Monday, August 21, 2017

Some direction on interesting MOOC Websites and Courses for various interest groups




INTRODUCTION

MOOCs: Some Descriptions1
·         An MOOC (massive, open, online, courses)  is similar to a course given at a prestigious university. The similarities include lectures, a syllabus, assignments, exams and a start and end date. The difference is the student can learn from their own home at no cost;
·         MOOCs are revolutionary because they are often taught by renowned professors from famous universities such as, Yale and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and they're provided at no cost;
·         With MOOCs, students pay no tuition to take classes that would normally cost thousands of dollars;
·         A MOOC is:
o   Massive: Large amounts of information are being shared with a large number of people;
o   Open: The information is available to anyone;
o   Online: The course is accessible via the Internet; and
o   Course: It is a class on a specific topic taught by a professor, complete with a syllabus and lesson plans.

Objectives: The objectives of this posting are:
·         To define/describe MOOCs for those newly joining us, and;
·         To provide some guidance on MOOC websites and courses that will serve the need of various interest groups.

If you find something interesting in this posting, note the Reference Number (in superscript). Then click on the corresponding link under REFERENCES below to obtain more details. This posting concludes with a hint of what to expect in the next posting.

                                                                                                                                        
SOME RECOMMENDED MOOC WEBSITES

For High-School Students2
·         The best MOOC for high school students is KhanAcademy 
·         KhanAcademy has hundreds of short, easy-to-understand lessons at the high school level. Some of the many subjects covered include math, physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, economics, history, civics and test prep for the SAT, GMAT and California Standards Test.

For Rigorous College-Level Courses2
·         Not all MOOCs are designed to simulate real college courses with homework, exams and timetables for completion;
·         The MOOCs at Coursera are taught by renowned professors at world-famous universities.  These courses are made to be as difficult as a real college course;
·         Courses are usually offered at no cost, but they have an enrollment date, a recommended workload  to fill a certain number of hours per week, and a series of exams and assignments to complete. There are no grades, but students who successfully finish the course receive a certificate from the instructor.

For People on the Go (i.e. People who Travel a Lot) 2
·         Don’t be tied down by your computer or your classroom. With iTunes U, you can find lectures and lessons from hundreds of colleges and universities and then download them straight to an iPhone, iPod or iPad with the iTunes U app;
·         Best of all, it’s completely native to iTunes. If you have an iTunes account then you have all you need to get started.

For People Interested in the Humanities2
·         There isn’t a specific MOOC website for students interested in the Humanities, but there are lots of options. Coursera has a wide selection of choices on several topics;
·         For students who just want to expand their minds by watching lectures without submitting to the rigors of a real college class, Open Yale Courses is an excellent resource of classes that cover many subjects.  Open Yale Courses was selected as one of Time Magazine’s Top 50 Websites of 2011.

For People Interested in Computer Science2
·         Without question, the best MOOC for students interested in computer science is Udacity. Udacity has courses for every level of student.  They also allow you to take those courses at your leisure and they are completely dedicated to computer science;
·         If you’ve exhausted your resources over at Udacity, be sure to check out EdX.org or the computer science section at Coursera.

For People Interested in Hobbies2
·         Do you want to learn how to knit socks, practice yoga and play the electric guitar? Udemy is the MOOC website for you;
·         Udemy’s format is a little different than all the other MOOCs out there. Anyone can create his or her own course on any topic for the whole world to study.

MOOCs For Engineering Students

Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering3
·         Anyone interested in exploring technology will fit right into this course offered by Rice University through Coursera.org. The course discusses “the creation, manipulation, transmission, and reception of information by electronic means.”  Furthermore, this course includes topics on both analog and digital signals and how we extract and change the information encoded in these signals;
·         The professor recommends knowledge of both differential and integral calculus as a prerequisite to the course.

