Cloud Based Tutorial Management System to Enhance Student Participation in Learning

For a long time tutorials has been known to enhance student participation in learning and often learning institutions have used them to improve student’s learning experience. However, in the recent past, there has been a gradual decline in use of group tutorials discussions due large classes a lecturer is expected to teach. With the advent of emerging technologies such as cloud computing there is need to rethinking about how tutorials can be conducted in order to retain its benefits. This paper reports on an online tutorial management system (Tutmas) developed to improve the management of tutorials. It is based on research conducted at Kenyatta University where respondents were identified through snowballing. Data was collected through questionnaires, interviews and observations then Agile Software Development approach was used to develop the platform. Tutmas is a platform that provides lecturers with a forum to setup classes, add tutorial questions or topics, schedule class presentations, monitor group activities and assess the performance of individual groups. On the other hand, students are able to enrol in tutorial groups, indentify questions to write on, collaborate in writing the paper, upload and share the final papers to class members.