our tutor ?

Brian - your summary is wonderful and very full. Thank you. 

You didn't I think though include RobinG's comment that his role would be mostly marking TMA's. We haven't focussed much on what his role is here, could we have done this without him even if he doesn't appear on stage..this is real question and I have no idea what the full answer would be..it seems to matter..it also seems to be decidedly DIFFERENT.. At the very least we should add "assessor"/"keeper-of-standards" to the list 

We didn't ( it has only just occurred to me) take up the TMA issue at all..it probably should have been part of this, perhaps this would have been a logical extension of collaborative/coopertative not competitive ideas. Why do we have to also do tma's which count for HOW MUCH of our total grade...can we really be collective and individual at the same time or should we be freed -to let go of our separatenenss to maximise the cooperative experience. And having let go can we re-focuss our individuallity to deal with the TMA next week. 

I have this lurking suspicion that the next step might have been to draw on our own expereince to demonstarte and describe what in this specific instance of online learning was different or should have been different. 

Reflecting on what THIS experince has taught me about the topic...is just HOW LIMITED old models/metaphors are for dealing with new experience. 

[...............]  Brian may have started moderating with a F2F debate adjudicator model in mind but his comment msg 321 
"As a first time moderator it would be difficult to do on only logging in three times a week, its been nearer three times a day, and then I've often felt I've not done as much as I should have" makes it clear that the task checked out differently. 
I wonder how the debaters themselves found it. Did they have a F2F model, did it match up. 
I wonder too on the debate topic if we were asked NOW what question about online tutoring would you like to debate? would we name the one we started out on or as we got in deeper and started to see it from the inside would we have phrased it differently.

Msg #365 of 367; posted 12/4/98 by Ioannis-k

Meta-thoughts on Activity 3

Dear colleagues,  [ .......... ] 

I expect that the situation of *getting to know one another*, which seems to be a critical parameter attached to the willingness to share (sense of community), has been improved, although this might mostly be true amongst participants of the same group rather than of the course as a whole. Much communication must have also occurred off stage through the use of private e-mail or even phone calls, as there has been in my case, further enabling acquaintance of fellow participants. 
I would certainly like us to revisit this hypothesis towards the end of the course, when further participation in collaborative, non-competitive activities might converge into building a stronger communal sense. 

Finally, I think that is time to have a Tutoring thread started where Instructional Issues may be discussed. This might free our tutors from their traditional roles and help them act more as colleagues than 'standard keepers'. I realize there is a threat to status quo here, but judging by the contents of this course, its experimental nature and the overall level of its participants I would say that it's all worth. 

[ ............. ] 

Re: Research on H802

How do the tutor comments fit in with the conferencing? Are they purely facilitators or do you feel that your being steeered in a particular track?

My impression is that neither of the functions given in your question describe their role, so far. Apart from spelling out prescribed material referring to the activities, there is very little commending on their behalf (with few exceptions).I could say that, so far, H802 tutors' postings mark their absence rather than their presence. I dare say that this stance is better described as being aloof rather than standing on the side facilitating. 
I feel we could all do with more tutor participation, especially in view of tutors being also learners in such a course, and despite my personal view that *lurking* (observing) could also generate learning - as they have to fullfil a dual role here.  [ .............. ]