Smarthinking Organizational Consulting - Case Study Example

 Smarthinking Organizational Consulting Smarthinking is an online tutoring organization that is presently in the process of determining how to grow. They are using an unusual technique called the whiteboard and they are rather untraditional in their methods as they use a little different method of teaching. Their service is still somewhat controversial. In this paper, we will attempt to determine what their challenges are and how communication theory applies to the work they do. At first, we will describe their business and attempt to understand what it is that they are attempting to do. There are many students today that take courses online (thousands). These students often feel like they are out there alone. They often feel if they are not able to understand new learning and there is no one to turn to. Those students who need consistent communication have a difficult time (McClure, 2009). There is also the issue of embarrassment for students that are in regular classrooms. It is often very difficult for students to ask questions in a group atmosphere. Advanced learning today can be and often is very complicated. There are internet sources to look for and references to try to kept in line. There are instructors who have larger and larger classes and less and less time to spend with each. There are also textbooks that are huge and sometimes difficult to understand (smarthinking.com, 2009) Add to all of that the issue that many students today are not getting all of the basics in high school because classrooms are so large that it is difficult. There is a major change in who is going to school, also. Many over 60 people are presently back in school. That may be online or in the traditional classroom but they frequently have not been back in school for some time. This leads to the need to find help in moving forward in their education. As you can see, there are many reasons why there is an organizational problem here (Smarthinking, 2009). In fact, there is a worldwide problem that needs to be solved. These things are not only happening in the United States but in the world. There are foreign students in the United States that have not had the educational advantages that some of us have had and we have Americans in other countries going to school on line that do not fully understand the classes they are in. Let us also think about those that are in the military and scattered all over the world right now. Those all need some help in classroom understanding (Richardson, 2009). So again, there are many reasons why there is a need for this type of company to move forward. There are many administrator and professors right now that do not agree with the need for this concept, in fact totally disagree (Carr, S. 1999). They believe that a student should be able to get it on their own. Support is a major need for these students however, and that support is not always available directly from those professors and administrators either on line or in the classroom. Research shows that students improve when they are supported. Their writing skills and learning skills may need enhanced. They need frequent feedback and they need it in a timely manner in order to allow for moving forward with classroom work at the speed that is often ask of them today. They need help in strategically planning the work that they must do so the final outcome is understanding (Bergen, 2009). It is interesting to note that even online students have a tendency to do offline questions where they are able to ask the question and have the result sent back to them without getting online with the tutor. Writing is another extreme issue that has required much tutoring at this point (GCU, 2009). Many students come to the online education programs at this point with very poor writing skills. They may have the information correct but just have not learned how to put the information together in a form that works. There may be foreign students in the class who have difficulty with their English skills or older students who have not had the opportunity to write for some time. Online tutoring through Smarthinking provides tutoring in this venue. An example would be that I might send this essay to Smarthinking. One of their tutors would go over it and ask me questions to help lead me to the right answers in whether or not I have written it correctly. This is definitely an advantage for all students today when so much writing is necessary. Smarthinking is an online tutoring company that was founded in 1999. Its origination is in Washington DC. Its reach for tutoring includes such things as math, writing, grammar, statistics, chemistry, accounting, economics, anatomy and physiology, finance, pathophysiology, med/surg nursing, and pharmacology (Smarthinking, 2009). They do live online tutoring and offline tutoring. They use what is called a whiteboard which is a method of live chat with the ability to draw, move information and provide pictorials or graphs from other places (Smarthinking.com) Smarthinking was designed because there was both a need and a desire to change the way higher education supported the needs of their students. There was a decision made that the internet was the source that was needed by students to help them with their struggles in the learning atmosphere. Thy use what has been called the Oxfordian traditional learning principles (Alonson, 1997). In other words, they do not give you the answer, they lead you to the answer by using leading questions (Wojner, 2001). Tutors are well instructed in the use of this technique and are able to use it in both a live situation as well as an offline board (Smarthinking.com). There have been some historical challenges for this industry as well as for Smarthinking. It is noted that often the goals that a company like this sets is not well aligned with what is actually happening in the market at the time. There is almost always a bias against outsourcing any kind of educational work. This happens with both online instructors, as well as online tutors (Ehmann,. 