University tutorials and support sessions: an emerging environment at European Universities. A study at the Faculty of Education at the University of Murcia

Abstract

Higher Education nowadays involves changes which reveal the new role of university tutorials and student support and guidance services. Tutorials and support sessions are perceived as quality and innovation factors, which require new responsibilities and know-how. Considering the central role played by tutorials and support sessions in European universities, this paper questions whether the changes required are indeed being implemented in our context, and how they are perceived by key players in the learning process, namely students. This study was conducted at the Faculty of Education (University of Murcia, Spain). The results show that there is a need for further information, integration and commitment to tutorials and support sessions, as they are not adequately appraised, and students perceive them as academic sessions.