Editing Tutorial

{{Short description|Type of educational intervention}}
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[[File:Meeting of doctors at the university of Paris.jpg|thumb|upright|Medieval tutorial]]
In [[education]], a '''tutorial''' is a method of transferring knowledge and may be used as a part of a [[learning]] process. More [[interactivity|interactive]] and specific than a [[book]] or a [[lecture]], a tutorial seeks to teach by example and supply the information to complete a certain task.

A tutorial can be taken in many forms, ranging from a set of instructions to complete a task to an interactive problem solving session (usually in academia).

== Academia ==

=== Tutorial class ===

In British [[academia|academic]] [[parlance]], a tutorial is a small class of one, or only a few [[student]]s, in which the [[tutor]], a [[lecturer]], or other academic staff member, gives individual attention to the students.<ref>{{cite web|title=Definition of 'tutorial'|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/tutorial|website=Collins English Dictionary|access-date=12 July 2017}}</ref>

The [[tutorial system]] at [[University of Oxford|Oxford]] and [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]] is fundamental to methods of teaching at those universities, but it is by no means particular to them; [[Heythrop College]] ([[University of London]]), for instance, offers a tutorial system but with one-on-one teaching. Another example is [[Imperial College London]], where tutorials in groups of 3 take place.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tutorials|url=http://www.imperial.ac.uk/engineering/departments/electrical-engineering/study/current-students-course-handbook/tutorials/|access-date=2021-05-22|website=Imperial College London|language=en-GB}}</ref> It is rare for newer universities in the UK to have the resources to offer individual tuition<!-- Did the author intend to use the word “tuition,” or based on the context, should it rather read, “tutoring?” ~~~~Mark Halsey -->;  a class of six to eight students is a far more common tutorial size. At Cambridge, a tutorial is known as a '''supervision'''.

In [[Tertiary education in Australia|Australian]], [[Education in New Zealand|New Zealand]], and [[Education in South Africa|South African]] universities, a tutorial (colloquially called a '''tute''' or '''tut''') is a class of 10–30 students. Such tutorials are very similar to the Canadian system, although, tutorials are usually led by [[Honours degree|honours]] or [[postgraduate]] students, known as 'tutors'.

At the two campuses of [[St. John's College (Annapolis/Santa Fe)|St. John's College, U.S.]] and a few other American colleges with a similar version of the [[Great Books]] program, a "tutorial" is a class of 12–16 students who meet regularly with the guidance of a tutor.  The tutorial focuses on a certain subject area (e.g., mathematics tutorial, language tutorial) and generally proceeds with careful reading of selected primary texts and working through associated exercises (e.g., demonstrating a Euclid proof or translating ancient Greek poetry).  Since formal lectures do not play a large part in the St. John's College curriculum, the tutorial is the primary method by which certain subjects are studied.  However, at St. John's the tutorial is considered ancillary to the [[seminar]], in which a slightly larger group of students meets with two tutors for broader discussion of the particular texts on the seminar list.

Some US colleges, such as [[Williams College]], offer tutorials almost identical in structure to that of an [[Oxbridge]] tutorial. At Williams, students in tutorials typically work in pairs alongside a professor and meet weekly, while alternately presenting position papers or critiques of their partner's paper.

=== Tutorial schools ===

There are also specialized schools for tutoring such as, [[Kumon]] and EduHub. These supplemental hands-on learning programs are especially popular in Asia.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=BBC | title = Meet the 'tutor kings and queens' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20085558}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|newspaper=New York Times | title = Tutoring Spreads Beyond Asia's Wealthy |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/06/world/asia/06iht-educlede06.html}}</ref>

=== Conference tutorials ===
Offered as a service or deliverable to its members, conference tutorials are one example of a continuing education activity sponsored by a technical and professional association.

===Private study===
A tutorial in high schools in the United States may also mean a session for [[homework]] or other private study.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chs.fuhsd.org/cms/page_view?d=x&piid=&vpid=1231079660677 |title=Cupertino High School: Tutorial in the Library |website=www.chs.fuhsd.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122120636/http://www.chs.fuhsd.org/cms/page_view?d=x&piid=&vpid=1231079660677 |archive-date=2010-01-22}} </ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shorelineschools.org/site/default.aspx?DomainID=868|title=Homework Club / Homework Club|website=www.shorelineschools.org}}</ref>

== Education ==

In documentation and instructional design, tutorials are teaching-level documents that help the learner progress in skill and confidence.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Barker |first1=Thomas T. |title=Writing software documentation : a task-oriented approach |publisher=Allyn and Bacon |isbn=0205195768 |page=394}}</ref> Tutorials can take the form of a screen recording ([[screencast]]), a written document (either online or downloadable), interactive tutorial, or an audio file, where a person will give step by step instructions on how to do something.

Tutorials usually have the following characteristics:

* A '''presentation of the view''' usually explaining and showing the user the user interface
* A '''demonstration of a process''', using examples to show how a workflow or process is completed; often broken up into discrete modules or sections.
* Some '''method of review''' that reinforces or tests understanding of the content in the related module or section.
* A '''transition to additional modules or sections''' that builds on the instructions already provided.  Tutorials can be ''linear'' or ''branching''.

While many writers refer to a mere list of instructions or tips as a tutorial, this usage can be misleading.

== Computer-based tutoring ==
In [[computer-based education]], a tutorial is a computer program whose purpose is to assist users in learning how to use parts of a [[software]] product such as an [[office suite]] or any other application, operating system interface, programming tool, or [[video game]]. There are three kinds of software tutorials: 1) video tutorials that the user views,  2) [[interactive]] tutorials where the user follows on-screen instructions (and—in some cases—watches short instruction movies), whereupon they do the tutorial exercises and receives feedback depending on their actions; and 3) [[webinar]]s where users participate in real-time lectures, [[online tutoring]], or workshops remotely using web conferencing software.

==See also==
*[[Tutoring agency]]
*[[Teaching assistant]]
*[[How To (disambiguation)|How-to]]
*[[Knowledge base]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Wiktionary}}
{{wikiquote|Explanations}}

[[Category:Educational practices]]