A Multi-Island Situation Without the Ocean: Tutors' perceptions about working in isolation from colleagues.

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Autor/Urheber	Ilse Fouche
Institution	Athabasca University Press
Titel	A Multi-Island Situation Without the Ocean: Tutors' perceptions about working in isolation from colleagues.
Quelle	In: 1492-3831; International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, Vol 7, Iss 2 (2006)(2006) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Schlagwörter	Distance education; open education; tutor isolation; staff isolation; collaboration; administrative support; professional support; colleague support; mentor; mentorship; staff retention; Special aspects of education
Abstract	Distance education is generally seen as a very isolating experience for students, but one often forgets that it can be an equally isolating experience for teaching staff who oftentimes work in isolation from colleagues. This study examines the experiences of nine tutors at the Reading and Writing Centres of one of the 10 biggest universities in the world, Universtiy of South Africa (Unisa). The tutors work at different Regional Offices across South Africa. This study examines both quantitative data (closed-ended questions) and qualitative data (open-ended questions) obtained from questionnaires. This study seeks to determine to what extent administrative support, professional development support, and colleague support influence tutors' feelings of isolation. This paper takes the position that if feelings of isolation are curbed, staff retention will be improved, which means that the university can retain valuable experience. Findings show that contact with and collaboration between and among colleagues significantly decrease feelings of isolation. Other important methods of curbing isolation are regular training and continuous administrative support.
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