Tutoring has been considered a focal point of learner-support in distance universities. Korea National Open University, however, has had difficulty in establishing a good tutoring system due to shortages in the budget. Fortunately, it is now endowed w...
Tutoring has been considered a focal point of learner-support in distance universities. Korea National Open University, however, has had difficulty in establishing a good tutoring system due to shortages in the budget. Fortunately, it is now endowed with the opportunity to utilize its own strengths : the information and communication technology and the on-line learning environment. First of all the new scheme is characterized by blended tutoring. The blending of on-line and off-line tutorings produced considerable synergies and presented a shortcut to the innovation of the tutoring system of KNOU. Another important aspect of the new tutoring is group tutoring. Grouping enables students to get a sense of companionship, to be motivated into competitiveness, and to share and enjoy what they have learned with other tutees. A kind of learning community is constructed within the tutoring system. Thus the new tutoring system shows a happy marriage of technology and psychology, which proposes the new tutoring system as an alternative to the traditional tutoring at mega- open universities.