Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 46 (2012) 450 – 456

WCES 2012

e-tutoring
children in remote areas
Lih-Juan ChanLin a *, Hong-Yen Lin b, Tze-Han Lu c
a
Department of Library & Inoformation Science, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Hsin-Chuang 24205, NewTaipei City, Taiwan
b
Information Technology Center, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Hsin-Chuang 24205, NewTaipei City, Taiwan
c
College of Foreign Languages, Fu-Jen Catholic Universityy, Hsin-Chuang 24205, NewTaipei City, Taiwan

Abstract

In recent years, service learning has experienced rapid development in education in Taiwan. Many universities have integrated
service learning into the curriculum or promoted service learning as volunteer activities in enhancing cognitive development and
growth among college students. In this study, college students participation in the service learning project, Online Tutoring for
After-School Learning at Fu-Jen Catholic University was analyzed. Experiences of college students in e-tutoring children in
remote areas were reacted. Issued related to service learning, distant services and equity of access, e-tutoring initiative, and
.
2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
© 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Uzunboylu
Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Keywords: Service learning; digital divide; e-tutor; online tutoring; after school learning; distant learning

1. Service Learning

Encouraging students to get involved in community service has a long history in American higher education
beginning in the 19th century and has been revitalized in the 1960s, 1980s, and today (National Service-Learning
Clearinghouse, 2008). Different from social services, service learning is defined as a well-planned process, through
Waterman, 1997). Service learning has often
been accepted as a teaching tool among educational institutions yet widely used as an integral part of connecting
with a community and solving community problems (Bates, 2010). Higher education has long emphasized
experiential learning of various practices in the training of all knowledge domains. The adoption of service learning
serves a means to prepare students for their professional development and to help students to take responsibility for
the serviced community (Becker, 2000). Therefore, service learning is considered a teaching and learning strategy
and responsibility,
as well as strengthens the communities (National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, 2008).
Service learning is grounded in experiential learning and works of Dewey (1938) and Kolb (1984), which provide
a framework for incorporating experiential opportunities into instructional activities. Kolb (1984) defines learning
as a process whereby knowledge is constructed through the transformation of experiences (p. 38). By integrating
service learning into higher education, students are provided with experiential and contextual learning opportunities

* Lih-Juan ChanLin.

1877-0428 © 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Uzunboylu
Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.05.140
 Lih-Juan ChanLin et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 46 (2012) 450 – 456 451

for professional, social, and civic involvement (Overall, 2010; Strage, 2000; Schweinle, Turner & Meyer, 2009;
Gallant, Smale, & Arai, 2010). It is also reported that engaging students in community services influences their
subsequent civic engagement (Hart, et al., 2007; Henderson et al., 2007). Participations of these service works have
a powerful impact on young people and their development. Through the dynamic service process, students' personal
and social growth is tightly interwoven into their academic and cognitive development (Eyler & Giles, 1999).

2. Distant service and equity of access

In recent years, the use of advanced modern information communication technology has made service leaning
activities reaching children in remote areas more feasible. Children in remote areas often experience with limit
learning resources and little support to fulfill their basic academic needs (Bell, 2010). Children in disadvantage
environments have faced tremendous challenges in school readiness and achievement (Celano & Neuman, 2010).
This unequal access has serious implica
to the barriers of distance and space, children in remote areas require special attention from various aspects,
including learning resources, facilities and human resources to support their learning (Jill & Penny, 2010).
Challenges and opportunities of providing equal access of technology exist in various regions (Mutula & Mostert,
2010). In order to bridge the digital divide and learning gap among children in remote areas, efforts from both the

learning. When faced with insufficient resources available in these disadvantageous areas, integrating technology
into service works might offer a solution to support learning of children in remote areas. However, the needs and
problems of the serviced groups, as well as the perceived roles and participation of students should be taken into
account in service-learning activities (Toledano & Lapinid, 2010). College students engaged in service works will
have to face many difficulties in dealing with social problems. Through working with these problems, students
share their time and abilities on their own initiative in the service-learning experiences (Deegan, Gambino & Borick,
2009).