Introduction to Engineering3
·         Due to the nature of engineering’s many applications, there aren’t many courses that act as a survey of the entire field. If you wanted to take a basic engineering class at a college or university, you typically had to pick an intro course to a specific discipline;
·         To fix this, Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering created this course as “a broad overview of what is going on in the school.” Now you don’t have to chose between chemical, mechanical, biomedical or nuclear engineering. You can learn a little bit about all of them and decide which you are most interested in pursuing.

Introduction to Chemical Engineering3
·         If you’re just getting started in college and think chemical engineering might be right for you, consider trying this introductory course taught by a professor from Stanford University;
·         In addition to engineering topics, the course also discusses applications for chemical engineering, which can be just as important in the oil industry as it is in diagnosing disease and innovating in organ donation.

Civil and Environmental Engineering3
·         This iTunesU course from the University of California, Berkeley, deals with civil engineering;
·         Civil engineering focuses on the design and construction of roads, buildings, bridges and other manmade physical structures.

Introduction to MEMS Design3
·         This MOOC, also taught through UC Berkeley, introduces a specialized topic pertaining to both electrical and mechanical engineering called MEMS (Microelectromechanical systems);
·         MEMS are the technology behind devices that generally range from the incredibly small size of 20 micrometers to one millimeter. Printers, microphones, gyroscopes, accelerometers and pressure sensors are all devices built or improved upon by MEMS.

Engineering Statics3
·         Statics refers to “the study of methods for quantifying the forces between bodies;”
·         Students who aren’t quite ready to tackle tough engineering courses, but aspire to become an engineer in the future can benefit from Carnegie Mellon’s MOOC on statics;
·         Statics is an important prerequisite for branches of engineering like mechanical, civil and bioengineering that  can be taken before getting into more specific engineering topics. It does not require any calculus and only basic physics courses are recommended as prerequisites.

MOOCs For Students Who Like Science

Introduction to Solid State Chemistry4
·         This is a first-year level course taught by a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology;
·         In this course, the student will learn about the real world applications of how chemical bonding and electronic structure relates to the field of engineering;
·         According to the professor, understanding the connection between chemistry and its applications is “the most important tool…to come up with new inventions.”

Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Computation4
·         The University of California, Berkeley, teaches this MOOC through Coursera.org.  The course requires no previous experience with quantum mechanics but still maintains a rigorous level of work;
·         Quantum mechanics is one of those courses that sounds intimidating, students either love it or cringe at it;
·         Topics covered in this course include the fundamentals of quantum algorithms and the building blocks of quantum computers.  This is a cross-disciplinary class that students from math, physics and computer science will find engaging and challenging.

The Atmosphere, the Ocean, and Environmental Change4
·         For those interested in environmental science, Open Yale Courses from Yale University has a course on the processes that control the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans and climates;
·         The course topics include: storms, ocean currents, seasons, atmospheric conditions and global warming;
·         The course discusses “the physics in how the atmosphere and the oceans move.”

Autism and Related Disorders4
·         For any science major interested in learning more about the autism spectrum and related disorders that affect human socialization this course is for you. This MOOC is taught through iTunes U with Yale University  and is a seminar course that covers diagnosis, assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with autism;
·         Each lecture is given by a different medical professional, so students are open to a variety of opinions and research.

Exploring Black Holes: General Relativity & Astrophysics4
·         MIT’s OpenCourseWare has selected lectures and course materials and uses the study of black holes and how they affect the physical world around them to teach concepts in general relativity, astrophysics and cosmology;
·         This class discusses well-known physics concepts, but gets into very theoretical territory. The professor even suggests, “You might be able to use certain black holes to travel to another universe.”

CONCLUSION
This posting has presented a summary of what's available in the MOOC world to generate awareness and interest regarding MOOCs.   What has not been mentioned, is how MOOC students need a higher level of self-motivation compared to "regular" campus-students, in order to succeed in their study. For this reason, the next posting will focus on tips and advice to assist MOOC students in successfully completing their courses.

