Embedding equity: online tutor support to provide effective feedforward on assessments.

Sustainable and innovative programs to support students in their transition to university and improve student progress rates and retention are in high demand and short supply. An institution-wide model was established for an online Embedded Tutor Program. The program supports commencing undergraduate students and is sustainable post-pandemic. Tutors with unit-specific knowledge were embedded in 98 first-year unit offerings across the university in 2022. Tutors met with students via Zoom to provide feedforward on a written assessment. Of the 1080 students who met with a tutor, assessment marks were on average 8% higher and cumulative unit marks were 15% higher, and the one-on-one tutor support improved students' perceived confidence, overall learning and satisfaction. The Embedded Tutor Program had positive outcomes for all participants; however, students with multiple equity factors benefited the most from the support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]