La coopération entre tuteurs et équipes de conception pour un meilleur suivi des cours à distance

Abstract

In distance education (DE), problems of confusion and tension between the design and management teams led us to carry out exploratory research concerning the following question: how does the organization of the work incite or constrain the design and management teams to cooperate with each other? In four institutions offering DE, 44 individual interviews and 8 group interviews were conducted with the stakeholders. The results show that there are areas of confusion with the answers to be given to the problems that arise, which stems from a lack of cooperation. St-Arnaud (2003) describes co-operation based on three variables: (1) consultation concerning the pursued aims, (2) recognition of each other’s work and (3) the sharing of power. According to the respondents, there is little or no consultation with the tutors on how to achieve the pursued goals. Tutors, above all, lack recognition for the work they do. In the majority of cases, in relation to course design, the opinion of the tutors is ignored by the design teams. Moreover, tutors, working from their homes, and most of them being part-time, receive little help with the problems they encounter. Teachers have more disciplinary expertise in the management of courses and tutors than do pedagogical advisors, but find this task difficult because of a lack of time and expertise in project management. Significant communication and monitoring problems creates this lack of cooperation.

Keywords

• formation à distance
• tutorat
• gestion des cours
• coopération interprofessionnelle
• communication