Teaching And Learning In A Virtual Campus. The Role of the Tutor
Planning of the communication in the virtual classroom
Creation of the virtual learning community.
New roles and functions of the teacher / tutor
Diagnostic instruments and monitoring of the student.
Cooperative and collaborative learning: wikis, weblogs and virtual groups.
Detection of needs
Links and learning in virtual communities
Theories, approaches and models.
Currently, the education system is organized responding to a very limited vision of education, by giving responsibility for training people only to formal education and institutions of the education system; that is, to schools, secondary education centers, universities, higher education centers, etc. Education is not understood as a responsibility shared by society as a whole but as a responsibility to be managed by educational systems and the professionals who work in them.
Components of a virtual education system.
The so-called virtual pedagogy combines a set of multidisciplinary elements related to pedagogy, sociology, didactics and communication. They have to do both with technological development and with the use of a pedagogical methodology for higher education at a distance.
Virtuality is the new condition in which social processes are regenerated and where education as a social practice has found a new learning scenario, represents an authentic educational space, an environment that marks a new territoriality.
The new technologies in education depend on the new pedagogical approaches of use that of the concrete use of the new artifacts, because it implies to construct a perspective that helps to understand and to prescribe the processes of virtual formation.
Good distance education practice is fundamentally equal to traditional good educational practice and the factors that influence good education are generally universal in diverse settings, populations and circumstances (Wilkes & Burnham, 1991). As Distance Education, because of the technology it uses, requires greater planning and preparation, teachers who teach at a distance should consider the following factors to improve their effectiveness. (Schlosser & Anderson, 1994)
• Extensive planning and formative evaluation of the material and courses is required. The distance students appreciate the teachers who have well prepared their course and who are organized.
The virtual learning environments (EVA) are those spaces where the conditions are created for the individual to appropriate new knowledge, experiences and elements that generate processes of analysis, reflection and appropriation, called the skills required for the 21st century. . These spaces, environments or environments are virtual since the teaching-learning process takes place online, that is, without the physical presence of the teacher or student. For higher education, this type of learning is presented as an alternative to facilitate professional training from the New Information and Communication Technologies (NICT or ICT) for an empowerment of meaningful learning. In the world report on education, UNESCO (1998) affirmed that changes were coming as a consequence of the New Information and Communication Technologies, and considered these as the most influential trend in teaching-learning processes. That is why in its Article 12 he stated: "new pedagogical environments must be created, ranging from distance education services to establishments and 'virtual' systems of higher education, capable of bridging the gap and establishing education systems for high quality, thus favoring social and economic progress and democratization as well as other important social priorities "
The tutorial function on-line
The tutorial function is one of the pillars on which the on-line training is consolidated. According to Padula (2002) consists of the guiding relationship of one or more teachers with respect to each student in order to understand the contents, the interpretation of the operational slogans, the time and the appropriate form for the realization of work, exercises or self-assessments, and in general for the timely and personalized clarification of any type of doubt. The guide idea is the one that appears with more constancy in the definition of the task of the tutor. The role of the on-line tutor is carried out through accompaniment, information and advice. It is a role that elaborates strategies adapted to the particular needs of the recipients.
RESULTS SHEET (NOT GIVEN TO STUDENTS) How to assess learning styles: Total sum of "a" "b" and "c" a_ b__ c_ • If you scored most of "a" you must have a visual learning style. You learn by watching and observing • If you scored majority of "b" you must have an auditory style of learning. You learn by listening and listening • If you scored majority of "c" you must have a kinesthetic style of learning. You learn by playing and doing. If you marked two letters more or less the same number of times you depend on two learning styles It is not uncommon to use different learning styles to perform different tasks To go deeper into this topic you need to look for information.
The importance of communication in the learning process There have been, in the current teaching scenario, a series of changes in a large part of the elements that intervene in the learning process (such as the planning of the subjects, the teaching methodology or the evaluation itself). And, at the same time, such changes have also had an impact on the relationships between students and teachers, given the different role that each of them plays. In fact, although teachers must continue to ensure the correct transmission of knowledge, they must also make it possible to acquire competences, either by exercising guiding, helping, stimulating and stimulating the study or by offering more personalized attention. . In this sense, as Perrenoud (1997) points out, it should not be forgotten that competences, which are the new role in university education, consist of "the ability to act effectively in a type of situation", although, Although this capacity is based on a type of knowledge, "it is not limited to them".
