Identifying & Implementing Evidence-Based Online Tutoring Practices: Online Practices for Tutoring In Mathematics Using Meaningful Interactions

该项目解决了国家提供支持系统以加强本科STEM学习的需求。它将通过调查大学数学在线辅导的最佳实践来实现这一目标。众所周知，面对面的数学辅导与积极的学习成果相关，包括更高的课程成绩、更强的毅力和更好的记忆力。提供高质量的在线辅导体验也有利于导师，帮助他们学习组织、时间管理、团队合作、解决问题、领导能力和技术沟通等宝贵技能。新冠肺炎疫情迫使许多大学辅导服务要么停止向学生提供帮助，要么转向网上。许多人选择上网。然而，在线数学辅导的有效实施还没有得到很好的理解。这种理解很重要，因为在线数学辅导可以在当前的大流行消散后很长一段时间内使学生受益。初步观察表明，在线数学辅导课程通常作为一种家庭作业服务：导师解决学生给他们带来的问题，学生观看并抄下解决方案，而不是积极参与。本研究旨在通过探索确保学生积极参与辅导课程的方法，使在线辅导体验更接近面对面的体验。通过对在线导师与学生互动的持续观察，该项目将确定鼓励学生更多参与在线辅导课程的导师行为。然后，该项目将设计培训材料，以促进导师最有效的行为。这些培训材料将通过研讨会、会议演讲和在线资源免费分发给数学教育界。该项目的在线辅导模式将在西弗吉尼亚大学和俄克拉荷马大学进行测试和完善，这两所大学为大量学生提供服务。该项目将确定导师的做法，促进以学生为中心的在线辅导互动，并生成培训材料，以优化在线辅导课程中这种互动的频率。将使用归纳和演绎主题分析来分析在线辅导课程记录，以确定促进以学生为中心的辅导互动的导师行为。钢笔和平板电脑技术将被利用，并与没有这些工具的在线课程进行比较，以研究对导师实践和学生参与的具体影响。通过多个周期的观察和实施，将开发出一套经过实证检验的培训材料，包括针对导师的《辅导手册》和针对辅导中心负责人/教员的《培训指南》。导师培训手册将包含诸如技术建议（例如，最佳协作白板应用程序；如何使用手机作为文档相机；将书面作业扫描为pdf格式的应用程序），文章阅读以及如何成为一名有效的虚拟教练等资源。教师培训指南将提供资源，如如何在学期开始前举办为期一天的培训，如何在学期中支持导师，以及如何评估在线辅导产品。本项目由美国国家科学基金会IUSE:EHR计划和促进竞争性研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）资助。IUSE: EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。通过参与学生学习轨道，该计划支持有前途的实践和工具的创建，探索和实施。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project addresses the national need to provide support systems that enhance undergraduate STEM learning. It will do so by investigating best practices for online tutoring in college mathematics. Face-to-face tutoring in mathematics is known to correlate with positive learning outcomes including higher course grades, greater persistence, and improved retention. Providing quality online tutoring experiences also benefits for tutors by helping them learn valuable skills such as organization, time management, teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, and technical communication. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many university-based tutoring services to either stop offering help to students or move online. Many chose to move online. However, the effective implementation of online mathematics tutoring is not yet well understood. Such understanding is important because online mathematics tutoring could benefit students long after the current pandemic has dissipated. Preliminary observations have shown that online mathematics tutoring sessions typically serve as a homework service: tutors solve problems brought to them by students and the students watch and copy down the solutions rather than actively participating. This study aims to make the online tutoring experience more like the in-person experience by discovering ways to ensure students are active participants in tutoring sessions. Through continued observation of online tutor-student interactions, the project will identify tutor behaviors that encourage greater student participation in online tutoring sessions. The project will then design training materials to promote the most effective behaviors in tutors. These training materials will be freely distributed to the mathematics education community through workshops, conference presentations, and online resources. This project’s online tutoring model will be tested and refined at West Virginia University and the University of Oklahoma, two large universities that server large populations of students. The project will identify tutor practices that promote student-centered online tutoring interactions and generate training materials to optimize the frequency of such interactions in online tutoring sessions. Recorded online tutoring sessions will be analyzed using inductive and deductive thematic analysis to identify tutor behaviors that promote student-centered tutoring interactions. Pen and tablet technologies will be utilized and compared to online sessions without such tools to study specific impacts on tutor practices and student engagement. Through multiple cycles of observation and implementation, a set of empirically tested training materials will be developed, including a Tutoring Manual for tutors and a Training Guide for tutoring center leaders/faculty. The Training Manual for tutors will contain resources such as technology suggestions (e.g., best collaborative whiteboard app; how to use your phone as a document camera; apps to scan written work to pdf), articles to read, and how to be an effective virtual coach. The Training Guide for faculty will provide resources such as how to host a one-day training before the semester starts, how to support tutors during the semester, and how to evaluate online tutoring offerings. This project is funded through the NSF IUSE:EHR program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). The IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.