research focuses on the e-tutor's perspective, investigating the competencies required by etutors to function effectively in an online environment, as well as their perceived role. A survey was administered to e-tutors in the College of Economic and Management Sciences of the university to assess their perceived roles and competencies. Understanding the importance of these roles and identifying necessary tutoring skills is paramount for the success of e-learning solutions.

The Virtual Tutor: Tasks for conversational agents in Online Collaborative Learning Environments

“…Scheduling: includes the e-tutors' assistance regarding the general online course administration as well as the time and self-management of students. Therefore, the e-tutors are responsible for checking the participants' presence in the online collaborative learning environment, informing them about organizational issues and additionally setting up checkpoints or deadlines and reminding students of them [22,36].…”

“…Feedback: The main responsibility within this task is providing appropriate feedback on submitted materials [14] and the students' work by observation during class [18]. Additionally, the e-tutors are responsible to support the students in the reflection of learning activities and outcomes [36] and to discuss their work together with the learners. Finally yet importantly, this task implies checking the learning progress of students by using assessment methods [51] and as a result grading assignments and results of the students [21].…”

“…Organizational Support: includes answering organizational questions (e.g. grading or processes) and clarifying the course structure [29,36].…”

El papel del tutor en la enseñanza de la educación a distancia: una revisión sistemática sobre el enfoque de competencias

“…Teniendo en cuenta las descripciones presentadas, está claro que el tutor en línea tiene un papel más complejo que los profesores tradicionales (Metz & Bezuidenhout, 2018). El tutor de educación a distancia realiza numerosas funciones relacionadas tanto con aspectos pedagógicos, motivacionales y orientados a la resolución de problemas relacionados con las plataformas utilizadas.…”

“…Página 3 de 26 Cleveland-Innes & Stenbom, 2018;Metz & Bezuidenhout 2018). El término competencia se asocia con una habilidad requerida de un individuo para realizar una determinada función y se compone básicamente de conocimientos, habilidades y actitudes (Skorková, 2016;Sousa & Barbosa, 2018).…”