The role of tutors in facilitating online student engagement

This paper discusses the role of the tutor in developing an online learning community to promote student engagement for large online cohorts. Information overload on the discussion boards was addressed by separating students into streams of 150 – 200 students promoting greater student and staff engagement. A new feedback strategy was introduced to streamline the assignment-marking process and this feedback process has proved to be more socially engaging than traditional feedback via comments embedded within student assignments. The new feedback model involves commentary on assignments, which becomes a 'conversation' with the student rather than a series of comments embedded within assignments. In addition, easier access to comments allows greater opportunity for moderation of marks by tutoring teams and for 'feedforward' for subsequent assignments. The importance of the level of engagement and commitment to teaching of the tutoring staff has been made apparent by the serendipitous changes to the tutoring role.