6.2.1 Tutor mentoring

All new tutors are allocated a mentor, usually an experienced tutor on the same module or a similar module, who provides support and advice on an individual basis. The mentor role is flexible and is designed to meet the needs of the incoming member of staff.

For new tutors with little previous teaching experience mentors are likely to concentrate on the core basic teaching activities – running tutorials and correspondence tuition. Mentors can provide a whole range of support in these areas, ranging from inviting new tutors to sit in on their online tutorials to sharing resources and techniques around marking students’ scripts.

This peer support is both reactive and proactive and the idea is to provide support and guidance when needed.

In this video, Diane, an Associate Dean, asks Mary and Vicky to say little bit about their background and experience as tutors with the OU.

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DIANE BUTLER

OK. So Mary, could you tell us a little bit about your OU experience?

MARY GARVEY

OK. I've been a tutor with the OU for quite a long time now, probably over 21 years, actually. I currently tutor on two modules, TT284, the web technology ones that Vicky is also doing, and I also tutor on TM351, the data management and analysis module. Over the years, I've taught a variety of other modules mostly in the web area and databases.

DIANE BUTLER

Thank you. So I'm going to come to Vicky now and ask her to expand a little bit about her background and her experience with the OU.

VICKY O'KEEFE

Yes, I've been teaching TT284 for two years now. I'm just coming to the end of my second presentation. It was my first role in any kind of teaching capacity. But I was an OU student myself, and I studied a BSC in IT. And that run from 2012 to 2017. And I actually studied TT284 as a student back in 2013, so I had a lot of experience from the student side of things.

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