3. eTutor's roles and tasks
An eTutor takes care of online courses, provide support to avoid the feeling of isolation and fosters result-oriented learning. In this way, an eTutor takes diverse roles to accomplish her/his tasks.
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Roles |
Tasks |
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First contact: link between the institution and learners. Host: accommodate learners in the discussion forum and ensure an orderly and polite discussion between learners. Evaluator: Maintain a regular record of learners' participation, evaluate their work and provide constructive feedback. |
Communication-related support |
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Trainer: Communicate learning materials, provide projects and assignment to learners and correct their work. Coach: help learners overcome personal difficulties related to the learning medium and content. Motivator: maintain regular contact with learners to keep them from dropping out |
Content related support |
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Manager: Remind learners of deadlines, counteract potential conflicts, take appropriate measures if thing get out of control. Group coordinator: build cohesion between learners in an online course and online learning community. Organiser: Ensure that deadlines are kept, marked sheets are ready, and tasks are completed on time. |
Organisational and social support |
Communication-related support: As an eTutor, your primary task is linking the online learner with the institution that offers an online course. In virtual meeting (synchronous or asynchronous), you act as a host by ensuring an orderly communication between learners. You also evaluate your online course by having learners complete a survey at the beginning of the course and at the end of the course (to know which course components need improvement).
Content-related support: You support the communication of learning materials by acting as learners' trainer; supplying the learners with projects they need to work on and by correcting their work. You also act as a coach who support learners in their personal difficulties with the learning management system and the learning content, and you provide them with regular timely and constructive feedback to make them integrated in your course. You act as a motivator whenever learners need inspiration. You provide them with appropriate impulse.
Organisational and social support: As an eTutor, you act as an organiser and make sure all deadlines are met and learners' activities, assignment, marks/grades are available on time. You also act as a manager by coordinating the learning progress and the fulfilment of requirements for the award of certificate. Equally, you may act as a group coordinator by bringing the group to work together and monitoring their contributions in a virtual learning community. You create and maintain the group dynamics.