Uncovering the many benefits of online tutoring
Online tutoring has become an increasingly popular option for extra support outside of traditional classroom settings.
By offering students a safe, convenient, and personalized resource to draw on when extra academic help is needed, online tutoring can provide the support required to bridge knowledge gaps in core subjects and push performance levels further.
In this post, let's look at some of the benefits of online tutoring for tutors and students, and provide practical tips on getting the most from your online tutoring sessions.
What are the benefits of online tutoring services?
The benefits of online tutoring are that it's an extremely versatile, convenient, and cost-effective way for students to receive personalized assistance with their studies.
From traditional one-on-one video sessions to groups, there is a vast array of options available to support student learning. Online tutoring services can provide instruction from experienced educators working as online tutors across every subject and level, worldwide.
Moreover, with this type of help available at any time and place, students can access the online learning modules they need quickly and in a convenient way that is not possible with in-person tutoring. This also means, as a tutor, you can reach a wider market of students, without hefty travel costs.
Benefits of online tutoring
1. Accessibility
Through online tutoring, students are able to access high-quality services without geographical constraints or transportation issues. Even rural areas now have access to the same tutoring resources and the benefits of online tutoring as students living in larger cities because support is only an internet connection away.
This means that no matter where you live in the world, you can access the benefits of online tutoring and online learning as a whole from online tutors whose tutorial style matches your own learning style. The tutoring experience is not only about curriculum learning, but a good tutor will also provide students with expert advice and engaging lessons that build confidence and enjoyment of learning.
2. Time-saving
Time-saving is one of the key benefits of online tutoring programs, as the entire lesson can be completed whenever it's most convenient for the student, at their own pace, no matter where they may be. This makes it easier to fit studying into their daily busy schedules.
3. Cost-saving
Another online tutoring benefit is the money it can save. Utilizing an online tutoring platform, students can access a personalized learning experience and quality private tutoring without the expense associated with in-person tuition, allowing them to take online lessons and control their own educational progress and study habits.
4. Flexibility
You can have online tutoring sessions at any time that's convenient for you and your tutor. This makes it easier for a student to fit tutoring into a busy academic or extracurricular schedule.
With online tutoring, you aren't constrained to the brick-and-mortar limitations of having to be in the same physical space as your tutor. Instead, all that's required is an internet connection, allowing access to the world’s knowledge at any time, from anywhere.
Online tutors can also offer specialized expertise and knowledge that may not be available in your geographical area.
5. Comfort
Online tutoring offers amazing opportunities to explore knowledge in a convenient, flexible and comfortable learning environment. From the comfort of your own home, or any location that suits you - online tutoring allows students to access expert tutors without travel hassle or disruption.
Students can benefit from interacting in real-time with experienced professionals who clearly explain instructions, answer questions and provide timely feedback.
Evidence for the benefits of online tutoring?
An interesting survey by Bramble found that the majority of their users found online tutoring more or as effective than face-to-face tuition. The survey, which represents 2,000 users in a total of 38 countries, gives a great insight into all sections of the tutoring industry.
Our team is always interested in seeing how new teaching tools can help businesses, such as online whiteboards; that's why we've written a short summary of Bramble's findings below.
How has online tutoring helped users?
The first key finding of the Bramble survey was that students overwhelmingly found online tutoring effective. In fact, 84% of students reported that online tutoring was more effective or as effective as in-person tuition. Furthermore, 73% of parents and 72% of tutors agreed that better grades resulted for students who learn online.
What are the benefits of online tutoring?
Along with some general questions about the benefits of online tutoring, the survey also identified more specific benefits users experienced. All users (tutors, parents, and students) agreed that a key benefit of online tutoring was increased flexibility. Furthermore, they found that working online, lesson recordings and a more flexible/casual attitude created a beneficial learning environment.
There was also some indication that certain students and tutors found they were able to cover more topics online than in person. This may play a key part in why some students reported online tuition to be more effective than face-to-face tutoring when it came to the learning process.
What about the future?
The survey seems to suggest that online tutoring is here to stay. 95% of parents indicated keeping some or all tuition online in the future. This number gets even higher with students, where 98% stated the same intention.
One of the most interesting findings shown by this survey is a change in attitudes. Pre-coronavirus, just 6% of parents indicated doing half or more of their tuition online; furthermore, only 20% of tutors indicated that they had done any kind of online tuition.
It seems that the technology creating online classes for teaching and learning online has become far more accessible for many students and tutors. To put this change into perspective, 99% of tutors surveyed said they will continue to tutor online even with face-to-face tuition being safe for most again.
So what does this mean for future online tutoring?
