Purpose: E-tutors often participate in collaborative online international learning (COIL) settings and guide students in group work and related learning processes. They moderate, organize, and observe the group and individual learning processes and are often students’ first point of contact. This support requires several competencies, which are also largely reflected in the so-called future skills. Thus, it seems sensible to examine these competencies more closely and promote them to enhance the course experience and support for students in COIL settings on the one hand and to make student e-tutors fit for the modern working world on the other. Study design/methodology/approach: As a starting point for this project, a comprehensive systematic literature analysis on e-tutor competencies and qualifications was conducted in Langesee (2023). A competency ranking and task-based competency profile for e-tutors in higher education were developed during this research. To investigate the validity and practicability of these artifacts, an evaluation was conducted with 16 international experts and practitioners (e-tutors) using a questionnaire. Findings: The competencies identified in Langesee (2023), the ranking, and the profile created were recognized as helpful and practical. Additional comments from respondents allowed both artifacts to be revised and expanded. The three most relevant competencies of the nine detected are communication, pedagogical and social competencies. Originality/value: The resulting artifacts can be used in the next step as a basis for a self-evaluation tool (SET), enabling e-tutors to assess their competence equipment. Based on this, individual instruments will be recommended to initiate possible improvements.

Purpose: Virtual Exchange (VE) enables geographically separated collaboration without the need for physical travel and the use of resources like time and money. The complexity for students participating in VE modules can be reduced by using e-tutors as learning facilitators. In this context, we focus on determining factors for e-tutorial support in international collaborations in higher education and thus cross-cultural and cross-border collaboration of learners in the sense of VE. Study design/methodology/approach: This paper aims to answer the question “Which determinants impact e-tutoring during collaborative and international Virtual Exchange modules?”. Therefore, the results are compiled, analyzed, and synthesized with the help of a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) according to Okoli & Schabram (2010). Findings: The result is a concept matrix of 41 identified determinants of international e-tutoring in higher education, divided into six main categories: responsibilities, competencies, communication, organization, pedagogy, and prerequisites. The results allow a more precise separation of e-tutors activities in VE modules and thus offer concrete proposals for differentiating, improving, and scaling the role of the e-tutor. Originality/value: Students' demand to acquire global skills becomes more and more common. VE modules offer the potential to meet this demand if delivered correctly. Previous research in this field partially covers determining factors of e-tutoring, but there is a lack of a concise overview that can serve as a basis for improvement.

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