Abstract Book of the 9th International Conference on Modern Research in Education, Teaching and Learning
Year: 2025
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Student Evaluation as a Tool for Improving Tutor Performance in Open and Distance Higher Education. A Case Study of Tutors at The Hellenic Open University
Theognosia Kounatidou, Antonis Lionarakis
ABSTRACT:
The aim of this article is to explore, through a literature review, the characteristics of student evaluation of tutors that render it an effective tool for enhancing their role within the context of open and distance higher education in Greece. In today’s globalized environment, shaped by increasing everyday demands and the experience of the Covid-19 pandemic, distance education has emerged as a necessary educational modality, prompting a reconsideration of existing pedagogical practices. Within this framework, student evaluation of teaching staff is recognized as a key mechanism for quality assurance. However, it requires reconfiguration, as the notion of improvement is not static but dynamic and context dependent. This study proposes a functional definition of tutors’ improvement in open and distance education as an ongoing and evolving process of professional development. This process integrates personal empathy, technological proficiency, constructive use of feedback, and continuous pedagogical adaptability. To ensure that these dimensions are effectively supported through student evaluations of tutors, the institutionalization of participatory and reflective evaluation mechanisms is proposed as an essential condition for enhancing quality in higher distance education.
Keywords: improvement evaluation, improvement of tutors, evaluation in open and distance learning