"Puoi farlo anche in un altro modo... ne parleremo domani in classe": la funzione del tutor tra gruppi e messaggistica nell'Hybrid University Learning

In this chapter a hybrid setting in higher education is examined. Situated nature of group interaction -including Situational Leadership Theory- and implications about introducing tutors and WhatsApp to produce “boundary-objects”, are discussed. Two WhatsApp-chats are analyzed, each populated by three university students (age 24) and two academic tutors (age 27). A qualitative method is developed, based on a category system purposely defined and treated by Atlas.ti. Two research questions are posed: Do adaptive dynamics shape the situational style of tutoring? Is tutor’s situational style connected to hybridization? Results show how tutors adapt their style to the groups’ situational features to fulfill the instrumental and relational dimensions of tutoring, that facilitate the collaborative dynamic supporting hybridization.