How Tutoring Supports Progress in Fully Online, Self-Paced Learning: Evidence from a Competency-Based Community College

Tutoring is well-established as an effective academic support strategy in traditional, term-based education; however, its role in fully flexible, self-paced models remains largely unexplored. Competency-based education (CBE) allows students to progress once mastery is demonstrated, often removing deadlines and fixed pacing altogether. While this flexibility empowers learners, it also heightens the challenges of persistence and self-regulation. This study provides one of the first quantitative examinations of tutoring effectiveness in a fully online, deadline-free CBE environment. Using institutional data from 1,344 students enrolled in Calbright College’s Data Analysis program, we examined whether participation in virtual tutoring was associated with the number of competencies mastered. Negative binomial regression models with a log exposure offset for active enrollment days estimated mastery rates (modules mastered per active day) while adjusting for prior engagement. Students who attended tutoring at least once during the first half of 2025 had about double the mastery rate (IRR = 2.01, p < 0.001) as those who did not, even after adjusting for engagement history and exposure. These findings demonstrate that tutoring remains effective under fully online, asynchronous, deadline-free conditions. Even brief participation is associated with a higher mastery rate, consistent with theories of self-regulated learning in autonomous environments. Therefore, institutions should prioritize visible, early access to tutoring across modalities.