WHAT NEXT?
To search for your first or next MOOC from a list of over 7,600 courses arranged under 13 subject areas, please click here.

REFERENCES









Posted by Dr. Nat Tuivavalagi



Saturday, August 12, 2017

ARE MOOCs STILL FREE OF CHARGE? The key issues and how to address them




INTRODUCTION

Many are wondering whether MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are still free of charge.  This curiosity comes from some of the headlines we have recently seen. Including:
·         Top MOOC provider edX no longer free for all1 
·         MOOCs still open but no longer free - The Australian2   
·         Free MOOCs? Forget about it3  
·         Is Coursera individual classes no longer free? – reddit4  
·         Are Coursera courses not free any more?5   
·         Massive Open Online Courses used to be 100% free. But they didn’t stay that way6 and
·         The Golden Age of MOOCs is over and Why I hate Coursera7  

WHAT IS HAPPENING?6 

Dhawal Shah, the Founder of www.class-central.com (claiming to be the most popular online course search engine) explains what is happening.  In 2011 he took one of the first MOOCs  and remembered that back then, everything was 100% free of charge.  The videos, the assignments, and the certificates. However, he pointed out that  in 2017,  a student cannot find this sort of free learning experience.

He explained that as MOOC providers searched for a favorable business model, they started putting certain aspects of the MOOC experience behind a paywall. As a result, MOOCs went from “free” to “free to audit” where students auditing courses have access to course videos and other materials but not the assignments and certificates.

Free certificates were the first items to be shifted from “free of charge” to “charged.”  Then the graded assignments were put behind paywalls.  Now all the major MOOC providers are making courses that are charging student, with even video lectures locked away behind paywalls.  However, this does not mean that all their courses need to be purchased. 

ARE MOOCs NO LONGER FREE?6     

Shah explained that the situation with the four biggest MOOC providers is as follows:

Current Situation at EdX6 
·         Still offering graded assignments free of charge;
·         Offers certain courses (which they call Professional Education) at a cost.  These typically cost hundreds of dollars;
·         Apart from Professional Education, all the edX courses are completely complimentary, and students only need to purchase the course if they want to receive a certificate.

Current Situation at Coursera6    
·         Certificates and graded assignments are not free of charge;
·         For students who want to access course videos at no charge, they need to find and click on a tiny “audit” link (which has been designed intentional to be difficult to locate);
·          Courses that are not part of a series (specialization) will sometimes have the option to sign up for an audit mode.  In these cases, graded assignments are of no charge to participate, but students still do not have access to free of charge certificates;
·         Cousera had a liberal financial-aid policy for a long time. It now takes them at least 15 days to respond to financial aid applications.

Current Situation at FutureLearn6   
·         Students have access to course materials at no charge(articles/ videos/ peer review steps) but this special is only available for the duration of the course and two weeks after it ends.  For unlimited access to the course materials, students are required  to upgrade for a costs of $30 to $90;
·         However, all students (complimentary and upgrades) still have access to quizzes and assignments;
·         Only the upgrades have access to tests, and a Certificate of Achievement when students complete their course.

Current Situation at Udacity6 
Udacity offers “nanodegrees” which can take months to finish, and they usually consist of online courses, human-graded projects, and some mentorship.
·         The courses that are part of Nanodegree could usually be taken free of charge;
·         However, getting the certificate requires payment.

ADDRESSING THE KEY ISSUES

The Key Issues

In my readings in preparation for this posting, I find two main issues behind the trend to reduce free service offerings: 1) the need for economic survival, and 2) greed.  The need for economic survival is understandable, since offering of top quality courses to interested learners from around the world cannot be achieved with no or little financial backing. This has resulted in marriages of convenience between the technologists, educationists, and visionaries on one hand with the global corporate elite on the other. Someeg:7 argue that, of late, we have been seeing MOOC providers caring less about the students and more about the money.

