Tutoring Junior Students by Senior Students in Engineering Courses

Abstract

In an attempt to improve student learning in terms of acquired knowledge and its applicability, the idea of using senior undergraduate students to tutor junior undergraduate students is attempted. The goal of the tutoring program is to provide an interactive atmosphere that will help junior computer science students to better understand the fundamental and advanced concepts, and also to provide an opportunity for senior students to develop teaching, organizational and leadership skills. This paper illustrates the approach experimented at our department for the course on microprocessor. The approach is based on the use of enthusiastic and fairly intelligent senior students to tutor junior students through discussion, problem solving and demonstration of important topics in the course. The experience of both faculty and students involved in the entire process has endorsed that this approach creates an effective learning environment, wherein all stakeholders like department, faculty, junior and senior students are benefited.