Page 36 - Teaching Innovation for the 21st Century

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Teaching Innovation for the 21st Century | Showcasing UJ Teaching and Learning 2021
In tutorials, tutors encourage inclusivity through active engagement and participation, by embracing all students and valuing diversity. Tutoring is multifaceted and promotes the inclusive development of the student (Faroa 2017).
Introduction
In the South African context, tutoring has become a vital component of teaching and learning due to the variety of complex student learning needs (Underhill, Clarence-Fincham & Petersen 2014). The Covid-19 pandemic, has further compounded this situation as students required increased support from tutors.
The pandemic forced institutions of higher education to shift their approaches to teaching and learning, in order to integrate digital technologies with pedagogical and educational practices. Academics and academic development practitioners had to explore new ways of imparting and co-constructing knowledge
by using a range of effective online teaching and learning strategies that promoted student centered learning (Lauria & O’Hare 2014). Given this, peer-support programmes, like tutoring, had to adopt online strategies to support students.
The role of tutoring in teaching and
learning at UJ
At UJ, tutors are seen as vital partners in facilitating student learning. The tutor system serves to support teaching and learning as tutors facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and skills. Tutorials offer a safe space where concepts can be clarified and reviewed. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning and become independent learners. Research shows that tutorials can have a significant impact on students’ academic performance, particularly in the case of first-year students (Arco-Tirado, Fernández-Martín & Hervás-Torres 2020).
The learning experience for many South African higher education students has been uneven. The pandemic
simply served to further exacerbate these inequities (Van Jaarsveld & Van der Walt 2018). Despite these inequities, tutorial spaces at UJ aim to provide equal opportunities
to learn, access to educational resources, and encourage inclusion and social cohesion (Faroa 2017). In tutorials, tutors encourage inclusivity through active engagement and