Videoconference in Academic Tutoring : A Case Study

The use of the videoconference as a resource for academic tutoring is starting to spread as a useful practice. From a pedagogical point of view this technological innovation involves many uncertainties as regards its organization, its technology and its pedagogical features. In this paper we study this process in the Degree of early childhood education at the University of La Laguna in the academic course 2016, where two hundred students experienced the video tutorials in two subjects. We will prove how students enter university with previous experiences related to the use of videoconferences in different usage models. In this paper we reflect on decision making processes carried out in several categories. We conclude with the assessment that students have made about this experience, highlighting here the specific utility as regards the most effective type of feedback and the relational environment.


The use of videoconference as an emerging technology at university
The application of emerging technologies in academic life, as in the case of videoconference applied to tutoring, offers, from a pedagogical point of view, an excellent opportunity to study how such technologies affect and contribute to the development of the educational system and how they relate to teaching improvement processes and their implementation difficulties.(Aguaded, 1996;Ambròs, 2011;Martínez, 2003) Videoconference is an emerging technology.Actually, we performed personal videoconferences in the late 90s (Webster, 1998) with less consistent technologies such as Messenger, i-Visit, or Netmeeting with the hardware limitations of that time.Therefore, its experimentation was very difficult and there were very few users with the necessary conditions to participate.(Marín & Salinas, 2015;Henderson & Philips, 2015;Castillo-O & Castro, 2013) The technological explosion in the first decade of the millennium has resulted in conditions which did not previously exist.Fifteen years later, high-speed networks have become widespread in society, and videoconference appears as a basic mobile communication system.
Currently we live in a situation where students at the university demand the use of the resources available to facilitate academic requirements, new forms of collaborative work and new study programmes in terms of competences, autonomous work and continuous assessment.However, as noted by several authors such as Area and Guarro (2013) or Barroso and Cabero (2013), the use of videoconference is usual in proposals based on e-Learning processes and virtual conferences, webinars, and other uses designed for institutional relations and communication proposals.We live in a time of uncertainty as regards this phenomenon.What does the videoconference add? will we see its expansion in university tutoring and counselling?, in which context are we situated to promote this change?
In fact, the academic times which we share nowadays are characterized by the emphasis on training and skills, a growth in collaborative ways of working on projects; a function of tutoring and counseling as a key to academic success; and constant process of innovation and experimentation of innovative models to work in network communities.
In this context, the use of videoconference is becoming an interesting promise (Barroso & Cabero, 2013).Therefore, our university tries, in the academic course 2016, to institutionalize an innovation project of formal tutoring using telematics means, as a formal appeal and support for experimentation.
We are evaluating the videoconference to complement the usual face-to-face tutoring sessions, since it is one of the tools of communication that allows, among others, a two-way communication process among participants and also can be performed regardless of where we are.Our insular geography claims alternatives and solutions for a geographical dissemination, which at certain times of the academic course can be reflected in a lack of class attendance and none contact with the teacher (long holiday periods, holiday preludes, carnivals, Christmas time and other holidays).
The aim of this project is to promote and support the pedagogical integration of ICT and in particular tools that enable online communication with students, as a resource for e-tutoring teaching developed in the Degree of Early Childhood Education.Its aim is to promote a communication model which favours constructive and collaborative knowledge processes through the use of spaces and digital tools by both teachers and students.In this sense, this institutional project aims to promote actions such as the cited below:  Experience, apply and reflect on the use of videoconferencing applied to teaching and tutoring activity. Evaluate the impact of these digital resources on improving teaching through opinion questionnaires of the students involved. Train students as future teachers in the educational use of these resources.
It is in this context where our study is situated.From a perspective of action research, teachers of Instructional Technology Basics, assume the objectives of this institutional initiative.It is an opportunity to study the phenomenon from a pedagogical point of view, sensitive to change processes, to the contexts of innovation and educational improvement.