In the current educational framework, the development of collaborative learning is increasingly promoted as a good means of achieving significant learning, considering that this process is a social activity (Baggetun, 2006). As a link between education and society we can highlight the role that Information and Communication Technologies have had in recent years. The tools they provide us, especially those born under the protection of the Internet, have allowed students to access a global environment and develop learning in new circumstances that in previous stages were unthinkable. Among these new technologies, we can highlight the appearance of Web 2.0, which has been a breakthrough through the development by its users of a collaborative content and open to the public (Alexander, 2006, Parker and Chao, 2007). In this way, the formation of learning communities is promoted to enable and promote creation, participation and interaction in virtual training environments (Salinas and Viticccioli, 2008).
Problematic situations in which the tutor intervenes
Diversity of the student
Personal, professional and technical competences.
The idea of a classroom that was composed of students with more or less homogeneous characteristics, is an unrealizable project.
At present we find that, more and more frequently, the classrooms are stages where groups of students with a great diversity are concentrated. For example, differences for social reasons (children and young people in situations of social risk, origin of different social environments); ethnic and cultural (high level of students who come from other cultures and different language), students with low motivation or high abilities, students with special educational needs, etc.
Leadership.
The competent leader is one who has the ability to coordinate and effectively organize their work teams, fostering an adequate work environment, guiding and directing others to motivate and induce them to reach the goals and objectives. It also transcends and sets the example through its compliance, ethics and commitment. The leader contributes in the ideas, decisions and activities.
He takes the initiative, expresses creative ideas and gives everyone the opportunity to express themselves taking their points of view into consideration. He does not impose his ideas, he calls and involves others to express themselves in order to reach the most accurate decisions, however, in situations of risk he assumes the decision making.
One of the most common problems in online tutoring is forming a favorable tutor-student relationship. Given that tutors and students do not have direct contact, all communication is given in a virtual way, making it difficult to establish a good tutor-student relationship in which there is trust and the student is not afraid to express their doubts, concerns or comments . If the student does not feel a connection or does not feel identified with the tutor, he may not have the courage to try to communicate with him, which would negatively impact his learning as it results in the student being left with doubts and unable to Take your course to the fullest. In the worst case, this can lead to a student not feeling compromised with the course, does not have his best performance and in the end is terminated.
Cognitive perspective of the EaD environment
Learning location: Problem solving, simulations, case method.
Keys of a good tutor.
Tools for synchronous and asynchronous encounters.
The cognitive perspective sheds light on the nature of the processes of search, access, consultation and use of information. The degree of familiarity with the content and digital tools, the use of multimedia, time management, progress monitoring, input, process and final evaluation are susceptible to this type of analysis. When the offers are focused on the student, the structure and organization of the materials, the diagramming of the sequence, the task of tutorial accompaniment and the design of digital materials demand reflection about the mental events that take place.
Simulations differ from programs based on cases or problems. Here a case is not posed but the subject is immersed in an environment in which it interacts with variables so that each action of the subject has an immediate (or not) consequence in the environment. In addition, the program includes variables that evolve independently of the subject, for example, as a function of time. From a case, for example, from a patient, we can build a simulation or a case study. In the simulation, the patient evolves continuously, responding to our treatments and also according to the evolution of the information. In the case study, the patient presents some fixed data. The student requests all the information he needs, consults other sources of information and finally issues a diagnosis and proposes a treatment.
Seek the advice and support of a private teacher to reinforce knowledge and improve performance in areas that give us a problem is always a good choice. However, not all resort to it because, in general, it is unknown how and when to choose the most suitable tutor.
Experts consulted recommend seeking teachers with a certified professional title. In case the reinforcement is given by students of last semesters (which is very common), it should be verified that they have good grades in the areas they handle.
Experience as a teacher, tutor or monitor is fundamental, as are professional and personal references. To a large extent, the success of the tutorship depends on these aspects.
Communication tools (synchronous and asynchronous)
The communication process between students and tutors of e-Learning is developed through the communication tools that contain the LMS, LMCS, or other external, under which the course is being developed.
Taking into account the moments in which communication occurs, we can classify communication tools into two groups: synchronous and asynchronous.
The synchronous communication tools are those that allow communication in real time, for this the participants must be connected at the same time. They are synchronous communication tools: the Chat, the videoconference, the msn, among others.
Asynchronous communication tools are those in which communication does not occur in real time, that is, in which the participants are not connected in the same time frame.