Tutoring in an
Online Environment
Deborah Hardwick, Manager
Online Tutoring Program
Houston Community College
Working Online is Different
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Many believe that tutoring online is just
like working face-to-face with students, but
that isn’t true!
What is a Tutor?
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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source tu·tor
ˈtu tər, ˈtyu-/ Pronunciation Key Show Spelled Pronunciation[too-ter, tyoo-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1.a person employed to instruct another in some branch or branches of learning, esp. a
private instructor. 2.a teacher of academic rank lower than instructor in some American
universities and colleges. 3.a teacher without institutional connection who assists students in
preparing for examinations. 4.(esp. at Oxford and Cambridge) a university officer, usually a fellow,
responsible for teaching and supervising a number of undergraduates. 5.the guardian of a boy or
girl below the age of puberty or majority. –verb (used with object) 6.to act as a tutor to; teach or
instruct, esp. privately. 7.to have the guardianship, instruction, or care of. 8.to instruct
underhandedly; coach: to tutor a witness before he testifies. 9.Archaic. a.to train, school, or
discipline. b.to admonish or reprove. –verb (used without object) 10.to act as a tutor or private
instructor. 11.to study privately with a tutor.
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME < L tūtor protector, equiv. to tū- (var. s. of tuérī to guard; see tutelage) + tor -tor ]
—Related forms
tu·tor·less, adjective
tu·tor·ship, noun
and at HCC – to tutorize!
—Synonyms 6. See teach.
Two Types of Tutors
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Teachers
 Out-of-class
conferences
 E-mail conferences
 Phone conferences
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Non-teachers (at least, not that student’s
teacher)
 Private,
paid tutors
 Peer tutors
 College-hired face-to-face tutors
 Online (or distance) tutors
Three Types of Online Tutoring
Small group – This can be done in chat
rooms.
 Large group – This is also done in chat
rooms or through message boards.
 Individual – this is the most common form
and can be synchronous or asynchronous.
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Online Tutoring Platforms
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Ask-a-Tutor – some schools use a phone
system.
E-mail – a school’s internal e-mail system may
be used.
IM (Instant messaging) – this is useful for short
questions but impractical for longer ones or
papers.
Tutoring Platform – this is an integrated system
with multiple modes of contact.
Why We Need Multiple Methods
Not all students learn the same way.
 Not all students are comfortable asking for
help.
 Getting tutoring help still carries a stigma
in many students’ eyes.
 Our students often have complex lives.
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How Is Online Tutoring Different?
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In a traditional face-to-face setting, tutors
get many cues from conversation with
students. Immediate clarification can be
asked for and given. Online, tutors need to
be more intuitive and read the student’s
submission much more carefully in order
to provide not only overt help, but also
covert help.
Let’s Look at Similarities and
Differences
Before we can get into HOW to tutor
online, we need to start with what you
already know from f-2-f tutoring.
 Then, we can move into the virtual realm!
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Significant Differences between
Online and F-2-F Tutoring
Online
tutoring entails
No visual feedback
 Communication delays
 Mastery of technological tools
 More work in written communication (typing takes
longer than talking)
 Often incomplete information about assignments
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Significant Similarities in All
Types of Tutoring
For the student, both face-to-face and online
tutoring
 require
engagement, initiative, assertiveness,
and self-direction.
 demand a commitment to growth, and that
commitment involves time and energy.
In face-to-face and online environments,
tutors must
 address
individual learning needs.
 help students minimize learning gaps.
 address academic anxiety and fears.
Tutors’ Roles: Online and F-2-F
Tutors Must Never
undermine the teacher’s role.
 second-guess the teacher’s judgment.
 take sides in a debate about grades.
 do a student’s work.
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Online Tutors Must Be Role Models
If you are tutoring in a synchronous
platform (phone, chat room, IM), you
MUST be there when you are scheduled.
 In whatever format, use correct English.
Students may use text-slang – tutors
never should.
 Humor can be cutting – it must be used
sparingly and cautiously.
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If you want students to take tutoring
seriously, you must treat it seriously. Be
respectful, professional, and humane.
Online Tutoring Challenges
– there are no visual cues, and the
time lag in asynchronous online tutoring can lead
to frustration for students and tutors. This is directly
related to the lack of immediate feedback. Tutors
don’t know if they have hit the mark, if students
understand what they said, or if there are related
questions.
 Communication
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Please post suggestions for dealing with this problem
through the “Communication” thread in REPLY.
More Challenges
 Establishing
boundaries
Because students may be sitting in their
underwear (and tutors may, too!) it is easy to
forget that this is a professional relationship.
Students may confuse their tutor(s) with other
friends who e-mail on a regular basis, adding
personal notes and comments that are
inappropriate.
On a Related Note ...
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When does the work cease to be the student’s
and become the tutor’s?
This is a crucial issue. Program managers must
set guidelines for how often a piece of work can
be reviewed and how much work can be done.
Remember that teachers have to grade student
work, not tutor work.
 Please
respond to this question in the “Whose Work
Is It?” REPLY thread.
Unreasonable Student Expectations
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Just as some students expect f-2-f tutors to do
the work, they also may expect it of online tutors.
They may submit a list of physics problems from
the text without even trying to solve them. They
may send a teacher’s assignment and ask the
tutor what they should do / write / answer.
 Please
make suggestions to solve this problem
though the “Unreasonable Expectations” REPLY
thread.
Scheduling and Time Management
 Whether
you are working in a synchronous or
asynchronous environment, timeliness and
punctuality are important, not only for the
reputation of the tutoring program, but as a
model for students.
 Know your programs turn-around times and
always strive to beat them.
Online Tutoring Advantages
 Online
environments can increase the comfort zone
for tutors and students.
 In an online environment, students usually can be
trained to
 include the prompts (Ask questions)
pinpoint particular problems (Identify concerns)
 Online platforms limit or eliminate rambling, making
the time use more efficient.
 Asynchronous tutoring allows tutors time for reflection
and carefully constructed answers.
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Tutors’ Role in Tutoring:
Tutors must always
lead students to answers, not give them
answers.
 find something praiseworthy in any work
students do.
 be honest yet optimistic with students.
 keep students’ confidences except when
there is a perceived danger to self or
others.
 tutor the student, not the subject.
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Students’ Role in Tutoring:
Students must always understand
what tutors can and can’t do, especially
that tutors will not do their work for them.
 the time constraints of tutoring availability.
 how to prepare for the tutoring session.
 that tutoring is not a substitute for
studying.
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Good tutoring leads students to
answers rather than giving them.
Online Tutoring usually makes students
work harder, as they cannot “con”
tutors into doing “just one more
problem...”
In summary ...
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Online, or distance, tutoring is here to stay.
It is new, so what we do in the next couple
of years will determine the path it will take.
Those of us working in the field now are
developing best practices, and those who
follow can learn from the work of all who
have gone before.
Contact Information
Deborah Hardwick, Manager, Online
Tutoring Services
 Deborah.hardwick@hccs.edu (best way)
 713-718-5340 (leave a message)
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