Distance learning tutor: one function, multiple tasks

Ms. Besma BEN SALAH, what is your professional background?

A computer scientist by training, I've been teaching at the Institut Supérieur des Etudes Technologiques de Sousse, in the Computer Technologies Department since its creation in September 1995. I'm also in charge of its Technology Resource Center specialized in ICT and multimedia.

After obtaining the Master UTICEF (Replaced today by the Master ACREDITE) in 2004, I joined its pedagogical team as a distance tutor.

In parallel, I intervene occasionally with the AUF as a trainer for the workshops Transfer of axis 3: Development of educational technologies which includes workshops 3.2: Design, development and use of online courses, 3.3: Creation and management of an ADF environment and 3.4: Tutoring in an ADF.

How did you come to be recruited as a tutor?

I simply took part in a call for applications launched by the University of Strasbourg a few months after I obtained my Master's degree.

I was first entrusted with teaching unit 4 relating to the Collective Project, then modules covering The tools of communication and information dissemination,  Tutoring and coaching tools  and cross-disciplinary seminars.

Since January 2005, I have been part of the team that reports to TECFA (Technologies de Formation et Apprentissage) which is an academic unit of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the University of Geneva. Directed by Daniel Peraya, I am in charge of the modules Elements of EAD/FAD devices, Pedagogical follow-up in the context of an FAD, Mediation/Mediatization of educational content, Introduction of innovation in teaching or training structures.

What makes tutoring so special to the success of an ADT?

Tutoring is an essential part of all ADT schemes that focus on the quality of the support provided, and is a guarantee of the quality of the training. The tutor remains a constant point of reference for learners, even if his or her role differs according to the pedagogical presuppositions inherent in the training device: he or she may be a facilitator in a constructivist device, a facilitator in a collaborative device, or an expert in a transmissive device. The designers of distance-learning systems are increasingly aware of the benefits of online coaching, and are multiplying the number of support services available. Moreover, in the face of the problem of isolation, the tutor humanizes the ADL device, providing remote learners with a sense of security and helping to install a climate of trust within the learning community.

Interventions at different stages of training

What exactly are your interventions with students?

My interventions as a tutor have a dual purpose: on the one hand, to monitor, and on the other, to assess the learners' progress. They apply to different moments and aspects of the training process, and can be at the cognitive, metacognitive, methodological, technical and even socio-affective (motivational) level. If we try to situate them in time, these interventions take place before, during and after training:

• Before the start of the module: With the help of the training coordinator, I check the technological environment (platform or portal) to ensure the availability of resources, instructions and the reliability of communication tools. Chat, for example, requires special ports to be opened by Internet service providers. A few days before the first meeting with learners, I contact them by e-mail to introduce myself, tell them about the module's objectives, explain the assessment criteria and communicate the organizational arrangements adopted: dates and locations of synchronous meetings, organization of activities, location of resources, agenda for the first chat, etc.
• During the module: In addition to facilitating the synchronous meetings, I try to keep in touch with learners, by email or via the forum, to indicate the most appropriate modalities for their learning, remind them of the imperatives of the work schedule, establish the link between modules and encourage them to use their prior knowledge. At the end of each synchronous meeting, I write up and distribute the chat minutes, which summarize the main points of the discussions and the collective decisions to which the learners must adhere. Once the minutes have been handed in, I send an acknowledgement of receipt, including, if necessary, a reminder to any latecomers. A few days later, I send feedback on the completed activity. At the same time, and with regard to training coordination, I monitor attendance by declaring any unannounced absence or risk of dropping out.
• At the end of the module: I complete the evaluation report with feedback and grades for all productions. A general debriefing is then organized to gather learners' impressions of how the training went. If a synchronous meeting is impossible to organize due to the commitment of learners elsewhere, the collection can take the form of a questionnaire to fill out.

What about your involvement with other players in the FAD scheme?

 As a tutor, I interact with the other players in the FAD device, in particular with the designer of the modules I coach. Prior to training, we consult each other to discuss objectives, resources, activity instructions, production and communication tools. Afterwards, during the general debriefing, I report on the progress of the session, and this is also an opportunity to capitalize on the experiences of the various tutors and suggest rectifications. Of course, it's up to the designer to decide whether or not to adopt these modifications. In our case, with the TECFA team and Daniel Peraya, I recall that in the summer of 2006, a considerable reworking was envisaged for the activities of three out of four modules, following suggestions from tutors. Last summer, proposals were made concerning the fourth module, the designer will perhaps take them up again for this session or the next.

During training, I often communicate with the other tutors and this is to harmonize practices, discuss the conditions under which activities are carried out, assessment criteria and the grading system for greater fairness. In particular, the evaluation of the discussion forums was the subject of pertinent exchanges between all the tutors involved in the TECFA training. Everyone had his or her own way of doing things, and the confrontation resulted in a more homogeneous assessment. We work as a close-knit team, and this is particularly important when new tutors join the team, as the old ones show them their ways and give them the latitude to adopt a tutoring style of their own.

