Edited by Christopher Douce, Friday 6 November 2026 at 09:32
In November 2023, I started to work on an eSTEeM scholarship project called The STEM Good Tutor Guide. Work on the project was stalled due to ‘life events’. This blog post aims to share where I’ve got to. I begin by sharing a draft of an introduction (which needs a lot of work). I then share a summary of articles that partially reflect a table of contents that I had originally designed. I then share something about the next steps I’m going to take to (attempt to) wrap everything up.
Introduction
The aim of this guide is to offer tutors practical help and guidance, whilst also being a useful ‘go to’ reference about the practice of being a tutor. You might be reading this having been a higher educational professional for many years, or you might be new to higher education teaching. The title of this guide acknowledges a book called The Good Study Guide by Andrew Northedge, which introduces students to good study practices. I should say that this guide, like all guides, doesn’t provide all the answers. Instead, think of it as a useful starting point.
This guide begins by sharing a practical perspective about what higher education is about, from an unapologetically OU context. This first chapter contains everything that I wish had made very clear to me when I first joined the university.
There are a couple of sections in the original table of contents that do not have corresponding articles. One of the areas hat I will write about it the notion of reflective practice, but this is something that I know is mentioned in the introductory articles. There is also an additional group of articles that relate to being a practice tutor, which I need to edit into a coherent whole.
Here’s what I need to do:
Collate all the articles together.
Aggressively edit each of them to create a consistent tone.
Remove repeated sections and consolidate points.
Reflect on whether learning outcomes or activities are needed.
Create a glossary and index.
Make sure that references are added and are formatted correctly.
The STEM good tutor guide: Introduction
In November 2023, I started to work on an eSTEeM scholarship project called The STEM Good Tutor Guide. Work on the project was stalled due to ‘life events’. This blog post aims to share where I’ve got to. I begin by sharing a draft of an introduction (which needs a lot of work). I then share a summary of articles that partially reflect a table of contents that I had originally designed. I then share something about the next steps I’m going to take to (attempt to) wrap everything up.
Introduction
The aim of this guide is to offer tutors practical help and guidance, whilst also being a useful ‘go to’ reference about the practice of being a tutor. You might be reading this having been a higher educational professional for many years, or you might be new to higher education teaching. The title of this guide acknowledges a book called The Good Study Guide by Andrew Northedge, which introduces students to good study practices. I should say that this guide, like all guides, doesn’t provide all the answers. Instead, think of it as a useful starting point.
This guide begins by sharing a practical perspective about what higher education is about, from an unapologetically OU context. This first chapter contains everything that I wish had made very clear to me when I first joined the university.
Article summary
Chapter 1: The role of the tutor
Chapter 2: Curriculum and modules
Chapter 3: The fundamentals of tutoring
Correspondence tuition
Tutorials
Forums
Examinations
Chapter 4: Supporting students
Chapter 5: Understanding your contract
Chapter 6: Practice tuition
Chapter 7: Continuing professional development
Chapter 8: Seeking help and support
Next steps
There are a couple of sections in the original table of contents that do not have corresponding articles. One of the areas hat I will write about it the notion of reflective practice, but this is something that I know is mentioned in the introductory articles. There is also an additional group of articles that relate to being a practice tutor, which I need to edit into a coherent whole.
Here’s what I need to do: