RAPPORT
Issue 5 (August 2020)
that they are on the right path. The
more meetings we have, the more
they open up and discuss their
individual study needs or struggles.
At the end, they asked for more
meetings and more individual
attentions. [T2]
The importance of communication in
fostering student engagement is apparent:
I believe that student engagement
comes from communication. It puts
the students at ease and makes
them feel that they can come talk to
you about any issues. [T1]
A further theme that emerged was that
effective communication increases student
engagement primarily through the
feedback process. The response by T1
above suggests that personalising
interaction plays an essential role in
increasing the levels of student
engagement. As T1 observed, one way
that an instructor can show students that
he or she values and cares about them is
by talking individually to see how they are
coping in their study, making sure they are
not behind, and identifying issues that
might be affecting their education.
It was established by the tutors through
this research that students tended to grow
in confidence and improve the skills
needed to ensure successful academic
discussions, irrespective of their
educational backgrounds, through the
tutorial meetings:
They knew that the onus on them to
complete their work. They could ask
for help or support, but it was their
responsibility to do the work. [T1]
The responses from the online student
survey indicated that students came out of
the tutorial meeting with a better
understanding of what was expected from
them:
I have an overall idea but not in great
detail. [S1]
I learned that I have to put a lot of
effort to pass the course… I learned
that I would study two hours per day
on the weekend. I'll increase it if I
need to do more work. [S3]
S12 mentioned that from the initial tutorial
meeting, it was clear for him that he
needed to "keep track with the workload,
required assessments, and deadlines"
while S5 observed that he "learned to
complete the assessments early and seek
help when needed".
Students' comments suggested that tutors
play an important role in ensuring that
students are motivated in their studies. For
instance, S8 said that he had an incentive
for action only by
...having someone to talk to for
support and motivation. I work parttime.
In the tutorial meeting, we
discussed my options, and I was
encouraged to speak to my employer
and take some steps in my career
advancement.
The one-on-one conversation that is
possible through tutorial meetings allows
the tutors to encourage learners to
develop self-motivation. This point of view
was reflected by S12, who noted, "Having
a one-to-one meeting with the tutorial
teacher helped me engage in the course".
Furthermore, tutorial feedback enabled
effective learning and active engagement
that promoted problem-solving by actual
doing:
Having someone to go to made me
at ease during the study. Tutorial
meetings helped me to have a study
75