Face-to-face tutorials: The views of postgraduate students and their tutors at the Hellenic Open University. The case of postgraduate course on "Open and Distance Education" at the Hellenic Open University.

Tutorials are essential in Hellenic Open University's studies. They offer the opportunity for a 'face to face' communication between students and their tutors. In this paper we studied the views of postgraduate students and their tutors at the Hellenic Open University regarding the learning process of tutorials and the support they offer in distance education in order to study ways of improving their effectiveness. The survey was both quantitative and qualitative. Both questionnaire and interview were used as methodological tools. The survey showed that the majority of students and their tutors value positively the existence of tutorials in Hellenic Open University's studies and their contribution in supporting distance education. Both sides thought of tutorials as a learning process during which students can be energetic and autonomous. Results, also, showed that students are influenced by their earlier experience in traditional education and they, primarily, ask for academic support. In addition, students want to co-operate mainly with their tutors and with their fellow-students too. On the other hand, tutors focus on a friendly communication and co-operation with their students during tutorials. They, also, emphasize on supporting students in their academic effort. Finally, the survey showed that the problems concerning tutorials were relevant to the way they are organized, some aspects of their learning process and the quality of communication during the time period between two consecutive tutorials. Solutions are proposed for these kinds of problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]