The Case Study Tutor
During
the case study, a tutor supervises each group. This person is usually
an academic member of staff or a research assistant in the department.
As tutor to the group, the academic has several tasks. They should:
- Listen carefully to what students already know and stimulates them to tackle possible future obstacles
- Ask questions and stimulates discussion
- Monitor progress and performance
- Support the students with their group interactions
- Considers ways of improving the co-operation in the student group as an instrument for attaining the case study goals
- Explain how the material is organised
- Give evidence of his professional ability by listening, asking questions and giving instructions
The overall role of the tutor is:
- To stimulate the group at appropriate moments to explore the material in more depth
- Supervisor of the group learning process
- Formal moderator of the individual students within the group
Tutors should never:
- Act as the chairman
- Lecture in the traditional sense
- Impose their knowledge on the students