8. Essere presente a distanza: il tutor e la socializzazione della conoscenza
Abstract
The advent of new technologies has led to a radical redefinition of the tutor's role in student learning. Whereas the tutor's skills and functions are well documented in the literature, there is little research on the tutor's contribution to the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the learning process. This study investigated whether face-to-face or online tutorship (via web chat) results in significant differences in the level of student learning. Students in a distance education program were assigned to five different tutoring groups: (1) face-to-face, (2) web chat, (3) FAQ (4) web chat and FAQ, and (5) no tutor. Pre-test and post-test measures found significant differences in student learning across groups. The results suggesting the importance of the process of «socialization of mistakes » in a tutoring group will be discussed.