Tutors' Voice: Future Directions?

Abstract

Little did I guess when I started tutoring at the University of Waikato in 2012 and later when I was given the role of Tutor Support person at TDU last July, that there was no institutionally required formal training for those who choose to work as tutors, sessional assistants, lab demonstrators or similar titles. I was coming from a strong teaching and research background as I previously held the position of senior lecturer at several international and public universities overseas, which meant I had the skills, knowledge and experience required to tutor when I was given a tutoring role. Later, in the course of speaking to tutors and listening to their voices across several meetings and workshops in the past months as part of my teaching developer position at TDU, I came to realise that tutors vary immensely not only in their perceptions of a ‘tutor’s role’, but also in the level of teaching experience and communication skills they are required to have to take up the job. Their positions also differ in terms of the support provided for them by course conveners and departments across the University. In the past months, I have also explored the tutor-convener relationship and working protocol in terms of support and advice tutors would need and are actually offered, and was not surprised to arrive at a similar degree of variation in what is happening across programmes and faculties at the University of Waikato. What follows is based on my observation in the last few years and also conversations with various individuals across the University in the past months.