Top 10 benefits of online tutoring

by Anita Naik

As remote learning transforms the way students study and learn, online tutoring is proving to be the extra element students need. Aside from providing additional skills students require from live explanations to filling knowledge gaps, for many, it's a break from remote assignments. With the government now considering a catch-up fund worth £50m to £100m for schools to spend on one-to-one tutoring for pupils, here are ten ways online tutoring can benefit you.

1. Tutors are skilled in remote tuition

Online tutors are already experts in teaching via Zoom, Facetime, Skype and WhatsApp. It may sound easy, but as a student, there are multiple benefits to having a tech-savvy tutor who can utilise the Whiteboard function or annotate a shared document to allow you to engage as you learn.

2. Online sessions are motivating

The single biggest reason why students give up with remote learning is the fact that it's hard to stay motivated and study daily. The ability to work with a tutor to apply one-to-one knowledge to their study improves educational outcomes more than working through online worksheets. Tutors, like teachers, are also adept at encouraging, motivating and empathising with students.

3. You can record your tutor sessions

Having this resource is a massive plus to online tutoring. Recorded material enables you to go over trickier problems and discussions but also build up a resources library to refer to for revision purposes.

4. University students can have retention gains with an online tutor

With blended learning likely for most undergraduates from September 2020, online tuition can give students some much needed extra support. A white paper report from the Harvard Graduate School of Education found that the benefits of online college tutors were noted as making strides in "attitude, and retention" compared to the students without tutoring.

5. It's your chance to learn in a different way

Not all students do well in the classroom setting, and learning online can benefit those who learn faster with a high level of multimedia and interactive activities.

6. You get much-needed face-to-face time

With many students only getting remote assignments, having an online tutor is hugely beneficial. Aside from being more academically challenging, it allows students to ask questions and have a discussion around their learning. It also enables students to focus on a particular area that may be troubling or work ahead of their peers if the remote work being set isn't challenging enough.

7. Location is never an issue

Finding a local tutor with the right proficiency in the subject you require and the right timing to suit your needs can be tricky. Yet with online tutors, this isn't an issue, which makes the process a lot easier and faster.

8. Tutors give personalised attention

All tutors offer this, but in these times of social distancing and lockdown, individualised care is vital in helping students deal with areas they are struggling in. A regular online tutor can help with core difficulties, knowledge gaps and techniques.

9. Tutoring can increase lockdown self-confidence

Many students do not feel comfortable asking questions in front of their peers or asking for help. Lockdown has also increased anxiety around schoolwork for many pupils, so online tutoring sessions can help. Not only is being in a safe environment at home more comfortable for some students, but it also enables them to have a more relaxed relationship with a tutor.

10. Online learning is part of the future of education

While schools and universities will eventually return to a new normal, the future of schooling will be a hybrid of online and face-to-face. Meaning it pays now to work out ways this can work for you, from finding the right tutor to discovering how online tutors can help with retention, and achievement at SAT, GCSE, A-Level and undergraduate levels. Click here for more information on online tutoring.