The Solution

Firstly, it should be pointed out that, there are still a lot of positives out there.  For those interested in learning a subject, there are still many MOOCs topics that can be studied at no charge.  As it maybe true that it is made very difficult to find Cousera’s tiny “audit” button, and some may not know that “audit” means you are able to take the course at no cost, and it may take two weeks to get a response to a query regarding the need for financial assistance.  However, there are still some great opportunities out there.

In addition, we should try and:
·         involve more people who care more about students  and less about the money,
·         encourage searches for win-win models of service operations (rather than searching for purely alternative business models), and
·         promote in-person, on-line, and dual-mode mentoring/ tutoring/ coaching.

An Example: The McVay Youth Partnership at Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota8

This example is from Education but not specifically on MOOC.  However, it is cited here because it employs all three elements mentioned above , it involves people who care more about students and less about the money; it involves a search (which lasted two years) to find a workable win-win model of operation, and it involves mentoring.

The McVay Youth Partnership at Hamline University offers paid leadership opportunities for students, who then mentor middle- and high-schoolers. The program was endowed by Pete and Mary McVay.  In a similar manner, people who care about students could volunteer or be requested to endow a program where tutors/mentors/coaches provide assistance to students doing MOOCs. This was especially  important to those from underprivileged backgrounds.  This approach will also help address what has been referred to (rightly or wrongly) as the greatest challenge for MOOCs which is the very low completion rate of only 4-6%.9    

It was reported10 in 2013, according to Coursera, more than 900 students have finished 10 or more Coursera MOOCs.  Today, some 4-5 years later, there should be quite a number of MOOCs experts out there who have taken five or more MOOCs from Cousera or other platforms. hopefully they are willing to be involved in sharing their MOOCs knowledge and expertise through tutoring.

WHAT NEXT

To find free online courses and MOOCs, please click here



REFERENCES




4:https://www.reddit.com/r/coursera/comments/40ek1e/is_coursera_individual_classes_no_longer_free/?st=j699er3q&sh=f99ec602 











Posted by: Dr. Nat Tuivavalagi



Tuesday, August 1, 2017

The explosive global growth for the need in online tutoring




BACKGROUND:
·         Online tutoring1  is the process of tutoring in an online, virtual environment or networked environment in which teachers and students are separated by time and space;
·         Live online tutoring2  is the process of tutoring in an online environment, with teacher and student interacting in real-time without necessarily being in the same place.  This option presents a significant technical challenge. However, it attempts to mimic in-person interaction as closely as possible, rather than simply facilitating knowledge transfer.
·         A tutoring agency3  is a business that acts as an intermediary between people who are looking for tutors and tutors wishing to offer their services

INTRODUCTION
There has been a great increase in the number of high-school, and college students receiving online tutoring.  However, it seems that a greater number of students have never received any online tutorial assistance before, and are unaware of the benefits of online tutorial assistance.  As such, the objectives of this posting are:
·         To increase awareness of online tutoring;
·         To promote the use of online tutoring; and
·         To point our audience in the direction of selected online tutors.

ONLINE TUTORING vs IN-PERSON TUTORING4
·         If you have never used an online tutor, you might have concerns about how well online tutoring  works.  For example, you may be worried that a difficult math question might be easier to explain in person.
·         Despite these concerns, online tutoring has many benefits that in-person tutoring cannot provide.  As technology improves, online tutoring is finding ways to overcome its past challenges.

TUTORING PLATFORMS FOR ONLINE TUTORING5
If you want to tutor online, there are many different paths and options. From using a simple application like Skype to using a full featured tutoring platform and marketplace, tutors have a wide range of choices. Some of the top online tutoring platforms available today include:
•             Tutor Universe
•             Chegg Tutors (previously called InstaEDU)
•             WyzAnt
•             TutorsBox

What equipment do YOU need to start tutoring online? 6
Having the right equipment ensures that you can give a smooth and professional lesson online. Here is a rundown of the equipment needed:
·         Webcam
·         Microphone
·         Internet Speed
·         A decent PC/Mac
·         Lighting
·         Software

HOW DO ONLINE TUTORING SERVICES WORK?7
Every service is different, but most follow the same basic model:
Once you have registered, you simply select the topic and grade level you need help with and the system will give you a list of qualified tutors.  From there you can view a detailed profile of each tutor, send an introductory email, submit a question, or schedule a future session.  If you are using an on-demand service (which allows us to use cloud computing, storage, etc.), the system will automatically pair you with an available tutor and drop you right into a live session.

