ADVISOR, TUTOR, MENTOR: FUNCTIONAL TYPOLOGY OF ACADEMIC SUPPORT ROLES

Abstract

What kind of academic support should be provided to higher education students for successful implementation of their educational trajectory? Should a tutor replace a advisor? How to prepare a universal tutor? Are other specialists needed for professional mentoring and adaptation-service support of students? The absence of a systematic answer to these questions leads to role confusion and inefficient use of resources. Purpose. To systematize forms of academic support for higher education students through the development of a functional typology of roles and to assess the feasibility of institutionalizing tutorship as a separate position in higher education. Methods. The study is based on V. Tinto’s institutional integration model, which distinguishes between social and academic subsystems of student success. A comparative analysis of academic support practices in over 40 universities in Europe, North America, and Ukraine was conducted. A functional approach to role classification was applied based on purpose, performer, duration of interaction, and qualification requirements. Results. A functional typology has been developed that distinguishes eight roles of academic support, classified according to four levels of integration: infrastructural (academic advising), social (group and individual counseling), academic (teaching assistance and tutoring), and intellectual (mentoring). It was found that in international practices, academic support is implemented through role distribution of functions among faculty, students, and administrative staff, rather than through separate positions. Conclusions. The institutionalization of tutorship as a separate pedagogical position creates the risk of replacing academic mentoring with social-adaptation support due to the performer’s lack of professional expertise and research experience. The proposed functional typology of roles allows universities to design models of academic support for students and to distribute support functions in a balanced manner depending on institutional resources and the institution’s educational policy, avoiding the concentration of incompatible functions in one role.