3. E-tutoring initiative

The use of modern technology where live teaching and learning is facilitated through electronic media had
extended beyond the reach of traditional teaching and learning space (Morris, 2011; Quillen, 2011; Verleur, 2011).
E-tutors provide children in remote areas with more convenient and flexible ways of learning than does a traditional
classroom learning environment. It also offers opportunities and possibilities to reach remote individuals with
diverse socio-economic status (Bruning, 2011). Through the use of advanced interactive communication
technology, learning difficulties of rural students can be identified and supported. Digital technologies can change
g after school hours in numerous ways. Some of these changes include incorporating digital
animation, live video, and use of screen electronic whiteboard alongside more traditional techniques and themes.
Other changes have been more subtle, as seen in the ability of individuals to concentrate on learning, communicate,
and interact in ways previously unthought-of.
In order to bridge the digital divide and learning gap among children in remote areas, the Ministry of Education,
Taiwan has initiated the Digital O in
remote areas has been widening to cover more service sites and to support more children in their learning during
ion of Digital Oppo
reach more rural schools and was -School Learning
governmental effort, more charity groups were involved in providing funding for the needed technical and human
support.
-School Learning share the
responsibility in providing more learning opportunities for children in remote areas. With an aim to promote
after-school learning and information literacy in remote areas, the Digital Opportunity Center (DOC) and
452 Lih-Juan ChanLin et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 46 (2012) 450 – 456

network service sites equipped with networking technology, communication tools, devices and facilities were
established in local servicing sites and schools. Children from rural schools were paired with college students for
after-school online tutoring (Ministry of Education, Taiwan, 2010).

4. Experiences from college students

College students participating in Online Tutoring for After-School Learning at Fu-Jen Catholic University were
enrolled in this study. E-tutor environments using JoinNet, network, webcam, headphone, keyboard, and mouse
were set up at Fu-Jen Catholic University and 14 remote service sites. Online Tutoring for After-School Learning
met every Tuesday and Thursday night from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. To prepare the college students for the e-tutoring
task, they were taught to use JoinNet and various communication devices. They were also trained to develop
knowledge about the use of the teaching content and the ability to access various supplementary materials for kids.
To achieve their tutoring task, college students were required to prepare instructional materials prior to e-tutoring
and keep diaries for self-review of their instructional approach. Through ongoing distant interactions, college
students gradually obtained understanding about learning characteristics of the children they tutored and made
necessary adjustments to meet children s learning needs.
From March to June 2011, 287 college students were engaged in online tutoring of 167 remote children. A total
of 7071 work hours were accumulated and 3477 online diaries were recorded. The e-tutor experiences were
summarized into the following categories: Building face-to-face learning interactions ,
physical and emotional responses, Trying to understand what interests specific children, Adjusting teaching
approach according to individual learning , Dealing with frustration , Helping children learn positively ,
Enjoying with achievement , and Sharing joys and sorrows . These categories are described in details below.

4.1. Building face-to-face learning interactions

At the beginning of e-tutoring, each tutor spent time interacting with the child they were paired with, trying to
understand the personality and characteristics of the individual child. The use of JoinNet and communication
devices provided an ideal tool for face-to-face contact and for building mutual understanding about the teaching and
learning context. With the use of electronic white board, tutors and children shared the instructional space covering
movies, multimedia, and various web-based resources to enrich distant learning experiences of the children. Tutors
also developed their own knowledge about how to present the instructional media in a more effective way.
Examples of e-tutors reactions are listed below.
On the f
along
-

A movie was presented as a supplement for learning a specific math concept. I noticed that Chenyan could not
catch up with the pace of the movie. So, I stopped for a certain period of time, raised questions, and helped him
practice with the problem.

Although the use of technology provided face-to-face learning interaction, there were some technical or
connection problems in web services causing obstacles in learning interaction. Lab assistants at remote learning
sites helped solve technical problems. Tutors also learned basic solutions to facilitate file transmission; for example,
adjusting the memory size of multimedia learning resources. Examples of e-tutors reactions are listed in the
following.

I could not see the graphics during uploading. I had to wait, or logout and login
 Lih-Juan ChanLin et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 46 (2012) 450 – 456 453

me too much time to upload the pictures on his screen. Next time, I should compress the pictures into
smaller memory for quick transmission

4.2. Adjusting teaching approach according to individual learning

Unlike learning and teaching in the same physical space, analyzing children s learning conditions is challenging.
Children from remote areas had diverse characteristics and faced different learning obstacles. To achieve effective
tutoring
instructional approaches to help children overcome their learning difficulties. Examples of e-tutors reactions are
listed below.
to help him overcome

lacks confidence in learning English. I need to help her build

s. She has high expectations of herself

the patience to deal with complex problems, especially when new concepts were involved.

4.3. Trying to understand what interests specific children

From their tutoring, tutors integrated things and objects that interest children in their distant learning activity. For
example, games, graphics, and animations were often utilized of e-
tutors reactions are listed in the following.