The methods in which the tutors conduct those sessions vary by company, but the most common are:
·         Video sessions -Students and tutors work together via Skype or similar video chat.  With Skype, students click on “Share Screen” at “Skype Call” so they can see their tutor’s screen while the tutor writes;
·         White board -Students and tutors work together on a shared virtual “whiteboard” which they use to write, draw, and solve problems in real time.  Whiteboards typically include a built-in text chat feature;
·         Virtual classroom -Students and tutors work together using a combination of audio, video, and text chat, as well as shared whiteboard and document sharing tools.”

THE GLOBAL MARKET FOR ONLINE TUTORING8
The global online tutoring market is divided into four regions as given below:

North America
·         Has 31.01% of the global online tutorial market 2016;
·         Expected to generate a revenue of $38.89 billion in 2021.
Europe
·         Has 27.65% of the global online tutorial market 2016;
·         Online tutorial market expected to reach $46.54 billion by 2021
Asia Pacific
·         Has 26.09% of the global online tutorial market 2016;
·         Valued at $21.26 billion in 2016, growing at an annual growth rate of 15.38%
Rest of World
·         Has 15.25% of the global online tutorial market 2016;
·         Online tutorial market should reach $25.81 billion in 2021, growing at an annual growth rate of 15.73%
Inter-Regional Tutoring9
·         There is online tutoring both within and between the regions;
·         India, for example, is a leader in providing e-tutoring at affordable prices, particularly in the area of math, and the U.S. is the largest consumer of its services

DRIVERS/CAUSES OF THE EXPONENTIAL GROWTH IN NEED FOR ONLINE TUTORING10

Globally (Including Four Regions listed below)
·         Intense competition among students to secure enrollments in good colleges and universities
·         Reputed universities are raising their examination standards, which is driving students to seek online tutoring services
·         Top vendors in the global online tutoring market include: Club Z! Tutoring, Fleet Education Services (Fleet Tutors), Huntington Learning Center, and Pearson ELT
North America Region
·         The market is growing with a rise in number of K-12 enrollment rates.
·         Many Test Preparation Centers such as Sylvan Learning, Princeton Review, and Club Z! Tutoring witnessed an increase in students from primary and secondary education sectors.  These centers and other vendors provide personalized online learning programs for courses such as mathematics, reading, and writing, which is driving the market
EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) Region
·         High quality online tutoring platforms drive market segments
·         Increasing requirements for employment-ready students have created a need to enhance and modify the education systems
·         Online tutoring platforms act as a bridge by imparting quality English language and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education
·         Educational institutions in the Middle East are progressively investing in digital learning technologies to replace standard textbook education systems
·         Education system in GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council – including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman) incorporates online tutoring services to augment their learning processes and resources, to increase educational standards.
APAC (Asia Pacific) Region
·         The Online tutoring market in APAC Region is driven by increasing migration rates among students to more developed countries for the pursuit  of higher education.
·         Standardized exams, such as the SAT, the ACT, the GRE, and IELTS, are often mandatory for students to qualify for international colleges.
·         With the increased internet and online retail penetration, students make use of online tutoring platforms to prepare for these exams.
ROW (Rest of World) Region – also includes Central & South America
·         Region with fastest growth - with annual growth rate of almost 16%
·         Adoption of online tutoring services mainly for language learning courses  is one of the main drivers in developing countries such as Brazil, Chile, and Argentina 


U.S. SITUATION
The need for online tutoring is expected to reach massive levels as online tutorials gain popularity and as the nation faces budget cuts in education:

