About this site

"E-learning may change way to learn and to teach. Instead communication style "one to many" and supervision from up to bottom in a work group, we find interaction and co-operation among peers. The main carachter is users community and the most important element is their interaction with operators involved in the course.[...]Within on line course, role of tutor is an added value to traditional teacher role. He/she plays a scaffolding role offering his/her aid in different areas: intellectual, emotional, social." [A. Scognamiglio – S. Selvaggi “Il ruolo del tutor in rete in un corso on line” in ON/OFF learning p. 47-48 by Giuseppe Tortora Napoli, 2003]

There are many "e-learning styles" to design and carry out a course. On the other hand there are many ways to play tutor's role. Furthermore while the debate about e-learning methodologies and approach is going on and growing up thank to didactical contributes (didactics is an old area of research) there are not many studies about tutor role. Specifically, there are not many studies about relations between e-learning methodologies and approaches and different ways to play tutor's role.

This evidence fits with priorities recognized by European Commission in Copenhagen Declaration (2002) about Quality Assurance:

Promoting cooperation in quality assurance with particular focus on exchange of models and methods, as well as common criteria and principles for quality in vocational education and training.

Giving attention to the learning needs of teachers and trainers within all forms of vocational education and training.

All these issue agree with needs of project partnership to recognize methodological approach and solutions in order to improve quality of e-learning training course they provide and, more generally, is provided in their countries and in Europe, to face challenges of continuons transformation of Technology, world of training and labour market.

STAGES: Achievement of methodological analysis grid; Analysis of partners ODL courses main experiences; Identifing of a shared methology in order to analyze on-line-tutors training pathways; Analysis of main on-line-tutors training pathways, carried out by partners; Testing results by achievement of three paths of on-line-tutors training on the job; Improvement of tested results.

TRANSVERSAL STAGE: Valorization and widespread (all the entire project lenght long)

Foreseen methodology to achieve methodological grid:

to use analysis items organized in opposed/integrated couples (i.e.: education/vocational training, approach: scientific/humanistic, cognitivism/constructivism, approach: process oriented/ result oriented, asinchrone communication techniques/real time communication, learning community/individual training patway, approach: male/female, etc.) coupples items are not one versus another; they are final points of a segment in which every case is settled in a certain point, according to its specifical qualities.

Justification of methodological choise of a training on the job path to test results:

To optimize resources. Instead to train persons, then to use them as tutors in e-learning paths, then to monitor them in their work in order to obtain data to compare with our results of our research, we choose to monitor on-line-tutors on their work, exploiting their awareness and their experiences in their profession in order to carry out an analysis of their training needs, their skills (skills balance), differences and agreements between research results and real practices; and in the same path to furnish training for adjustment skills needed to perform the role the best way.

MAIN RESULTS:

• methodological analysis grid in order to monitoring and designing ODL processes
• guide lines about methodological approaches to on-line-tutors training
• Dossier about skills a tutor needs according to different pathway's methologies he/she is involved in
• Glossary of key-words defining tutor role in different involved experiences