Supporting students with assessment by replicating open-door tutorials in online distance education – the tutor experience

Assessment is a major driving force behind student learning, particularly in distance learning settings such as The Open University, UK (OU). This case report details an investigation into the experiences of OU tutors facilitating online drop-in Q&A tutorials, on an introductory interdisciplinary Environment module, where the tutorials had the specific purpose of supporting assessment. The content was determined solely by students’ questions to clarify their understanding of module material and assessment tasks prior to submitting these, i.e. the tutorials were student-led rather than following an agenda decided in advance by the tutor. Rich qualitative data was captured from reflective logs completed by tutors at the end of each tutorial. Most tutors found the less formal nature of the sessions enjoyable and reported more active participation by students than in standard online OU tutorials, potentially leading to deeper learning facilitated by peer interaction and tutor guidance within a social learning environment. Tutor reflective logs and tutor feedback on effective strategies for running the tutorials were used to produce a guidance document of top-tips to aid tutors new to facilitating online drop-in tutorials that specifically support assessment.