Market Share & New Models
·         The online tutoring market in North America was valued at USD 25.27 billion in 2016 – the highest among all four regions10
·         In the U.S.,11
o   it is now easier than ever for kids to find the help they need online. On-demand virtual tutors are an increasingly popular (and affordable) ways for kids to get help. Companies like Chegg and Princeton Review are competing against startups like MathCrunch to win kids’ loyalty and help them succeed.
o   Students are increasingly using their mobile phones to receive tutoring help.
o   The old model of finding a tutor and hiring that person to come to your house once a week no longer makes sense for this generation of students. They often need help immediately.  “They are now driven by the devices in their pockets and at home.”  Mobile has transformed the opportunity around tutoring.

Budget Cuts in Education12
Ron Ottinger is the Director of “STEM Next” and serves as Co-Chairman of the national STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Funders Network.  He is greatly concerned about the Trump administration’s proposed $9.2 billion spending cut in education and especially its effect on STEM learning. The expected weakening of government support in education will drive a further increase in the demand for online tutoring.


ONLINE TUTORING: A WIN-WIN SITUATION

Benefits of Online Tutoring from Students’ Viewpoint13
Online tutoring offers a plethora of benefits to the student.  Especially where the student is serious about learning, and the tutor is well qualified and experienced, and the platform provides the tools necessary for a productive learning environment.  In such a situation, the student should expect the following benefits:

·         Able to attend a tutoring session from any location with an internet connection (and from any device if using an adequately equipped service)
·         Free to schedule his/her session when it best fits his/her schedule
·         Access powerful one-on-one learning opportunities from a subject expert of his/her choice
·         Access premium learning tools: video communication, interactive technology, instant messaging, and document sharing
·         Able to work and learn at a custom, personalized pace – even if student is a "challenged" or "accelerated" learner in the classroom
·         Learns in an environment that makes it possible to ask whatever questions student wants in order to accomplish his/her learning goals
·         Able to track achievements and progress with easy-to-use measurement tools
·         Have access to one of the best ways for students to tackle material and concepts in an individualized forum.

Benefits of Online Tutoring from Tutors’ Viewpoint 13
·         No travel time, can tutor from home
·         Students don't forget to bring materials – as they are at home with all their books and other resources
·         Tutor can easily share documents with students
·         Better  communication between tutor and parents
·         Tutor can reach more students, and build a stronger 'entrepreneurial' business
·         Tutor can record sessions for review
·         Improve skills in working with educational technology

Benefits of Online Tutoring from Colleges’ Viewpoint14
·         Better results for current students make college more popular with prospective students

This was the experience of Virtual College (VC) at Fort Hayes State University.  VC was created in 1999 and they implemented Smarthinking, Pearson’s online tutoring service in 2002.  Enrolment at VC went from 839 (1999) to 1,920 (2004) to 6,323 (2015).  Staff and students agree that the effectiveness of their online tutoring service played a key role in ensuring better student performance, which attracted more potential students to VC.

THE BEST ONLINE TUTORING SERVICES OF 20177
Based on curriculum, session options, tutor qualifications, learning tools, and cost, Reviews.com determined that the best online tutoring services of 2017 are provided by:
No. 1: WebWise Tutors
No. 6: Chegg Tutors
No. 11: Eduboard
No. 2: Skooli
No. 7: TutaPoint
No. 12: TutorVista
No. 3: Club Z! Tutoring
No. 8: Growing Stars
No. 13: Wyzant
No. 4: Eduwizards
No. 9: Princeton Review
No. 14: e-Tutor
No. 5: eTutorWorld
No. 10: MindLaunch
No. 15: Buddy School


ADDRESSING ISSUES RELATING TO ONLINE TUTORING

Technology

Disadvantages of online tutoring that have been reported13 include:
·         Sometimes difficult to share materials;
·         Loss of body language and other signals;
·         Inefficient communication;
·         Technological barriers for clients;
·         Possible interruption in service;
·         Possible expense of platform.

