Abstract:

As the global workforce navigates a rapidly evolving digital frontier, future skills—those competencies that enable adaptability, digital fluency, and cross-cultural collaboration—are highly demanded. Within this context, this paper investigates the influence of e-tutor tandems on future skills development through the lens of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) in Higher Education (HE). COIL is central to the Virtual Collaborative Learning (VCL) framework, where e-tutors are at the forefront of student supervision. The VCL arrangement facilitates the robust, real-world skill acquisition that is essential in today's competence-oriented work environment.

This paper examines the second iteration of a binational e-tutor tandem approach as part of a sequential mixed-methods study. This sequential methodological approach supports the exploration of even deeper characteristics of e-tutor tandems. In the first iteration, a quantitative study of the first version of e-tutor tandems was conducted with German and Albanian students as e-tutors in the summer of 2022. In the second iteration, German students were paired with Ukrainian educators in e-tutor tandems to support students in a multi-week VCL setting.

In general, an e-tutor tandem provides an environment for the e-tutors to engage in a mutual exchange of knowledge and expertise while focusing on the non-hierarchical nature of modern learning. This approach promotes the acquisition of future skills.

The e-tutors were required to fill out a tandem contract as part of the e-tutor tandem, setting the stage for collaborative learning centered around a shared commitment to personal and professional growth and learning. To foster an understanding of the usefulness of e-tutor tandems, their general functioning and potential benefits, e-tutors were provided with information guides before they started their supervision phase in the VCL. In addition, they received competence fact sheets containing information about essential competencies for e-tutors.

The methodology underlying this paper involved qualitatively evaluating ten tandem contracts and conducting ten guideline-based interviews with e-tutors. Both the tandem contracts and the interviews underwent qualitative content analysis, providing deep insights into the dynamics of the e-tutor tandem approach.

The study revealed diverse patterns, especially in response to challenges and the understanding of the tandem approach, revealing the complex nature of international educational partnerships. By opposing initial expectations with experiences regarding competence development, this research validates the positive outcomes noted in the initial study by applying them in another module. It refines the e-tutor tandem approach based on these insights, which is necessary due to the evolving demands and feedback from the first implementation.

The paper extends beyond validation, proposing a three-phase model for creating and implementing e-tutor tandems in virtual collaboration in HE. The model is segmented into pre-, in-, and post-tandem phases designed to enhance the competence development and experiences of e-tutors in tandem systematically. Aimed at educators working with e-tutors and program coordinators, this model is a step towards embedding the improvement of future skills into the daily responsibilities and tasks of e-tutors.

Keywords:

E-Tutor, Higher Education, Tandem, Educational Collaboration, Virtual, Future Skills, COIL.