Videoconference in academic tutoring as a problem to study
This is a novelty which can be analysed from different approaches: from processes of change or innovation (Area & Guarro, 2013); or from an organizational point of view (Martinez 2003); or from the technological (Henderson & Philips, 2015), or the methodological approach or pure effectiveness of tutoring, and an economic or legal-based approach.
We discover new pedagogical questions:  Questions focused on the educational: How is the communication model?How does the context affect this communication?Does the videoconference allow me to do more and better tutoring sessions?Will students discuss different issues from those they treated in conventional tutoring?When and which topics will they discuss?Will they be more effective? Questions focused on the innovative power: What degree of duration and continuity will the tutoring relationship have through the videoconference?Will I achieve a better impact on tutoring?Does it bring improvements in tutoring relationships? Questions focused on technological proposals: What tools do we need?Which technological requirements are necessary?and which requirements of habituation are essential? Organizational questions: How many types of videoconferences are there?How is the best organizational model?Is it individual or collective? Issues related to professional competence: Is it recognized as a professional competence?Does it provide new communication environments susceptible to teaching and skills?
Therefore, we would like to emphasize the fact that this will be in the future a topic of discussion since central to this debate is the fact that blended learning methodology involves improvements.Distance learning maximizes its quality when it assumes face-to-face experiences, when it is combined with face-to-face teaching.Furthermore, it seems that it does so at the same speed as face-to-face teaching maximizes its quality adopting on line proce the student In our stud  Id  Id vi  K Therefore, seems app tutoring w

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Technological, organizational and pedagogical elements of experience
Trying to clarify the different ways of making decisions and those elements which interrelate in the experience of videotutoring, we think it is useful to specify three dimensions: technological, organizational and pedagogical dimensions.
Within the technological dimension we can find decisions about software and hardware devices involved.In the organizational dimension, we find those issues related to space, time and rules regulations, whereas in the pedagogical dimension we find issues related to education, skills and competencies.
Then, we will observe the relationship among decisions made according to dimensions in each of the subjects.

a) Decisions about technological elements for videotutoring
The first level of decisions is made up by technological decisions, since they provide the channel that makes the transmission possible.The installation of wireless internet connection throughout the university and the agreement with Google Enterprise to create an academic account for each student is one of the key factors for this experience.
The following table describes essential technological elements for the development of videotutoring.There are other tools used, such as shared whiteboards, map editors concepts or different format files that are used spontaneously depending on the content of the tutorship.

b) Decisions on organizational elements for videotutoring
Without specific organization of space, time and groups it would be impossible to allow a synchronous coincidence of activities.In the experience we studied, we made the following decisions (Table 3)

Used tool
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Assess
In the tabl regards the we must highlight the complexity of this experience and its richness.
As we have observed, this is a methodological proposal which is accompanied by many related factors which have an important impact on the validity and effectiveness of this experience.We have proven that the categorization built is useful to describe and define problems and solutions.Technological, organizational and educational issues are intertwined in an experience that may seem simple, such as performing a tutoring through the use of videoconference.However, it is not a simple experience.
It has many aspects which can imply a risk of failure due to the necessary technological skills, the necessary human coordination, and the necessary pedagogical usefulness and motivation.
We have not only proven that this experience is viable and useful.We have also observed that for the younger generations it is also "natural".Our students use this means of synchronous audio-visual communication with relatives and friends.Therefore, the fact of making use of these resources is both a social requirement and a responsibility for the knowledge of our future teachers.
It is also of crucial importance to enhance the richness provided by this interdisciplinary experience to learning.The possibilities to share places among teachers and build common experiences have an impact on the improvement of education, on the improvement of coordination and the students' perception of their teachers.For example, when we deal with subjects that are offered in successive terms or semesters, the experience of the first videoconference will not be a punctual experience since some months later the students will perform again a videoconference to develop a group presentation.
With reference to the immediate impact on learning, we have proven that the resolution of problems in the academic context is the first feature emphasized by students as regards the use of videotutoring.
We still have new questions related to its long-term impact because we think it is necessary to perform an annual study related to the number of times that students have made use of this technology for academic purposes.We think this is a value that can influence the way in which the students organize to work in groups, what eventually requires collective discussion in spite of the fact that students have their own agendas which most of the times are difficult to coordinate.Therefore, new questions are posed to know if students incorporate this technology into their methods of study, that is to say, if this technology transforms their study habits.

Table 1 .
Models of tutoring by videoconference

Table 2 .
Technological elements for the development of videotutoring

Table 3 .
Technological elements for the development of videotutoring c) Decision-making on pedagogical elements for videotutoring This is the richest dimension, from an academic point of view, since it includes aspects that justify and rescue from videotutoring an experience that would become innovative, beyond a new experience, and able to provide a