Abstract:

The purpose of this presentation is to explain the process of tutoring students enrolled in an International Master in Business Studies who are involved in writing the master thesis.

The International Master In Business Studies under study is offered by means of an international alliance of six universities from USA, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia and Spain. Students spend at least half year in two different universities of the alliance. The first semester consists of a series of 5 core modules taught by the alliance, the second semester contains modules of a particular specialization offered by the alliance and during the third semester the students develop their master thesis. The student who successfully presents the master thesis will get a double international degree issued by both universities.

The process of tutoring students involved in writing the master thesis includes a combination of different tools in a blended system. The supervision process usually mixes both face-to-face and online sessions as students usually come back home in the middle of the process of tutoring. Presentations of the master thesis usually take place online as students may stay in their country of origin and not in the country of the university where they spent their second semester.

Tutoring methodology involves explaining the basics of the master thesis required, inform of the content required, collecting initial master thesis proposals before assigning a supervisor, organizing workshops and periodical compulsory submissions, among other activities. The students are also taught about the system that will be used to evaluate the final master thesis which consists of an oral presentation in front of a committee made up of three independent supervisors who give feedback to the student and base their assessment on a consensual rubric.

This presentation will explain this methodology and will provide feedback from the students involved in the tutoring process. This feedback will allow us to formulate measures to improve the tutoring process.

Keywords:

Tutoring, Blended Education, Higher Education.