Group Members: Jacqueline Richardson Carel Lewis Gemma Britton

Volunteer Tutor Training

Topic 1: Challenges of being an Online Tutor

In groups of three (3) persons, develop a list of challenges of being an online learner and things you an online tutor can do to minimize the challenges of being an online tutor. Please upload your response as a word document.

Challenges of being an online learner Things you an online tutor can do to minimize the challenges of being an online tutor

(Jacqueline) Staying motivated (Jacqueline) Tutors can provide learners with continuous progress report and feedback to keep them motivated.

Promote a community for participants to learn, share and evaluate each other.

(Gemma) Learners may be from differing ethnicities and languages and some may experience confusion in understanding the instructions and comments offered by others

(Jacqueline) Give clear instructions and guidance. Ensure the wordings used express thoughts fully and clearly and represent the participants in the online environment.

(Jacqueline) Lack of basic computer skills. Learners may not be familiar with the platform being used for the course.

(Carel)The question of participants’ skill levels can be addressed by mandatory orientation sessions. The “Introduction Forum” is ideal for this.

(Gemma) Collaboration-Learners may be hesitant to work with others because there is uncertainty about the kind of reception they will receive from their teammates. In addition, disagreements may surface over appropriate time and available tools for collaboration.

Online Learners may not be willing to share personal experiences as part of the learning process.

(Gemma) Engage and create experiences to build trust among learners so that each feels confident and accepted as a valued participant. Adult learners have a wealth of experience which can be brought to bear in the forum and discussions. So it is important to design not only content but social- related materials that provide the platform for them to share their experiences.

(Jacqueline) Tutors should encourage participants to share and provide avenues that will encourage the learners to share for example using ice breakers or sharing their own experiences and help to set a more relaxing environment.

1

Group Members: Jacqueline Richardson Carel Lewis Gemma Britton

Volunteer Tutor Training

(Carel) Also through group work and the effective use of questioning.

(Gemma) Managing the learning process. The learner may experience difficulty in keeping up with assignments and all the other requirements of the course.

(Gemma) Remain open and flexible to student feedback, validate student input by providing prompt feedback, give assignment deadlines and positive reinforcement.

(Carel) Online classes pose some significant challenges for developing community interaction. In the traditional classroom setting learners are afforded a diversity of opinions, experiences, expressions, and ways of thinking about a topic or concept. It also implicitly teaches students how to manage conversations, make complex communication decisions, and negotiate relationships with others. These valuable lessons are more difficult with online learning.

(Carel) Online tutors could make learners aware of the diversity of opinions and expression and welcome them. Tutors could also strongly advise that conversations be conducted within certain parameters and should follow etiquette guidelines.

(Carel) Lack of participation by Learners - Learners should be willing to actively participate in the course interaction with the tutor and peers. However, when discussions and forums are dominated by some individuals, students can easily log out because they are not interested or are not following the discussion.

(Carel) To minimize the challenge of non participation on the part of the learners and to increase participation, the tutor can do a number of things: - Online tutor should allow participants to respond freely to the posts put up by others. - Participants can also generate interest and interaction by creating their own discussion threads. - Clear procedures should be articulated with respect to responding to classmates’ posts and are usually given in a list of etiquette guidelines.

(Carel) Equitable access to online education. Many people do not have computers or internet access at home or may only have limited access due to high costs.

(Carel) The tutor can show compassion and understanding towards those who experience regular internet glitches and those who have to access the program from a cafe’. Once the problem is known to the tutor reasonable adjustments can be made to accommodate the individual learner.

(Jacqueline) Online learners may not be willing to report problems or difficulties they may be experiencing in the course.

(Jacqueline) Tutors can assist by contacting learners that may not be contributing to the discussion or course activities to find out if they are experiencing any problems. Then they should assist where possible to help the learner resolve their difficulties.

2