Abstract:

Tutoring in higher education has been adopted as an educational method to improve the quality of teaching, particularly in graduate studies. Traditionally it is practiced at the end of the course and requires the tutor to provide descriptive feedback to their students about their academic path, or in the follow-up of internships specifically, also assisting with the writing of the final thesis or dissertation. The individualization and differentiated instructions to provide remediation to students-tutees-for mastery learning. In a tutorial system, the tutor’s feedback is usually customized to fit the specific needs of each individual student as learning takes place principally through one-on-one instruction, resulting in developmental benefits both for the student and for the tutor (Merrit, 2021). Although widely described in the education literature for nearly two decades (Baudrit, 2002) (e.g. Ricoy Lorenzo & Pino Juste, 2008, Álvarez Pérez, 2013, de la Torre& Herasme, 2015, Engward & Goldspink, 2020), the analysis of tutorial support from an interdisciplinary point of view has not been deeply explored, nor the best practices described in this sense. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the tutoring of four teachers in different subject areas. The present work results from a qualitative study, based on the analysis of interviews regarding the tutoring practices of four higher education professors. Veterinary sciences, social work, pharmaceutical sciences, and education, subject areas of origin of teachers, were the ecosystems in which tutoring was explored and applied, aiming to analyze common strategies, with the ultimate goal to detect and share good practices for pedagogical improvements. The objective was to evaluate what kind of strategies were adopted by each teacher and if the pedagogical practices are effective for the fulfillment of the learning objectives. Synthesis is then proposed with the practices that are believed to be transversal to all subject areas. This study concludes that tutoring is essential for the academic development of higher education students, and the mentoring experience is a fundamental path for the teacher's self-reflection. Furthermore, it supports the notion that interdisciplinary differences, different methodologies, styles, contexts, and practices can be used constructively to inspire and improve mentoring and, ultimately, reinforce good teaching and the pedagogical practices of teachers.

References:
[1] Baudrit, A. (2002). Le tutorat: richesses d'une méthode pédagogique. De Boeck.
de la Torre, E. H., & Herasme, R. M. (2015). Teachers learn: indicators to improve the tutorial function of university professor. JETT, (6), 22-36.
[2] Engward, H., & Goldspink, S. (2020, July). Working with me: Revisiting the Tutorial as Academic Care. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 5, p. 105). Frontiers.
[3] Merritt, R. D. (2021). Tutoring. Salem Press Encyclopedia.
[4] Pérez, P. R. Á. (2013). La función tutorial del profesorado universitario: una nueva competencia de la labor docente en el contexto del EEES. Revista portuguesa de pedagogía, 85-106.
[5] Ricoy Lorenzo, C., & Pino Juste, M. (2008). Tutorial action as a resource to improve higher education. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 7(2), 144-155.

Keywords:

Higher Education, Tutorial support, interdisciplinarity, Pedagogical practices.