Individual competences of distance education tutors

Abstract

Distance education (DE) has played a key role in the acquisition of competences by students in the national and international scene. Tutors have strategic importance to the effectiveness of distance education, especially when it comes to technical competences related to the use of the virtual learning environment (VLE), and behavioral competences, which encourage the learner to engage and not to drop out. This study aims to empirically diagnose the individual technical and behavioral competences required tutors' effective performance in the context of Universidade Aberta do Brasil (UAB - Open University of Brazil). Two studies were conducted using data triangulation. Study 1 was qualitative and involved document analysis, interviews and focus groups. In the Study 1, we conducted content analysis. For the data generated by Study 2, which was quantitative and used a questionnaire, we did statistical analysis. The sample (N = 200) consisted predominantly of female subjects, who had been tutoring for at least two years. Results have shown low competency gaps, indicating that the activities of recruitment, training and competency development have probably been carried out in accordance with the requirements of the duties of tutors. For further research, we suggest investigations are conducted with higher number of subjects so as to allow more complex statistical analysis.