The following areas of general expertise are assumed as prerequisites and provide a basis for the competencies:

• subject-matter
• pedagogical
• information and communications technology

These competencies specifically exclude those relating to the overall design and development of an online learning programme, which are covered in the Institute's Competencies for Developers of TBT Learning Materials (1998).

The competencies

1. Plan how online tutoring will be employed
In conjunction with the designers of the overall learning intervention, and at an early stage in the design process, determine how online tutoring can best add value to the learning experience.

In consultation with technical experts, select the most appropriate tools and methods for online tutoring, taking into account:

• the hardware, software and network bandwidth available both at the server end and to individual learners, wherever they will be when accessing the course
• the nature of the learning to be accomplished
• the likely preferences of learners

Budget for the cost of online tutoring, taking into account:

• the amount of tutor time involved
• the hardware, software, connection costs and technical support required

Incorporate the plans for online tutoring into the overall plans for the learning intervention.

2. Establish the technical facilities necessary to support online tutoring
In conjunction with technical experts and in accordance with the policy and procedures of your organisation, establish the technical facilities required to deliver the online tutoring solution, including, where applicable:

• software to support email, bulletin boards and conferencing
• a domain name or location within an existing domain
• web hosting facilities
• a system providing 'virtual classrooms' (which may include some or all of the above)
• a learning management system (which may include some or all of the above)

3. Establish relationships with new learners
Gather information about new learners that will help you to provide the necessary support, for example:

• their basic details - name, age, gender and so on
• their educational and career background
• what they already know about the subject being covered
• any constraints, personal or otherwise, that may get in the way of their progress
• their goals for the course
• their degree of computer literacy
• their preferred styles of learning
• the timetable they hope to work to
• their proposed strategy for study
• the support they require from you and from other learners

Provide new learners with information about you, including:

• your basic details, background and experience
• any other information about you and your life, which will help to add a human touch
• the supporting role that you will be supplying as tutor
• your contact details (off-line as well as online)

Establish a 'learning contract' with new learners to clarify what each can reasonably expect of the other:

• what time and effort the learner will put in to the course
• how the learner will contribute to group activities and assignments
• what support the learner can expect from you as a tutor
• the methods that will be used for communication
• the rules governing communication - times of day, frequency of communication, response times
• how any technical problems should be resolved
• the basis on which the learner's progress will be assessed
• what will happen in the event of absence, sickness or other unforeseen events
• what the consequences are of the learner failing to meet their side of the contract
• what actions the learner can take if you fail to deliver on your obligations

4. Communicate appropriately with learners
Communicate with learners:

• clearly and concisely, avoiding unnecessary use of jargon
• avoiding sexism, racism, ageism or other discriminatory behaviour
• with empathy, using a friendly, non-patronising tone

5. Provide administrative support
In accordance with the policies and procedures of your organisation and the capabilities of your learning management software, provide administrative support to the course, including, where applicable:

• registering new learners, entering contact details and providing security access to protected areas
• arranging learners into groups
• organising times for synchronous events, if any
• recording learner activity and progress (where not automatic)

6. Provide learners with technical and subject matter expertise
Resolve ad-hoc technical queries quickly and effectively.

To minimise the need for individualised technical support, develop lists of answers to frequently asked questions and post these on the course web site.

Where appropriate to the overall plan for delivery of content, prepare and deliver real-time, online lessons using conferencing software.

Where appropriate given the learner's existing knowledge and the information available to them, ask questions that will encourage the learner to reach their own learning conclusions.

Provide direct responses, including examples, analogies and explanations, to subject matter queries, where you have expert knowledge that is not available in any other way to the learner.

Refer learners to existing online materials, books, web sites and other sources and help them to develop the skills to locate similar information for themselves in future.

7. Initiate activities that will facilitate learning
Establish a study programme that integrates all components of the course, including, for example, self-study, research, assignments, group activities and tests. Ensure that this programme is flexible enough to cater for differing learning styles.

Respond flexibly and in a timely manner to emergent learner needs by, for example:

• initiating discussion questions
• organising group activities
• setting assignments
• supplying or suggesting additional study materials or other sources of expertise

8. Provide learners with support and encouragement
Help learners to set challenging yet achievable goals for the completion and quality of coursework.

Demonstrate confidence in learners' ability to succeed.

Chase learners where some action on their part is expected but has not occurred.

Identify situations where learners are in difficulty and provide the necessary support, including, were necessary, assistance in revising their plans for completing the course.

Recognise the achievements of learners.

9. Assess learners' performance
Select assessment methods such as tests, simulations and submitted assignments that adequately test for the successful attainment of learning objectives.

Where possible, take steps to authenticate learner assessments, i.e. to ensure that responses to assignments and tests come from the learners themselves.

Provide learners with specific, timely feedback on their performance.

10. Use web pages for communication with and between learners
Use web pages to provide a focal point for information about the course, including, where relevant:

• information on learners
• details of the study programme
• the calendar of events
• web links and reading lists
• access to self-study materials

Prepare web pages that conform to the established rules of web usability.

11. Use email for communication with learners
Collect the email addresses of all learners and organise these into an address group (an 'alias').

Set up folders to store incoming and outgoing emails to/from individual learners.

Create templates for frequently-used responses, but adapt these to ensure each learner obtains an individualised response.

Obey the rules of 'netiquette' and help learners to do likewise.

Respond to emails from learners within the time specified in the learning contract. If this time is likely to be exceeded, send an acknowledgement with an estimate of when you will respond.

12. Use bulletin boards and discussion forums for communication with and between learners
In asynchronous group discussions:

• initiate discussion topics and questions to stimulate use of the facility
• encourage learners to initiate their own discussions
• establish the rules of communication, including the procedure for making a contribution
• control discussions that are straying off course, whilst providing adequate means for social interaction between learners
• act against any misuse of the facility
• summarise outcomes at each stage of the discussion
• delete dead topics

13. Use text, audio and video conferencing for communication with and between learners
In synchronous group discussions:

• communicate the goal of the discussion and the timeframe
• establish the rules of communication - the procedure for making a contribution; the use of private one-to-one messaging; how the tutor regains control
• encourage all members of the discussion to contribute
• tactfully restrain members of the group who are tending to dominate
• prevent the discussion from straying off course
• act against anyone breaking the rules, particularly when members are in conflict
• summarise outcomes at each stage of the discussion

14. Evaluate and continuously improve online tutoring support
Obtain feedback and suggestions from learners with regard to the online tutoring they have received. Assess the experiences of learners in working through the course to determine where online tutoring has been a success or where a different approach would have been more successful.

Maintain records of time spent on tutoring and compare the results with the budget.

Continuously improve the tutoring service to ensure it is adding maximum value within available budgets.

Plan for and participate in development activities that will continue to improve your subject matter, pedagogical and technical expertise as well as the specific online tutoring competencies as outlined in this document.

Review panel
Prepared by: Clive Shepherd, TBT Director, IITT

Review panel: Julia Duggleby, Sheffield College; Henry Stewart, Happy Computers Ltd; Christene Steeples, Centre for Studies in Advanced Learning Technology, Lancaster University; Martin Pratt, KnowledgePool; Keith Shaw, TACT; Nick Mitchell, IITT.

© 2000 Institute of IT Training. All rights reserved.