Last Friday, October 17th, I attended a kickoff for the Ohio University Chillicothe Technology-Rich Creative Writing Learning Community at Shawnee State University.
What we are looking at, specifically, is an OLN (Ohio Learning Network) partnership between the WC and Dr. Jan Schmittauer's online writing courses.
This partnership is an exciting opportunity to begin thinking of all the benefits and challenges of online tutoring.
So, let's begin the conversation here.
What experiences, if any, have you had with online tutoring? What benefits do you see coming from this partnership? What challenges might we need to be aware of and work to overcome? Perhaps some people will be more inclined to engage in online tutoring than others--these are all issues we will need to discuss.
I'd like some type of initial response to this post by Nov. 3rd.
Also, I'll be putting a brief reading, "Protocols and Process in Online Tutoring," in your mailboxes. Please have it read by the 3rd as well and feel free to use it in your response.
Cheers,
Debra
B.t.w. I did see Tim & Kelly! What a hoot--they weren't expecting to see me at all. They are doing great and promised to stop in soon.
8 comments:
I have not used online tutoring for school, but I had a job where most of our training came through iChat (like AIM for Apple). It was helpful as it worked around my schedule; I could multitask easier. That may be a benefit for students who have limited time to get to campus. I kept a folder of conversations had with trainers, in case I needed to reference the information again.
The biggest downside I see is the technology. I have dial-up internet access. The slower speed won't run many newer programs, or may run them painfully slow. Some people may not have that option at home.
All of this is assuming the student has a computer and is comfortable with using it.
I have never used online tutoring. I certainly think that it would have pros and cons, just as any new technology.
I think that some people who would not feel comfortable coming in (for what ever reasons) would find "safety" in the online tutoring. However, I think the whole essence of peer-to-peer would be lost online. I do think that most students who take online classes are quite motivated and would be in the mindset to benefit from online tutoring.
I also think that the scheduling/appointment aspect would be a nightmare.
Thanks for your input, womyn!
You seem to share some of the exact thought and emotions I have about this transition.
I have yet to read the article, myself, so we will need to see what issues it brings up.
The conference I just attended spoke a lot to online tutoring and even making our webpage more accessible. I'll be working with Patty, trying to find the most accessible, least expensive software to use.
Keep thinking!
I cannot express how truly excited I am about this opportunity! Online tutoring! How awesome!
First of all, I'd like to say that I do not think the peer-to-peer experience will be lost online. I have taken many of Jan Schmittauer's online English courses, and feel that she's been the most constructive professor I've had yet. She has it down to a science. She utilizes many tools to help her effectively communicate with her students; this quarter she began sending us an MP3 of her comments for each assignment. If the tutor maintains a professional yet friendly voice, and makes some casual conversation from time to time, the tutee will gain that tutor's trust, and an online relationship will be created.
I like the idea of conversing through email, with attachments, but chat sessions should also be considered. We could use a free chat service like Meebo to do this. Meebo is a chat aggregator, so the tutee could simply log into Meebo with whatever chat applet account they already have. If they don't have one, it would be easy enough to set up. I think the email method will work fine enough, but for immediate feedback, chat would work great.
Like Sarah, I also think certain students would prefer the option of obtaining tutoring online. As stated in "Protocols and Process in Online Tutoring," many students feel like they're being put on the spot during a tutoring session. I think the online advantage will help take some of this pressure off. Students and tutors will be free to focus on the content of the assignment, and as the article says, "Online comments do tend to get to the point much quicker than face-to-face tutoring.
I like how the chapter we were assigned to read outlines a successful online tutoring session:
1. Establish a relationship - give a friendly introduction.
2. Give constructive feedback that does not focus on grammatical errors, but content as a whole. Teach the tutee what repetive mistakes are found and how to correct them in the future.
3. Ask open-ended questions.
4. End with constructive feedback - What was good about the paper; what needs work; and good luck.
And I really like the idea of using hotlinks to direct the student to further information.
The chapter also mentions the tutor taking on the ultimate role of editor, looking more scrutinizingly at content rather than mechanics. I've done this, and yes, sometimes via the Web. Working with staff writers required many different methods. Sometimes, they'd be at an event emailing me a story. I had to be quick on my feet, emailing them back with suggestions and questions regarding the story they were working on.
I could go on and on....
Like I said, I'm so excited about this!
Are we going to be tutoring through live chat or e-mailed papers?
Live chat would be helping someone who is "almost" there in person. How fun! Questions can be answered and responses given immediately. I do not believe the physical presence of others is required to achieve excellence. Communication is really all that is required for success.
The article discusses the lack of body language while using online tutoring, and points out that the tutors introductory comments are more important because of this. Online chat offers a wonderful chance to instantly explain something that may have been misunderstood with out a smile.
What may work is to have a student submit a paper through e-mail then set up a time to log on for live chat. This would give the tutor a chance to read the paper and be prepared with suggestions.
E-mailing papers is another option, and would allow the student being tutored to see exactly what the tutor means with suggestions. The article explains way to go about making comments, but explains the issues with feedback. I encourage people I tutor to ask questions about my suggestions. Part of what i do is making sure the student is satisfied with my suggestions and that all their questions are answered.
On the other hand, since we all have our own styles with organizing a session, the e-mail may work better than live chat.
Voice recording would be a way to put the smile back in the session. It does help me to hear a voice (such as Dr. Schmittauer) when dealing with something I spent many hours writing. I like to know if some of it made her laugh, or her favorite lines. Someone who was shy about coming to a tutor may respond better to a human voice than to typed words.
This an interesting concept, and i really want to see where it goes.
For me, your best idea, Karalea, may have been "What may work is to have a student submit a paper through e-mail then set up a time to log on for live chat"!
I love both/and solutions!!
All of you have great suggestions for this new endeavor! I really appreciate the insight. Hopefully, we can also start with a pilot, so no one is extremely overwhelmed. We want to make sure we continue to satisfy our customers....and our tutors.
We have not made any decisions yet as to software or technologies, for that matter, to use yet. Any suggestions or ideas that we can come up with to empower our customers is definitely worth considering. One idea I have that maybe we could try is to create a FAQ site affiliated with tutoring. You may want to think if you get common questions from your tutees that could be compiled on a webpage.
You guys are great!
Great to see you on here, Patty! Jen must have posted your comment, because she also has access to our comments and design.
I am looking forward to working on this pilot soon!
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