Abstract:

For the last 8 years the Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza (FES-Zaragoza) of the National University of Mexico (UNAM) has implemented a novel Tutoring Program. This Tutoring Program arises from the need to help the students maintain and secure high standards by teaching them to organize and plan their study activities through the implementation of special study methods and discipline. For this purpose the student prepares and exposes assigned lectures and presents special designed examinations, all this in collaboration with fellow students. These resources help the student find a suitable approach to learning and to work independently. For every student an academic tutor is assigned who supervises their academic activities during six months. If the student has difficulties with a specific subject, or it presents a deficient performance in exams, the tutor gives special support (approach and planning) as well as motivation. Depending on the problem nature or its severity the tutor can help him by providing related information or referring him with colleagues specialized on the particular subject. After three years of its implementation the Tutoring Program has had a big success between the students and also has allowed the academic staff to detect the most common learning difficulties and thus to try to resolve them in the most favorable way. In general this Tutoring Program has raised the students’ performance and the percentage of graduations. For the excellent results obtained so far we are in the process of applying it to all the courses in our curricula.




Support by the PAPIIT, National University of Mexico, grant number IN222108 and IN220108.

Keywords:

tutoring, academic problems, unam.