English songs to teach her new

himin was interested in animation and could not concentrate on the learning task. The use of short break for
viewing animation
-based problem-solving activities. He enjoyed winning the games that I gave him for
problem-solvi
s. I used pictures of dinosaurs
Chauchen got impatient, I taught her English songs and she became

4.4.

Children from remote areas might encounter problems due to their physical conditions (illness or listlessness) or
unhappy experiences with their schools, families, or social surroundings. These factors influenced their interaction
with the tutoring content and learning condition. College students offered words of encouragement to kids and
helped them deal with emotional distress. Examples of e-tutors reactions are listed in the following.
el bet
depressed today. I tried to cheer him up

and not concentrated due to inadequate sleep last night. I tried to slow down my pace, and
454 Lih-Juan ChanLin et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 46 (2012) 450 – 456

4.5. Dealing with frustration

In tutoring remote children, college students might encounter frustration due to unsatisfactory learning outcomes
or indifference from children. Some children cared about their scores and felt upset when the exam scores were not
satisfactory. Tutors tried to cheer them up and encouraged them to work harder. However, some children showed
indifference in their own learning. These behaviors often frustrated tutors. Examples of e-tutors reactions are
listed below.
with
listen to me or answer my questions. She was playing

her exam results. She was upset. I slowed down my pace and tried to help her

4.6. Helping children learn positively

Many children had made great progress from the learning experiences. The tutors provided them with learning
guidance and helped them practice with questions. Through guidance and practice, children become capable of
dealing with complex tasks. More involvement in learning and more exercise with problems also allowed children
to develop confidence and to react positively toward learning. Examples of e-tutors reactions are listed in the
following.
faced with complex problem, she
would try her own way of reasoning. I encouraged her to think independently.

about what I taught. He was willing to practice the ex

getting familiar with the concepts, Quan began to develop confidence in solving the problems. He has
made

4.7. Enjoying with achievement

College students experienced a sense of achievement when children made progress. From the e-tutor
experiences, college students built close relationship with the children they tutored. Various instructional approach
and teaching strategies were employed and adjusted to meet the needs of individual children. As a result, many
children had made progress and become more positively engaged in their learning. College students sensed
fulfillment when children achieved expected learning outcomes. Examples of e-tutors reactions are listed below.
joy in makin
found him a mature kid. He shared with me his thoughts
gave her more challenging math problems and provided her with some hints. She solved the problems
succ
but needed to recall what was learned. I would give him more exercises

has developed his own understanding and concepts needed in solving math

graduate. Teaching him made my freshman year special. I observed that he made great
progress in English this year. I hope he will always enjoy
 Lih-Juan ChanLin et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 46 (2012) 450 – 456 455

4.8. Sharing joys and sorrows

From the distant interaction, the e-tutor activity formed a bond between college students and remote children,
who enjoyed their time together. They shared happenings at schools, academic or career plans for the future, and
mutual understanding about each other. Their interaction was far beyond the tutorship. Some of them even became
good friends and they both benefited from the experiences. Examples of e-tutors reactions are listed in the
following.
of
my high school experiences, and chatted with her about her future plan. I also taught her
some lessons about
d today. Her consideration and
h the
tutorial in the semester. Yu felt sad for being away from the class during the summer
very

5. Discussion and conclusions

From e-tutoring children in remote areas, college students experienced the application of network technology and
the development of their service learning skills. The innovative approach in service learning also enabled college
students to deal with issues related to real-life problem-solving, social interactions, responsibility, and obtained a
sense of achievement when expected objectives were achieved
learning needs accordingly, and reactions. As
noted in prior research, when college students experienced more about the diversity of socio-cultural differences,
they are more likely to adjust their roles in social interactions (Roberts & McNeese, 2010). Through service works,
students learned the culture within the community they serve (Innella, 2010). Our study also obtains similar
findings. Through the process of service learning, students built friendship with the children in remote areas. They
became more open to culture diversity, and more willing to make adjustments according to their understanding of
the children they tutored.
The effort to create digital opportunity for rural areas has linked university and distant communities, as well as
college students and remote children. The e-tutoring experiences of college students offer an exciting and inspiring
prospect for promoting service learning opportunity through the use of modern technology. Anecdotal evidence
gathered in e-tutor diaries suggests that college students experienced diverse problem-solving tasks in the e-tutoring
process. However, this study is preliminary. More systematic assessment of what college students and serviced
children learned from the e-tutor activity is needed.

Acknowledgements

The work described in this paper was supported by a research grant from the National Science Council whose financial
support is gratefully acknowledged..

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