This collaboration with all the players in the scheme involves audio-conference meetings and the exchange, by e-mail or in synchronous meetings, of proposals, reports and documents. 

Strong constraints for learners and the personalization of interventions

In the courses you tutor, how can students reconcile work and training?        

Professional overload is one of the serious problems a distance learner can  face. The feeling of frustration at work not done or not done well because of pressing professional commitments doesn't help to maintain motivation and involvement. This problem is even more critical when the activity requires regular intervention. Discussions on the forum, for example, are open for a limited period of time (a week, for example), they require daily contributions.

It happens quite often that due to workloads or business travel, learners are unable to combine work and training, finding themselves obliged to ask for extensions to complete the training activity. In such situations, I try to be understanding but also vigilant to enable these learners to benefit from and pass the module and at the same time remain fair to all.

Collaborative activities are also demanding in terms of availability and are sometimes difficult to reconcile with busy work. Faced with all these situations, learners are called upon to keep a precise agenda and to "sacrifice" their rest and leisure time to be able to combine training with professional or even family commitments.

This being said, it's important to keep in mind that collaborative activities are not just a matter of time.

This said, it should be pointed out that the use of integrated technological environments for ADF offers connection facilities. These facilities are all the more appreciated when traveling, as the learner finds his learning context even when connecting from a cybercafé. All they need to do is find the time to learn.

How can we personalize support for distance learners?

Distance learning devices accommodate learners with different needs in terms of help and support, so tutors need to be highly flexible and gear their practices to the specific needs of different learners. The individualization of follow-up is essential to act on the motivation and perseverance of distance learners.

It must be emphasized that the diversity of the tutor's interventions and the heaviness of his or her load require a great deal of availability, regularity, consistency, rapid feedback and real commitment. Since tutoring is a mode of relationship between people pursuing common goals, this commitment must be shared between learner and tutor.

The tutor's most difficult tasks are to constantly (re)motivate and relaunch learners, and to manage conflicts that may arise within the community. This, both to overcome remote learners' sense of isolation and  to set the right context for learning. It's not always easy: I remember being asked to supervise a group of twelve learners for nine weeks on a collective project. Everyone was motivated, given the direct impact of the module's learning on the completion of the personal projects considered and assessed as end-of-course projects. In this group, the problem was that everyone wanted to make and impose their own contribution, with no concern for the coherence of the whole. This led to conflict between several members. We had to get them to discuss, coordinate and rethink their contributions in the light of the overall context. At the end of the teaching unit, during the final debriefing, I noticed that the incident experienced and my negative feedback on the incoherence of their productions were among the highlights of the period, and the term "concertation" was retained as the key word for successful collaborative work in proposing a coherent product.

Task-based learning

What is needed to improve remote tutoring services?

The tutor must be sure to adopt the right attitude to each situation, adapting to the pedagogical context. If he or she is unable to do so, training and/or further training are required to acquire the skills of a mediator ensuring the link between the learner and knowledge.

The tutor must be sure of adopting the right attitude to each situation, adapting to the teaching context.

With the TECFA team, we had the opportunity to attend a module as a co-tutor, alongside a senior tutor. This hierarchical tutoring structure enables the novice tutor to benefit from the services and monitoring of an experienced tutor who guides his or her first steps, supports them in their initial interventions and teaches them how to regulate the help given to learners. The co-tutor is then entrusted with a number of tasks, such as facilitating synchronous meetings, writing up meeting minutes or providing intermediate feedback on learners' work. In all these actions, he is prepared and accompanied by the experienced tutor. This approach not only ensures initiation to tutorial services, but also increases the novice tutor's confidence to embark on a similar experience without apprehension. 

The formation of tutor communities of practice, the encouragement of reflective practices collectively or via individual tools such as the logbook, concretize the approach of mutualization, experience sharing and collective learning. This encourages the development of the "savoir être" that underpins online management skills. Tutors will no longer be tempted to make a rapprochement with the face-to-face environment and implicitly reproduce their daily practices by changing the tools and modes of communication.

Another prerequisite for improving tutors' performance is recognition of their profession and the definition of a clear professional status. Unquestionably, this is far from being the case in several countries, which extol the benefits of integrating ICT and ADT without making the necessary effort to improve tutors' working conditions. This lack of status can be clearly seen in the variety of calculation methods adopted for the remuneration of online tutors, oscillating between fixed hours (per learner or per module) and time spent. In both cases, it is impossible to determine the precise amount of time invested. Remuneration is rarely appropriate to the volume of work required and the availability demanded.