Tutorial Support in Higher Education: Building Critical and Interdisciplinary Reflection Based on the Experience of Four Teachers

Abstract

Tutoring in higher education has been adopted as an educational method to improve the quality of teaching, particularly in graduate studies. It is usually 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 case of internships, assist with the writing of the final thesis or dissertation. In a tutorial system, as learning takes place the tutor's feedback is usually customized to fit the specific needs of each student essentially through a one-to-one relationship, resulting in developmental benefits both for the student and the tutor. Still, although widely described in the education literature for nearly two decades [1]-[5], 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, this study aimed to compare tutoring practice in different subject areas. As such, veterinary sciences, social work, pharmaceutical sciences, and education were the ecosystems in which tutoring was explored and applied, aiming to analyze common strategies, and ultimately detect and share good practices for pedagogical improvements. The present work results from a qualitative study, based on the analysis of interviews regarding the tutoring expectations of four higher education professors based on five major parameters: Learning Alliance, Mental availability, Disciplinary Specialization, Technical Expertise, and Institutional Context. The objective was to evaluate what kind of strategies were adopted by each teacher and if the pedagogical practices are effective in fulfilling the learning objectives. Overall, all four teachers agreed upon that mentoring experience is a fundamental path for the teacher's self-reflection while paving the way for the students' careers. Furthermore, it supports the notion that interdisciplinary differences, different methodologies, styles, contexts, and practices can be used to constructively inspire and improve tutoring and reinforce good teaching and the pedagogical practices of teachers.