ACADEMIC TUTORING

AN EXPERIENCE IN THE RESPIRATORY PHYSIOTHERAPY COURSE AT FANOR WYDEN UNIVERSITY CENTER

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction: Academic tutoring is defined as a complementary activity that allows the tutor to enrich, update, and review their knowledge in the area, and also brings them closer to the experience of teaching, research, and extension. The academic tutoring at the institution of this study is voluntary and is part of a program of the academic coordination of undergraduate courses, where undergraduate students are selected to work a total of 50 hours per semester, assisting students in those disciplines. The main objective of this study is to report the experience of academic tutoring lived by a student of the Physiotherapy course in the discipline of Respiratory Physiotherapy. Methodology: Descriptive study, of the experience report type, carried out based on the student's experience in tutoring at the Fanor Wyden University Center, offered from March to June 2025, under the guidance of Professor Anairtes Martins de Melo. Results and Discussion: At the beginning of the first semester of 2025, a group was created on the WhatsApp® application entitled ‘Respiratory Physiotherapy Tutoring’, with the aim of facilitating communication between the students of the discipline and the tutor. Among the activities of the discipline, led by Professor Anairtes, that the tutor experienced were: participation in practical classes in the health skills laboratory, elaboration, application and data collection of two scientific research projects, submitted and approved to the UNIFANOR EXPERIENCE event, based on call for proposals nº 17/2025 - UNIFANOR WYDEN Scientific Initiation Meeting. Among the activities promoted by the tutor were: the creation of cards summarizing the content taught by the professor of the discipline. These cards were sent to the WhatsApp® group and students were encouraged to discuss them in the form of texts or audio recordings, so that through this channel they could express their main doubts and use the material as support for their studies, aiming to assist in the learning process. There were review sessions with the students, via the Google Meet® platform, in the weeks leading up to the mock exams, with the aim of reinforcing the content covered and preparing them for the assessments. In one of these sessions, the interactive tool Kahoot® was used for review and reinforcement of the content, promoting the active participation of the students. The activities carried out throughout the semester allowed not only the strengthening of theoretical and practical knowledge, but also the promotion of an environment of mutual support and collaborative learning among the students. Conclusions: Several significant contributions can be considered after this tutoring experience, as tutoring functions as an activity that strengthens teaching and promotes interaction within the academic community, in addition to bringing students closer to the content, because it allows them to ask questions in a more relaxed way, outside the formal classroom environment, feeling more comfortable asking or reviewing a topic with the tutor. Furthermore, the tutoring experience helped the tutor improve her academic posture and sense of responsibility, allowing her to see more clearly the role of the teacher in seeking to facilitate and improve the teaching and learning of their students.

Keywords: Tutoring, Physiotherapy, Teaching, Learning.