Distance tutoring of mechanics in a global framework

Distance education is big business in some fields such as business and computer education but it has proved very difficult to provide satisfactory distance education in the mathematical sciences. This paper describes an attempt to carry out tutoring in the subject area of mechanics in small groups and at a distance, i.e. the tutors and the students communicate via an Internet based e-meeting system rather being present in the same physical room. This is used at a KTH (Sweden) mechanics distance course based on a learning content management system supported with tutoring from AUT (New Zealand) and the reverse tutoring of students at a regular mechanics course at AUT tutored from KTH.