The student diversity in universities in Aotearoa (New Zealand) challenges these institutions to attain more equitable outcomes particularly for indigenous groups and ethnic minorities. In New Zealand, current Government policies favour strategies aimed at increasing the academic achievement of Maori and Pasifika communities and offer financial…

Initiatives are described that have been undertaken by the Student Development Tutorship Programme at the M.L. Sultan Technikon in South Africa, a program established in 1990 to provide assistance and support to disadvantaged students, primarily Black students from areas with inadequate facilities and instructors in the "homelands" and…

Questions about the necessity of tutors' content experience and what skills are required to make tutor behavior effective have received increased attention in the literature about problem-based learning. The present study attempts to examine the effects of context-specific variables through analysis of the generalizability of tutor behavior and…

The Open University of the United Kingdom is acknowledged as the most successful distance education program yet designed. High among the reasons for its success is the student support service provided by the Regional Tutorial Services, a department of the Open University administrative structure which has received little acclaim. This paper shows…

A research project examined the effectiveness of using personal tutors/counselors in distance education programs as a means of reducing student attrition. In the experiment, one person integrated the roles of different tutors in different subjects as well as the role of the student advisor in the ordinary distance education system. The main…

Programs designed to enable Australian aborigines who had not successfully completed high school to qualify for science- and mathematics-related courses in higher education emphasize diagnostic testing, individualized instruction, short-term goals, and learner independence. Tutors have instructional, management, and support roles. Some early…

This article describes Marie Clay's Reading Recovery program which provides one-half hour daily of individual instruction in reading to a school's lowest achievers. Data demonstrating the program's effectiveness and student skill maintenance are summarized. The approach is seen to be especially suitable for mainstreamed children with special…

Reports on the development of a composite learner model for adaptive tutoring systems that combines a model of learner attributes with a simple overlay model of the learner's domain knowledge state. The system is able to select the optimal form of learning material to be presented for the subject. (MJP)

This paper describes a qualitative study of asynchronous electronic conferencing by three tutorial groups on the same postgraduate course ("Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Worldwide"), forming part of an MA in Applied Linguistics (via Distance Education) at the Open University, UK. The groups varied in the degree to which…

Computer-based technologies are rapidly changing fundamental concepts about texts and how students interact with and learn from those texts. Early use of microcomputers included drill and practice work, tutorial programs, and word processing. In conjunction with information storage devices like magnetic and laser disc, the microcomputer has also…

A cross-age tutoring program--using a highly structured tutoring method, an administrative reporting system, and home based reinforcement--was implemented and evaluated in six Ontario, Canada, schools. The subjects were 50 students with reading scores at least six months below grade level. These students were placed either in an experimental group…

The evolution of academic government and its intersection with the corporate form in England during the late medieval through the early modern periods are reviewed. The following topics are considered: the English universities, transition to university control by the national state, transition to collegiate dominance of the universities, admission…

This book provides an international, current account of the developments of mentoring and tutoring by students in tertiary and secondary education. Included are research reviews, case studies of mature projects, and ideas for new uses of student tutoring and mentoring. Chapter titles are as follows: "Students as Tutors and Mentors"…

This document, which draws on the findings of a survey of further education (FE) colleges in the United Kingdom and case studies of 9 FE colleges, presents good practices for managers of tutoring programs and tutors. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the changing role of tutors in the post-16 sector and the importance of recruiting, training, and…

The psychological benefits of a high school tutoring program were investigated. Results gathered from questionnaires answered by high school students tutoring junior high school students, both before and after the tutoring experience, indicated that tutors' empathy, altruism, and self-esteem increased as a result of program participation.…