Tutoring in academic settings: an empirical study on developing a diploma project at college level

Abstract

The following article concerns the issue of tutoring and peer tutoring which can be applied across different academic settings. It presents the historical background of the methodology in English higher education, which developed in the Middle Ages, to be then subsequently used in other educational spheres in Britain and worldwide. Presently, due to a renewed interest in the individualisation of educational practices, tutoring and peer-tutoring methods are experiencing an increasing acceptance in a variety of didactic programmes and curricula. Hence, the article underlines the advantages of using the methodology and its techniques, as well as points to the numerous solutions basing on the original Oxford tutorial concept accepted in different academic environments. One such application of the tutoring model, patterned according to the Ghent University practices, was tested in the Seminar class in PSW in Biała Podlaska in the academic year 2019/20, where students were given extra hours to develop their diploma projects under an intense supervision of the tutor and peers. They were also questioned by several questionnaires to elicit their pre- and post-understanding of the methodology and the achieved results. Accordingly, the article discusses the outcomes of the scheme of applying tutorials in the academic context pointing, first of all, to their unique opportunities. It shows that participation in the project boosted the participants’ self-confidence, increased their communication and cooperation skills, as well as heightened their social capacity.