Abstract:

The Covid-19-pandemic forced teachers into giving and students into taking e-learning classes – no matter, if it is their prefered teaching or learning style or not. This increased “use of computers in learning activities“ [1 p293] can lead to problems that already occured with MOOCs [2]: low completion and high drop out rates due to at least two reasons. First, a lack of social presence, which can be described as the perceived presence of others [3 p22], that reduces the satisfaction with the e-learning courses. Second, and partly correlating with this, a decrease in student’s motivation. The reason for this is again twofold: a lack of social presence diminishes the “sense of belonging between classmates“ [4 p55] and a close teacher-student may not be established because the important factors for it - “availability, friendliness and helpfulness“ [4 p54] – can not or at least not sufficiently be realized. Both factors decrease the students motivation and therefore their learning achievement in the courses. [5]

As a teacher, one can try to compensate this by keeping in touch with one’s students constantly. But when a certain number of courses or student’s in the courses is reached, this can be almost impossible to achieve – at least, if individual contact and individualized feedback is the goal and not mass-e-mails to the whole course or standardized but unpersonal e-mails. Another possibility is therefore given by integrating tutors – i.e. student assistants – in one’s courses that function as teacher-student-hybdrids and therefore as a multiplication of the teacher in regard to some dimensions. For example, when they function as contact persons for students when it comes to their tasks and problems with them but also with texts and other course elements or when it comes to individualized feedback. By doing that, tutors – as classmates and teachers – can help to increase the other student’s motivation which can have a positive effect on their learning outcome.

In our presentation, these claims will be supported by a case study in three philosophy courses in which we asked the students what they think about the importance of tutors in e-learning classes – how and why are they important – and what virtues they should have to enrich their e-learning experience. Additionally, the tutors themselves were asked what is important for them – i.e. which course design elements should be given – so that they can realize the required virtues. These finding are a first step for further research and can be seen as a first aid kit for other teachers so that they can take them into account when designing their e-learning courses.

Keywords:

COVID19, e-learning, distance learning, social presence, student's motivation, students well-being, tutors.