E-tutor Profiles in Online Higher Education: Skills and Organizational Models

This study is focused on the role of e-tutor in Higher Education. The first objective was a systematic literature review, while the second was an analysis of regulations, contracts and other internal University documentation used to define the e-tutor job description. This analysis was developed highlighting the skills required to online tutors and disciplinary tutors. The third step of the researchwas based on a questionnaire focused on the analysis of the different roles that e-tutors can play in academic contexts. The research sample has been the two e-tutor groups of the eCampus University in the academic year 2020/2021: 220 On Line Tutors (TOL) and 62 Disciplinary Tutors (TD), obtaining 133 complete questionnaires fromthe TOL group (60.4%) and 42 (67.8%) of the related group of TDs. The e-tutoring model implemented at the university for TOLs clearly focuses on the transversal dimension linked to the use of technological infrastructures and the organizational and administrative processes of the University. On the other hand, the strictly pedagogical dimension remains in the background. The modeling space, intended as a pedagogical practice, could be a space of overlap with the disciplinary tutors but it could become, if well structured, also the space for comparison of the reciprocal practices also articulated on different levels.