Face-to-face tutorials in a distance learning system: Meeting student needs

Face-to-face tutorials in a distance learning system: Meeting student needs

• Fung, Yvonne School of Education and Language, Open University of Hong Kong
• Carr, Ronnie School of Education and Language, Open University of Hong Kong

Open Learning, 15(1), 35-46, 2000

Routledge

2000

• Q Philosophy of Education, Educational System & School At Different Levels
  • QG Adult, Lifelong & Continuing Education
    • QGE Distance Education

Comparative Analysis Cultural Context Distance Education Foreign Countries Student Attitudes Student Needs Tutoring Face to Face Communication Open University of Hong Kong Student Expectations Student Satisfaction

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Post-Secondary Education
• Adult Education

Many distance learning programmes include an element of face-to-face tuition. This paper reports on a research project concerned with various issues related to face-to-face tutorials in the Open University of Hong Kong's distance education system, including students' expectations of the benefits they will gain; their reasons for attending; the approaches they prefer; and their overall satisfaction with what tutors actually provide. Some comparisons are drawn between students in the university's different schools-and the overall findings are compared with those reported for distance learners in the West, in an effort to assess the impact of cultural context on student attitudes to tutorials. The research found that the Hong Kong students' attendance at tutorials was very high compared to that found in other similar studies, possibly reflecting Hong Kong's geographical compactness, but also possibly reflecting a preference for face-to-face meetings; that the students looked for specific guidance and support from tutors within a largely directive framework; that even where the format of the tutorial departed from the students' expectations, the students did not necessarily give the tutorial a low evaluation, provided that it was a fruitful experience; and that the cultural context within which a distance education system operates affects students' expectations and learning styles.
[Copyright of Open Learning is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/026805100115452]

• English

Journal Articles

• 02680513

• 10.1080/026805100115452

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/en/bibs/59490aa9

2010-09-08