Virtual tutor training The JOB Experience

The JOB project (JOB, 2000) was a European-funded program run between January 1998 and June 2000. It involved a consortium of partners in Birmingham, UK, and a network of transnational partners across Europe. The aim of the project was to develop remote vocation guidance to disabled people in their own home, fully utilizing computer mediated communication. One of the concerns had to do with how to prepare tutors to work remotely, through computer mediated communication (CMC) and as a result, designers developed a Virtual Tutor training within JOB. This was accredited through the Open College Network of the West Midlands, and consisted of five units up to level three. Since 1998, over 120 Virtual Tutors have been trained. Learners have been recruited from higher education, further education, adult education, health and social care and some unemployed people from disadvantaged groups. This program is accredited and is delivered remotely using CMC. Evaluation results indicate that this has been a positive experience for the learners even though, for some, it has been a steep learning curve, particularly around mastering technology. Key issues for learners are described in this paper. (Author/AEF) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.