Tutoring in an Online Environment

Deborah Hardwick, ManagerOnline Tutoring ProgramHouston Community College

Working Online is Different

Many believe that tutoring online is just like working face-to-face with students, but that isn’t true!

What is a Tutor? View results from: Dictionary | Thesaurus | Encyclopedia | All Reference | the Web Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source tu·tor       ˈtu tər, ˈtyu-/ Pronunciation Key -

Show Spelled Pronunciation[too-ter, tyoo-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun 1.a person employed to instruct another in some branch or branches of learning, esp. a private

instructor. 2.a teacher of academic rank lower than instructor in some American universities and colleges. 3.a teacher without institutional connection who assists students in preparing for examinations. 4.(esp. at Oxford and Cambridge) a university officer, usually a fellow, responsible for teaching and supervising a number of undergraduates. 5.the guardian of a boy or girl below the age of puberty or majority. –verb (used with object) 6.to act as a tutor to; teach or instruct, esp. privately. 7.to have the guardianship, instruction, or care of. 8.to instruct underhandedly; coach: to tutor a witness before he testifies. 9.Archaic. a.to train, school, or discipline. b.to admonish or reprove. –verb (used without object) 10.to act as a tutor or private instructor. 11.to study privately with a tutor.

[Origin: 1350–1400; ME < L tūtor protector, equiv. to tū- (var. s. of tuérī to guard; see tutelage) + -tor -tor ]

—Related forms tu·tor·less, adjective tu·tor·ship, noun

and at HCC – to tutorize! —Synonyms 6. See teach.

Two Types of Tutors

Teachers Out-of-class conferences E-mail conferences Phone conferences

Non-teachers (at least, not that student’s teacher) Private, paid tutors Peer tutors College-hired face-to-face tutors Online (or distance) tutors

Three Types of Online Tutoring

Small group – This can be done in chat rooms.

Large group – This is also done in chat rooms or through message boards.

Individual – this is the most common form and can be synchronous or asynchronous.

Online Tutoring Platforms

Ask-a-Tutor – some schools use a phone system.

E-mail – a school’s internal e-mail system may be used.

IM (Instant messaging) – this is useful for short questions but impractical for longer ones or papers.

Tutoring Platform – this is an integrated system with multiple modes of contact.

Why We Need Multiple Methods

Not all students learn the same way. Not all students are comfortable asking for

help. Getting tutoring help still carries a stigma

in many students’ eyes. Our students often have complex lives.

How Is Online Tutoring Different?

In a traditional face-to-face setting, tutors get many cues from conversation with students. Immediate clarification can be asked for and given. Online, tutors need to be more intuitive and read the student’s submission much more carefully in order to provide not only overt help, but also covert help.

Let’s Look at Similarities and Differences Before we can get into HOW to tutor

online, we need to start with what you already know from f-2-f tutoring.

Then, we can move into the virtual realm!

Significant Differences between Online and F-2-F Tutoring

Online tutoring entails No visual feedback Communication delays Mastery of technological tools More work in written communication (typing takes

longer than talking) Often incomplete information about assignments

Significant Similarities in All Types of Tutoring

For the student, both face-to-face and online For the student, both face-to-face and online tutoringtutoringrequire engagement, initiative, assertiveness,

and self-direction.demand a commitment to growth, and that

commitment involves time and energy.

In face-to-face and online environments, In face-to-face and online environments, tutors musttutors must address individual learning needs.help students minimize learning gaps.address academic anxiety and fears.

Tutors’ Roles: Online and F-2-F Tutors Must Never undermine the teacher’s role. second-guess the teacher’s judgment. take sides in a debate about grades. do a student’s work.

Online Tutors Must Be Role Models

If you are tutoring in a synchronous platform (phone, chat room, IM), you MUST be there when you are scheduled.

In whatever format, use correct English. Students may use text-slang – tutors never should.

Humor can be cutting – it must be used sparingly and cautiously.

If you want students to take tutoring seriously, you must treat it seriously. Be respectful, professional, and humane.

Online Tutoring Challenges

Communication – there are no visual cues, and the time lag in asynchronous online tutoring can lead to frustration for students and tutors. This is directly related to the lack of immediate feedback. Tutors don’t know if they have hit the mark, if students understand what they said, or if there are related questions.

Please post suggestions for dealing with this problem through the “Communication” thread in REPLY.

More Challenges

Establishing boundaries

Because students may be sitting in their underwear (and tutors may, too!) it is easy to forget that this is a professional relationship. Students may confuse their tutor(s) with other friends who e-mail on a regular basis, adding personal notes and comments that are inappropriate.

On a Related Note ...

When does the work cease to be the student’s and become the tutor’s?

This is a crucial issue. Program managers must set guidelines for how often a piece of work can be reviewed and how much work can be done. Remember that teachers have to grade student work, not tutor work. Please respond to this question in the “Whose Work

Is It?” REPLY thread.

Unreasonable Student Expectations

Just as some students expect f-2-f tutors to do the work, they also may expect it of online tutors. They may submit a list of physics problems from the text without even trying to solve them. They may send a teacher’s assignment and ask the tutor what they should do / write / answer. Please make suggestions to solve this problem

though the “Unreasonable Expectations” REPLY thread.

Scheduling and Time Management

Whether you are working in a synchronous or asynchronous environment, timeliness and punctuality are important, not only for the reputation of the tutoring program, but as a model for students.

Know your programs turn-around times and always strive to beat them.

Online Tutoring Advantages

Online environments can increase the comfort zone for tutors and students.

In an online environment, students usually can be trained to

include the prompts (Ask questions)(Ask questions) pinpoint particular problems (Identify concerns) (Identify concerns)

Online platforms limit or eliminate rambling, making the time use more efficient.

Asynchronous tutoring allows tutors time for reflection and carefully constructed answers.

Tutors’ Role in Tutoring:Tutors must always lead students to answers, not give them

answers. find something praiseworthy in any work

students do. be honest yet optimistic with students. keep students’ confidences except when

there is a perceived danger to self or others. tutor the student, not the subject.

Students’ Role in Tutoring:Students must always understand what tutors can and can’t do, especially

that tutors will not do their work for them. the time constraints of tutoring availability. how to prepare for the tutoring session. that tutoring is not a substitute for

studying.

Good tutoring leads students to Good tutoring leads students to answers rather than giving them.answers rather than giving them.

Online Tutoring usually makes studentsusually makes students work harder, as they cannot “con” work harder, as they cannot “con” tutors into doing “just one more tutors into doing “just one more problem...” problem...”

In summary ...

Online, or distance, tutoring is here to stay. It is new, so what we do in the next couple of years will determine the path it will take. Those of us working in the field now are developing best practices, and those who follow can learn from the work of all who have gone before.

Contact Information

Deborah Hardwick, Manager, Online Tutoring Services

Deborah.hardwick@hccs.edu (best way) 713-718-5340 (leave a message)