They Learned the Course! Why Then Do They Come to Tutorials?
Russell Jay Hendel
The paper explores after-course preparation for certification exams. The question addressed is, “What are the broad themes for seeking tutorial help after course completion? What types of problems are typical during tutorial help? What are their characteristics?” The paper is based on the author’s experience in tutorial assistance for Society of Actuary certification exams at Towson University and additionally to help-desk experiences with ACTEX an online educational company that assists in exam preparation. This is part I of what hopefully will become a series of such explorations. In this part I, we explore the Probability course. Four broad areas of seeking help emerge including (i) problems integrating multiple course modules, (ii) many-parameter problems, (iii) modules with multiple vs. single formulas, and (iv) modules where solution is accomplished by an algorithm vs. a formula. The study, besides being of use to those conducting tutorials, is useful to instructors teaching the course since it emphasizes potentially weak spots in the curriculum needing strengthening. This study is consistent with and reflects several important constructs from the psychology of pedagogy. Full Text
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