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This study explored the effectiveness of the tutorial program at the Jarkarta Regional Office (JRO) of the Universitas Terbuka (UT) in Indonesia. The tutorial program is the student support service offered by the JRO which provides for interaction between the tutors and the students. The provision of the tutorial program is crucial in this distance education system since it represents the only two-way communication in the system.
The case study approach was used in the study. The people who are involved in the program, namely students, tutors, and regional and central officers, were the subjects of the study. Several data collection methods were used, including questionnaires, interviews, direct observations, and document reviews.
When the study was conducted in October, 1987, only one tutorial session was held for any of the courses in the JRO during the semester because of the policy set by the new management team. Data revealed that the tutorial program was not fully effective, and the teaching methods used and activities actually carried out during the tutorials have not yet met the students' expectations. Several factors that may contribute to this situation include the limited time-length and frequency of tutorials; the absence of two-way communication between tutors and students prior to the tutorial meetings; the insufficient planning time allocated by the tutorial management; and unprepared students and tutors. One significant finding was reported by the study group students, who indicated that these groups have helped them to overcome not only their academic problems, but also their feelings of isolation.
To increase the effectiveness of the tutorial program, several recommendations are made: the frequency and the time-length of the tutorial sessions should be increased; to provide an avenue for communication between tutors and students prior to and after the tutorial meetings; the regional office should act as facilitator for the study groups; and guidelines for attending the tutorials should be developed so that all of the students can take full advantage of the tutorial sessions.
It should also be noted that despite the weaknesses of the tutorial program, students indicated that the current tutorial program was of great value to them and that they would attend the next tutorial program.