The attributes of an ideal tutor
How would you describe the ideal distance learning tutor?
In this unit we've tried to see this from the students' point of view. So let's start there. What characteristics or attributes do distance learners say they value in their tutors?
- consistent and fair
- patient, tolerant and respectful
- providing clear explanations
- being helpful
- showing a genuine interest in motivating learners
- explaining how marks have been gained and lost
- making thorough and constructive comments
- writing corrections legibly and at a meaningful level of detail
- returning assignments promptly
Notice how many of these are concerned with marking and giving feedback on assignments, which we'll be looking at in Unit 2.
Adapted from Tutoring in Open and Distance Learning: A handbook for tutors, published by the Commonwealth of Learning, available from http://www.col.org/resources/publications/Pages/detail.aspx?PID=238
