For many students, Tutoring is an important part of their academic journey. As online technologies improve and become more ubiquitous, the forms of tutoring available can vary dramatically. While tutoring used to be done at home, in school, at a library, or at a tutoring center, the internet allows for more flexible, on-demand forms of assistance for students. This newfound choice can make selecting a tutoring method seem complicated, so we will analyze the merits of online tutoring to see if it is an effective option.

What is Online Tutoring?

This may seem like a redundant question, but online tutoring can take many forms. Some examples are listed below:

• Drop-in tutoring
• 24/7 assignment help
• Online Q&A sessions
• Group sessions
• Essay drop-off editing
• Online courses and practice tests
• Private, 1-on-1 online tutoring

Each of these options has their own merits but all of them have the added benefits of the flexibility and convenience that online tutoring provides while having a lower price point than an analogous in-person service.

How Effective are Online Tutoring Methods?

How useful an online tutoring method is can be determined by 3 things: the student, the tutor, and the method itself. Each method has a different student in mind, requires different types of instruction from tutors, and relies upon different technologies. Overall, online tutoring methods perform equally or even slightly better than in-person methods per the US Department of Education. Specifically, we will address each of these methods and highlight their strengths.

Drop-in Tutoring and 24/7 Assignment Help

For students needing immediate support on an upcoming test or assignment, drop-in tutoring or 24/7 assignment help can be invaluable. Drop-in tutoring typically requires a student to give some details about what they need support with and then they are matched with an available tutor via an online video platform in a matter of minutes. 24/7 assignment help is similar, except that the instruction and guidance is often provided via an online chat room with document sharing capabilities. These can be very effective short-term solutions that don’t have good comparisons among in-person options.

Online Q&A Sessions and Group Sessions

In other cases, students may need less immediate support but may have a few questions on a specific topic. They may also desire an environment in which they can collaborate with other students. These situations are where online Q&A sessions and group sessions can shine. These sessions give students increased exposure to the subject at hand and provide a place to work with other students and ask questions as they arise. Often, the online platform provides tools that allow for easy “classroom management”. This can make group learning a more comfortable and valuable experience than the physical classroom.

Essay Drop-Off and Online Courses

Further, some students simply need guidance and oversight to make sure they are on the right track. This is where essay drop-off and online modules can succeed. Students progress and complete assignments at their own pace and are then given feedback by a tutor/instructor. These programs allow students to progress at their own pace at times that are convenient for them. There is no compromise of fitting class times into a schedule or waiting for next week to get that essay back. Access is on-demand, convenient, and simple.

Private, 1-on-1 Online Tutoring

Finally, we come to private, 1-on-1 tutoring. In many ways this is similar to a tutor helping a student at home on a regular schedule. In this method, students pair with a tutor, they establish a convenient weekly schedule, activities and instruction progress at the student’s pace, and all instruction is 1-on-1, being personalized for the individual student. These programs often take place via a video platform that allows for real-time voice and video chat with a tutor. Often they incorporate the ability for students and tutors to share their screens, work on a virtual whiteboard, or upload worksheets which they can work off of.

These 1-on-1 programs have all of the benefits of an in-person private tutor with the added convenience and flexibility of an online medium. Weather and traffic no longer impact the reliability of the tutoring program and students can even continue sessions while travelling.

How Does SchoolTutoring do Online Tutoring?

While SchoolTutoring offers many of the online options listed above, we specialize in private, 1-on-1 online tutoring programs. We believe that the connection between tutor and student is the most important component in tutoring. As such, we work to ensure that each student has a tutor they feel comfortable with and that they can relate to. Students often end up looking forward to tutoring sessions and the mentorship that their tutor provides.

Additionally, in this format students benefit from the regularity of a set weekly schedule. However, the 1-on-1 nature allows for the flexibility to reschedule as needed when unexpected events arise. To summarize, SchoolTutoring’s private 1-on-1 tutoring programs combine all of the benefits of having a dedicated, personal tutor with the convenience and flexibility of an online tutoring platform. This is all done with affordability in mind so that it is accessible to families.

In conclusion, online tutoring presents a real opportunity for students and families to find a tutoring solution that is right for them. Many specific methods exist, each with their various strengths, but overall online tutoring provides the same level of instruction as in-person tutoring with the added benefits of increased flexibility and reduced cost. To answer the original question, yes, online tutoring is effective and you can try it today.