Most if not all of these issues will be addressed as students gain access to better tools already available, and as technology comes up with even more advanced tools.

Cost and Marginalized Communities

A key issue relating to online tutoring, or any kind of tutoring for that matter, is the additional cost it brings to the basic cost of education. This is of particular concern to people from marginalized, underserved, and impoverished communities.  In the U.S., these communities are particularly vulnerable as the nation currently faces a proposed $9.2 billion spending cut in education.15

Ron Ottinger, Director of “STEM Next” and Co-Chairman of the national “STEM Funders Network” has suggested a number of things that needs to be done12 in view of the proposed budget cut.  To his list, we would like to add the need to promote online tutoring.

WHAT COULD BE DONE TO PROMOTE ONLINE TUTORING & LEARNING DURING HARD TIMES AND IN MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES IN THE U.S. AND AROUND THE WORLD
·         Schools and colleges could learn from the experience of Virtual College (described above) and implement an online tutoring service for their students;  Parents, teachers, and others could organize a volunteer /peer tutors network;
·         Parents, teachers, and others could organize partnerships between children in their communities and selected tutors;
·         Churches and other charitable organizations could organize fundraising activities to fund online tutorials for children in need;
·         Tutors who have a heart for helping the marginalized could contact and form partnership with marginalized communities.  One such tutor is Mr. Dan Jetter who has done work for this Foundation in the past, and is now online tutoring. Dan focuses on coaching STEM (especially in Chemistry, Physics, & Calculus) and also SAT/ACT Prep. Dan is based in Warren, N.J. – particularly in the NJ/NYC Metro Area.
·         Charitable organizations, other NGO’s, and government agencies could consider running capacity-building workshops for online tutors
·         We could  also consider the tons of educational resources that are available online and could greatly help struggling students.  These materials include: excellent video courses (including MOOCs), electronic resources and simulation models that could help STEM students and others to easily understand complex phenomena.  With reduced funding where field trips and experimentation become difficult, electronic simulation would be the next best bet.
o   There is a need to identify this vast quantity of resources, select the best and most relevant ones, categorize them according to educational levels in the US education system (as huge amounts of these resources are created by non-Americans, with a different education system). Online tutors in marginalized communities could be assisted in gaining access to these resources;
o   Charitable organizations could consider organizing workshops to familiarize tutors with above-mentioned resources;
o   Charitable organizations could also consider buying licenses for the use of online resources (including those that could be downloaded for offline use) – and make the resources available to tutors. Especially those serving children in disadvantaged communities.
·         Those in the U.S. and other developed countries wishing to assist with online tutoring in some of the marginalized areas of the developing world, may have to work through CPs (Connection Points). These CPs act as an intermediary between the onliners and the mostly offline locals who are based out of their own homes or, more likely, using computers in local RCs (Resource Centers). 
o    At the moment IT support is weak and cost of connectivity is too high to make online tutoring a viable option for many of the people in these marginalized areas 
o   The majority of envisioned Connection Points and Resource Centers mentioned above have yet to be set up and could be something that charitable organizations could help with
o    The major need in these areas is the training and coaching of offline and Resource Center tutors

Three Concluding Thoughts
·         This post  shows the online tutoring industry is a huge one and growing at an exponential rate
·         We wonder whether some (additional) appropriate regulations could be useful in protecting those involved
·         As we contemplate how far tutoring has progressed thus far, let’s give a thought for those in marginalized areas around the world

WHAT NEXT
·         To view details of “the best online tutoring services of 2017,” please check out the 11th page of this document
·         For guidance on how to find local tutors, please check out the 14th last page of this (same) document
·         To contact, Mr. Dan Jetter mentioned above, please contact him via dan@oncalltutor.org or via www.OnCallTutor.org



REFERENCES


















Posted by: Dr. Nat Tuivavalagi