Arguably one of the biggest changes caused by the pandemic is people's attitude towards connecting with others remotely. It's not surprising that this change can also be seen within the tutoring market, where students don't have to visit a tutor's house.
Online tutoring also has several advantages for students with learning disabilities, providing an essential alternative for those other students who have physical or educational barriers to working with tutors in person.
In the past, some worried that online tutoring may be less effective or may cause certain aspects of the tutor-student relationship to get lost. But from this survey and our own customer feedback, holding lessons online can clearly have a large number of its own benefits. Having the option to teach or learn from anywhere in the world, at any time of the day, means tutoring is increasingly accessible to all, now more than ever.
Online tools to improve the learning experience
There are a number of resources available in e-learning platforms to help both students and tutors get the most benefit from the online learning experience. These tools can help improve engagement, organization, and payment processing.
Video calling tools
One of the most important things for online tutors is being able to connect with their students on a personal level in virtual classrooms. That's why video lesson tools like Bobbin and Lessonspace are such valuable resources.
These tools allow you to see your students' faces and body language, as well as screen sharing, which can be helpful in gauging their understanding of the material.
Additionally, video calling tools make it easy to share your screen so you can show your students presentations, websites, or other materials that will help them learn.
Interactive online whiteboards
Another great tool for online tutors is an interactive whiteboard. This type of software allows you to write or draw on a digital canvas, which can be helpful for explaining concepts or working through problems with your students.
Many interactive whiteboards also come with built-in features like a virtual calculator or graphing tool, which can be handy for math and science tutoring sessions. Interactive whiteboards that allow you to record your session so your student can go back and review the material at a later stage. Both Bobbin and Lessonspace have video and whiteboard capabilities to enhance your online lessons.
Tutor management tools
Finally, there are tutor management tools available that can help you stay organised and efficient. For example, our tutor management software helps tutoring companies with everything from scheduling and payments to progress reports, marketing and managing learning resources.
These types of tools can save you as much as 60% of your admin time, so you can focus on what's really important: helping your students learn.
Pros and cons of utilizing online tools for tutoring
Pros
- They can help personalize learning, increasing engagement and motivation for some students.
- They can make it easier for students to get access to the very best tutors, as well as content and online resources, providing a level playing field for all students, regardless of their background or ability level.
- They can save time on tasks like grading and lesson planning so that tutors can focus on teaching and make assessments more accurate and efficient.
- They can allow students to take more control and learn at their own pace by easily connecting them with experts from around the world.
- Tools like Bobbin, by TutorCruncher, provide real-time feedback that can help accelerate learning and facilitate communication between parents and educators about student progress.
Cons
- Not all students have access to technology outside of school, creating a digital divide. This can widen achievement gaps between different groups of students unless everyone has access to quality technology resources and training on how to use them effectively.
- If not used correctly or managed properly, technology in the learning environment could lead to distraction and disruptions. Some other parents fear there is also a risk of increased cheating with technology because it's easier to access and use digital resources.
- Too much screen time has been linked with negative health effects like sleep and vision problems. (This can be avoided by taking regular breaks).
- When technology fails during tutoring time, for example, if the internet goes down, it wastes valuable instructional time.
Tips to find the right online tutoring platform for you and your business goals
If you are keen to give online tutoring a go but are not sure where to begin, here are some important tips for getting started.
When it comes to finding the right online tutoring tools, it is important to do your research and find software with a good track record and the functionality you need for your business.
We recommend reading reviews, testimonials, and booking a demo to talk through how a tool could work for you. Think about what your goals are, how many lessons you want to run, and how you plan to expand your business.
How to make the most out of each online tutoring session
To make the most out of each online tutoring session, it's important to arrive prepared and with clear objectives in mind. First, consider the specific needs of your students – this will help inform the discussion points you bring to the tutoring session.
Once you've identified what topics will be focused on during the session, become familiar with that tutoring material beforehand so that you're ready for a meaningful dialogue about it. Taking notes during the session can be really helpful for providing progress reports and feedback. With tools like Bobbin, this can be recorded automatically so you can focus on teaching.
Conclusion
To conclude, online teaching offers a diverse range of advantages such as greater flexibility and convenience. It’s scalable, customized to the individual learner, and makes learning fun and interesting.
Online tutors can help learners attain higher levels of proficiency in subject areas and reduce learning gaps. Plus, online lessons allow anyone from anywhere in the world to access valuable resources they otherwise may not have access to.
With that said, it is important to remember that when it comes to tutoring, finding the right tutoring platform for running your lessons is key, so there are several things you should consider first. Take time to think about what you need from your tools and what's on offer from software companies.
Are you looking to move your business online? Try TutorCruncher today for your all-inclusive Tutor Management Software.
