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Link to Online Tutoring Mini-Course

Learning Outcomes

This section explains the Learning Outcomes of Online Tutoring Mini-Course

Participants will select method of online tutoring: synchronous or asynchronous.

Participants will discuss 5 methods of specific pedagogy which encompasses both instructional and social support or group development.

Participants will explain how the online tutoring relates to specific course instruction.

Participants will demonstrate methods of strategic online tutoring activities.

Needs Assessment

This outlines the Needs Assessment of Online Tutoring Mini-Course

Educational Opportunity: Online tutoring and leadership has been widely considered as a crucial factor in the success of computer-mediated collaborative learning activities (McPherson et al, 2003). Although similar in many respects to face-to-face (f2f) delivery, online tutoring differs in a number of ways (Gerrard, 2002), so even the most experienced f2f tutor lacks the knowledge and skills necessary to be an effective online tutor.
Nature of What is To Be Learned: Participants will gain knowledge and learn skills that will allow them to effectively tutor students in an online environment.
Learner Profiles: Online Tutoring mini-course participants are teachers who have experience tutoring f2f but lack experience, skills, and knowledge that allow them to tutor in an online setting. Participants come from a variety of disciplines, and have experienced online studies through their previous education. Participants have voluntarily registered for this mini-course and are both intrinsically and externally motivated to learn.
Learning Context: Online tutor must, in addition to the subject matter expertise and traditional pedagogical training, be able to demonstrate additional skills.
Instructional Solution: Pending.
Goals: Participants will gain additional skills, including the ability to:

    * Plan and organize delivery by clearly specifying learning objectives and outcomes;
    * Set learning agendas and providing leadership and scaffolding in learning activities;
    * Welcome and embrace diversity of learning outcomes, attitudes and styles;
    * Adapt supporting styles to the needs of individual participants;
    * Provide advice on different levels of access to learning materials according to the needs of individual participants;
    * Create an atmosphere of collaborative learning of which the e-tutor him/herself is often an integral part;
    * Be able to cope with and resolve on-line conferencing conflicts and difficult behaviors;
    * Encourage active construction of knowledge by being actively involved in discussions, activities and debates;
    * Develop and implement methods for learner feedback and reinforcement;
    * Present advanced organizers into the content materials and advice on learning pace so as to avoid cognitive overload  
      and information anxiety.
     (McPherson, 2004)

Performance Objectives

These are the Performance Objectives of Online Tutoring Mini-Course

Using the provided mini-course text and references, the participant will choose ways to create a tutoring community evidenced by interacting with other participants.
Through mini-course activities the participant will generate an atmosphere of collaborative learning by creating examples of group activities to be used while tutoring.
Using the provided mini-course text and references, the participant will choose ways to create a tutoring community evidenced by interacting with other participants.
The participant will choose reading strategies they can use while tutoring, evidenced by using them during reading activities with other participants.
Using the provided mini-course text, the participant will identify the type of delivery system they will use to tutor by naming the method used (either asynchronous or synchronous).
In the online tutoring mini-course setting participants will generate, in writing, the assessment methods they can use to provide learner feedback during tutoring.

Instructional Map of Online Tutoring Mini-Course

Through mini-course activities the participant will generate an atmosphere of collaborative learning by creating examples of group activities to be used while tutoring.

Type of Learning Outcome: Intellectual skill (Higher-Order Rule)

Essential Prerequisites: Discriminate between activities which can be group orientated and activities which are individualized. Indicate your choice with I (individual) or G (group).

Supportive Prerequisites: Verbal Information: In your own words, explain the difference between an activity which is geared toward an individual working on their own and an activity which is geared towards group work.

Using the provided mini-course text and references, the participant will choose ways to create a tutoring community evidenced by interacting with other participants.

Type of Learning Outcome: Attitude

Essential Prerequisites: Verbal Information: Write an essay in which 3 tutoring methods are discussed. Make sure to explain, in your own words, what the word “community” means and why it is important in tutoring online.

Supportive Prerequisites: Other attitudes, verbal information: Choose 1 students’ essay to read and critique. Make sure to choose an essay which no other student has already reviewed.

The participant will choose strategies/activities they can use while tutoring, evidenced by using them during reading activities with other participants.

Type of Learning Outcome: Attitude

Essential Prerequisites: Intellectual skills: Use 2 different reading strategies from last weeks’ reading assignment to read this week’s assignment (2 chapters total this week).

Supportive Prerequisites: Verbal Information: Discuss the differences you saw between the 2 strategies you used and how each one could benefit a student who you are tutoring.

Using the provided mini-course text, the participant will identify the type of delivery system they will use to tutor by naming the method used (either asynchronous or synchronous).

Type of Learning Outcome: Intellectual Skill (Concrete Concept)

Essential Prerequisites: Simpler Component Skills (Rules): Given a list of multiple choice examples of tutoring activities, classify which are asynchronous and which are synchronous.

Supportive Prerequisites: Cognitive Strategy: Browse through the web and find 6 examples of asynchronous and synchronous classrooms (3 apiece). Provide links to each and tell the class what each link is an example of (A for asynchronous and S for Synchronous).

In the online tutoring mini-course setting participants will generate, in writing, the assessment methods they can use to provide learner feedback during tutoring.

Type of Learning Outcome: Intellectual skill (Higher-Order Rule)

Essential Prerequisites: Simpler Component Skills (Concepts): Given a list of 3 types of assessments, and 3 sets of characteristics, participants will match each of the 3 assessment types with the corresponding set of characteristics that most closely match which assessment is being described.

Supportive Prerequisites: Verbal Information: In your own words, describe why you matched each of the 3 types of assessments with that set of characteristics.