Spring Break
Online tutoring aims for convenience
Stacey Smith Contributing Writer
Issue date: 2/19/09 Section: ARTS & LIFE
With today's hectic schedules, many are finding it harder and harder to find time to manage responsibilities and maintain good grades.
To help with these obstacles, NT provides an online tutoring service to its students in more than 20 subjects.
Whether a student is an early bird or a night owl, tutoring is available at various times during the week, said Roxanne Saucer, the coordinator for NT's Learning Success Programs.
"On average, students participate in 3,000 sessions a semester, and it is mainly used at night and on weekends," Saucer said.
NT contracts with smarthinking.com to provide online tutoring to students. The service is covered by a $1-per-student fee each semester. Students must initially log on to the Web site with a user name and password that can be found on the NT Learning Center Web site. Then, students create their own user name and password, which helps track student use for the university.
Blake Windham, a biology freshman, turns to the service for late-night calculus tutoring.
"I use smarthinking.com about once a week just to make sure I fully understand the subject," Windham said. "I also noticed that they will edit your paper for free and send it back to you within one day; you can't beat that."
The sessions are interactive with a live tutor, and students can schedule personal sessions.
"More than 90 percent of the tutors have a master's or Ph.D in their discipline and average over nine years of teaching experience," said Kristin O'Bannon, director of strategic marketing for Smarthinking Inc.
J.J. Mawazeb, a manufacturing engineering freshman, used the service when he had no one to review a paper at the last minute.
"I turned in the essay online, they marked it, and it really helped," Mawazeb said.
The service offers an array of subjects, including mathematics, science, Spanish and writing courses. Students communicate with tutors through an interactive whiteboard that works like an instant messenger. The whiteboard is also used to write problems, such as mathematical equations.
"The program is a way for us to provide tutoring when labs aren't open and students can't get a tutor," Saucer said.
She tells students that they've already paid for the service and should take advantage of it, but she also advises them that success also depends on class attendance. The e-tutors won't do the work for the student or rewrite papers, but they will give suggestions for improvement, she said.
Saucer also said the Learning Center has tried hard to get the word out to students at dorms and during orientation, but students are often inundated with information. Students may not remember or understand what a valuable resource smarthinking.com can be, she said.
To help with these obstacles, NT provides an online tutoring service to its students in more than 20 subjects.
Whether a student is an early bird or a night owl, tutoring is available at various times during the week, said Roxanne Saucer, the coordinator for NT's Learning Success Programs.
"On average, students participate in 3,000 sessions a semester, and it is mainly used at night and on weekends," Saucer said.
NT contracts with smarthinking.com to provide online tutoring to students. The service is covered by a $1-per-student fee each semester. Students must initially log on to the Web site with a user name and password that can be found on the NT Learning Center Web site. Then, students create their own user name and password, which helps track student use for the university.
Blake Windham, a biology freshman, turns to the service for late-night calculus tutoring.
"I use smarthinking.com about once a week just to make sure I fully understand the subject," Windham said. "I also noticed that they will edit your paper for free and send it back to you within one day; you can't beat that."
The sessions are interactive with a live tutor, and students can schedule personal sessions.
"More than 90 percent of the tutors have a master's or Ph.D in their discipline and average over nine years of teaching experience," said Kristin O'Bannon, director of strategic marketing for Smarthinking Inc.
J.J. Mawazeb, a manufacturing engineering freshman, used the service when he had no one to review a paper at the last minute.
"I turned in the essay online, they marked it, and it really helped," Mawazeb said.
The service offers an array of subjects, including mathematics, science, Spanish and writing courses. Students communicate with tutors through an interactive whiteboard that works like an instant messenger. The whiteboard is also used to write problems, such as mathematical equations.
"The program is a way for us to provide tutoring when labs aren't open and students can't get a tutor," Saucer said.
She tells students that they've already paid for the service and should take advantage of it, but she also advises them that success also depends on class attendance. The e-tutors won't do the work for the student or rewrite papers, but they will give suggestions for improvement, she said.
Saucer also said the Learning Center has tried hard to get the word out to students at dorms and during orientation, but students are often inundated with information. Students may not remember or understand what a valuable resource smarthinking.com can be, she said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
tomfeinberg
Book Report Writing
posted 4/30/09 @ 4:14 AM CST
"On average, students participate in 3,000 sessions a semester, and it is mainly used at night and on weekends," totally agree.
alexhaffey
Term Paper Writing Service
posted 7/30/09 @ 5:25 AM CST
"The program is a way for us to provide tutoring when labs aren't open and students can't get a tutor," nice words!
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