User:BoeLahui/Tutor's Manual for Distance and Open Learning Courses

MAIN AIMS OF THE WORKSHOP

Objectives

The objectives of this workshop is for you to: focus on the role of the tutor in Open Learning and Distance Education, demonstrate how your role as a tutor in Open and Distance Education differs from your usual teaching role, and adopt and adapt to teaching strategies in how to be an effective tutor.

TASK 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE WORKSHOP

Activity

Introductions As an introductory activity, you might try one of these approaches in introducing yourself to other participants attending this workshop. My name is ... and I am from ... If I wasn't here today, I would be doing ... The main thing I want from this workshop is ... The reason I am interested in learning about effective tutoring is that ...

Key points

The aim of this introductory session is to allow each individual attending this workshop to feel valued. increase your curiosity so that you look forward to what is to come in this workshop. provide a benchmark or individual evaluation of personal experiences. break down age/status/cultural barriers. provide a good working basis between participants. ensure that everybody knows each other on a first name basis.

Activity

Ground Rules Individually, decide what ground rules all participants and the facilitator must adhere to during the workshop? For example, one of the ground rules I would like all participants and the facilitator must adhere to is to ensure that once anyone has entered the workshop room, he or she must switch his or her mobile to vibrate or silent to avoid rings from the mobile phone from disturbing others. Once you have listed a couple of ground rules down, pair up with another participant and discuss whether both of you can come to be compromise as to which of the ground rules you have discussed are worth bringing to the attention of others in the plenary session.

Activity

Expectations Now, what I would like you to do is individually decide what you would like to expect and achieve after this workshop. Take a few minutes now to write down what you would like to expect and achieve at the end of this workshop. Once you have completed your individual work, then pair up with another participant and discuss whether your expectations are the same as your friend. Note the common expectations to present to the whole group in a plenary session to identify the common group expectations. This list of expectations will be written on a chart and placed at the back of the workshop room and revisited after the end of each day of the workshop to check if the group expectations have been met or not.

TASK 2: INTRODUCTION TO DISTANCE AND OPEN LEARNING

Objectives

At the end of this session, you should be able to: identify the special features of distance and open learning. discuss the difficulties faced by students learning in such modes of learning. appreciate the importance of the tutor in performing the role as a guider and facilitator of the learning process.

Reading

You are asked to read the following extract on Distance and Open Learning and answer the questions that I present below

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Reflection

You are now asked to answer the following questions: What features of open learning makes it different or similar to distance learning? What are some of the difficulties students face when learning in such learning modes? Why is it important that adult learning principles should be considered by a tutor facilitating the learning of open and distance learners? What are the different tasks that a tutor teaching in this mode is required to undertake in order for one to be an effective facilitator and guider of the learning processes in this mode?