Academic tutoring in engineering careers: a current view

In the subjects of engineering degrees, with abundant technical content, academic tutoring is an important tool for the teaching/learning process that is often considered underutilized. The aim of this paper is to analyze the different factors that influence the use of tutoring. To do this, a questionnaire was applied to a sample of students from technical careers at the University of Burgos. It provided information on the profile of students, the frequency and number of subjects where they went for tutoring, factors influencing tutoring relative to the subjects, the teacher or other causes, and it also contained an attitude scale towards tutoring. The study shows that attendance to tutoring sessions is strongly influenced by the student workload, by the difficulty of each subject, by the frequency of evaluation proofs, and by personal and teaching competencies of the teacher. It also shows that students are secure with tutoring, but unmotivated and uninterested. The youngest students present insecurity when attending tutoring, which they overcome by being accompanied. Meanwhile, the lack of motivation or lack of interest is general and it is the pragmatism of approving their studies which guides the actions of the students. To improve this, it is proposed to enhance specific social skills within the teaching staff or the development of monitoring/evaluation activities that promote student engagement in their academic evolution and in their professional future.