The student-tutor relationship is a very important one. Nowhere is this more true than in e-learning. Yet students are often unsure as to how best to take fullest advantage of the unique access an e-learning course can provide them to a qualified expert/tutor.

The best tutors will guarantee a full response to a student's questions or queries within 24-48 hours. This is good, because it means that the student can feel the tutor is really there for them. Make sure that any e-mail is addressed directly to the tutor or expert concerned. Though length of query is not an issue, clarity is. Ensure that you use punctuation, and paragraphs. If you are asking multiple questions, consider numbering them or using headers. Spell-check before you send, to avoid potential misunderstandings that might delay a response.

Don't feel shy about sending a number of e-mails to your tutor. This is common practice, and it demonstrates your proactive engagement in the course. The more you ask, the more guidance you will receive back in return. For example, lessons with assessment tasks or questions can be answered and sent back for marking. Don't be afraid to make mistakes - the tutor will not only correct them, but show you how to get it right in future.

To save time, start each e-mail to your tutor with the number of the lesson (and, where applicable, the task or sentence) in question.

E-learning tutors are experts in their respective field, and often qualified and experienced teachers. The opportunity to have one-on-one, direct access to them and their expertise and knowledge is an exciting and extremely empowering one for the student.