My 3-Star Attributes

Tristar Attributes of an Effective COSTAATT E-tutor

The most important attribute of an online tutor is “emotional intelligence” (Youde, 2020). The e-tutor needs to stimulate intellectual growth for participants that face isolation (Gillett-Swan, 2017), loss of face-to-face contact, and a rapidly changing technological landscape with a myriad of diverse technologies. We expect them to settle down and learn as if the above factors have no impact on their emotions. Hence, there is a critical need for feedback that ensures that participants feel the e-tutor’s presence, empathy, and engagement (Ryan & Henderson, 2018).

The next key attribute is adaptability. The e-tutor needs to be an exemplar, technology expert, curriculum developer, course designer, assessor, evaluator, and facilitator or moderator (Martin et al., 2019). How easy would the above e-tutor roles be for one whose first online course is this course? The third attribute is that “effective online teachers use productive failure” (Rose, 2018, p. 42). Productive failure involves allowing the students to learn from their own mistakes, thereby stimulating their critical thinking skills. The assessment of the above skill provides a better predictor of their success in the world of work than assessing the regurgitation of course content. Finally, see Figure 1 in the Appendix for a summary of the three attributes of an effective COSTAATT e-tutor.

References

Gillett-Swan, J. (2017). The challenges of online learning: Supporting and engaging the isolated learner. Journal of Learning Design, 10(1), 20-30. https://doi.org/10.5204/jld.v9i3.293

Martin, F., Ritzhaupt, A., Kumar, S., & Budhrani, K. (2019). Award-winning faculty online teaching practices: Course design, assessment and evaluation, and facilitation. The Internet and Higher Education, 42, 34-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2019.04.001

Rose, M. (2018). What are some key attributes of effective online teachers?. Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning, 22(2), 32-48. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1200688.pdf

Ryan, T., & Henderson, M. (2018). Feeling feedback: students’ emotional responses to educator feedback. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(6), 880-892. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2017.1416456

Youde, A. (2020). The emotionally intelligent online tutor: Effective tutoring in blended and distance learning environments. Routledge.

Appendix

Figure 1

3 Star Attributes of an Effective COSTAATT E-tutor