2009). Development of a platform that works has been historically a problem for some of the previous companies. However, Smarthinkings use of the whiteboard seems to work well. Another far reaching challenge is knowing that the tutors you are using are of consistent quality. This has been difficult for many. Smarthinking uses a testing and then training method to do this. They also do extensive background checks on prior work and experience as well as degree status (Smarthinking.com) The organization has several barriers to growth some of which have already been mentioned. The greatest challenge at present is consistency. The company has a problem with consistently being able to provide a tutor in a short period of time. At present according to Christa Ehmann (2009), it is difficult to know whether it will take 5 minutes or 50 minutes to get a tutor. This is a standard that they need to fix. Students are already frustrated when they come to asking for a tutors help and the frustration of a long wait is far and above what many want to see. The theory of dissonance is a theory about consistency in communication which is not happening here according to Smarthinking themselves. They have up to 6 tutors available on 2 hour shifts just for the nursing section. However, on one night they may have only one live student and on another they may have 12 live students. Each student takes a tutor about 20 minutes but more difficult questions may take longer. Each of the tutors are being taught a consistent method of approach but this does not help the issue of availability. My suggestion for solving this problem might be to have tutors in an oncall situation. They have what is called the Spark system (Smarthinking.com) in which the tutors can communicate with each other. You might pay a couple of tutors a reduced rate to be available should the shift get very busy. The major resistance to change will include the resistance from the different higher education groups to allow this tutor program or any other is available for their students. I believe that this resistance will only go away if they are allowed to try to program at a reduced price for awhile. Another resistance is with the students themselves in the thought that they will not be given an answer but instead will be ask questions in hope of leading them to the answer. These questions from two different areas leads to questions that will be and have been ask by investors. This has not traditionally worked. Will they want to invest in this process? If not, how will Smarthinking manage the investing needed to bring their company to the stage of growth? There are also great advantages here for the people who may be considering signing or the schools that may be considering providing this service for their students. Smarthinking will design the best tutoring group for the school in question. They will take the type of tutoring needed, train tutors especially for that team and provide them at the hours and on the days that the particular program wishes to have the tutors available. All their tutors are well trained and well tested. They have a mentor or charge tutor on every shift to help with any problems that may occur. There is definitely a need here based on the many things we have talked about, therefore this writer would definitely suggest continuing to move forward on the development of this program. That development may need to include a full education program done either as a national webinar for most of the colleges and universities that have an online school as it appears that may bee the biggest need. They would need to be able to use the service on a trial basis. Now, of course, one of the issue that automatically comes to mind is how do you hire tutors for a trial basis? Even if you can do that, how do you train them for a job that could go away? Once you have provided enough education to “get the word out”, then there is committment to consider. It appears that in the case of Smarthinking, that may not be an issue but good communication starts at the top and it starts with commitment so the senior level of management here will need to be able to assure that they not only agree with everything that is planned for the company but they also are strategically ready for changes that may need to happen to help the company grow. Once that occurs, this writer would suggest that a plan for training begin. Not only will tutors need to be trained but all of those involved. The tutors themselves will need support and then there is IT support. It would be very bad for the whole program to be working and have the whiteboard go down and not be of use to tutor or student. Tutors will want to give the students the answer. That is the natural thing to do (Blumestyk, 2006). They will need to be trained in the theory behind asking questions and learn how best to ask those questions. They will also need to be committed to what the company believes and the strategic plan if they are to be aligned with the company. This is a communication process that will need to happen often to assure that it continues to happen. The students themselves will need a training program in order to prevent some of the bias toward a tutor giving them the answer to a question (Richardson, 2009). Students will need to understand where leading questions are supposed to be taking them or they will resist this type of teaching. This has actually happened at least once in Smarthinkings recent history as they took on a group of nursing schools only to find that the students felt they were being put off instead of helped (smarthinking, 2009). This kind of miscommunication only slows growth so we surly do not want that to happen. Once all of these things are well communicated and the training is done, I would look toward growth. Signing on schools and moving toward the sign on of others is all well and good but once the program of communication is well designed and working and tutors are trained the cost has got to be better distributed if you can sign on larger group. In conclusion, there is much bias which leads to resistance when founding and growing a company like Smarthinking. There is still bias against online schools in general. There is still the belief that those schools are not as good as the ones which are bricks and mortar. This kind of bias carries over to a business which tutors students in an online atmosphere. There are no traditional students today and that often means that there needs to be untraditional business to help nontraditional students do the best they can in a very busy world. Many of those students are going to school, raising families, and working. Smarthinking is a business that is growing and using a special niche to do so. They are committed to improving the lives and education of students from the elementary grades through college. Communication and vision coupled with strategic planning will assure that a business like this is able to move past traditional thought to a place where they can grow. It will take much work and follow through but they have a badly needed business at a time when communication is an unusual occasion. I Resources Alonson, E. (1997). Theory about consistency; Dessonance theory. American Journal of Psychology Retrieved from www.ebscohost.com Nov. 12, 2009 Carr, S. (1999). Smarthinking.com Chronicle of Higher Education; Vol 46 Issue 15. Retrieved from www.ebscohost.com Nov. 10, 2009 Blumenstyk, G. (2006). Chronicles on Higher Education. Vol 52, iss 27 Retrieved from www.ebscohost.com Nov. 10, 2009 Ehmor, C. (2009). Smarthinking.com. @ www.smarthinking.com GCU @ gcuonline.com Kiplinger’s (2006) Tutors around the globe Retrieved from www.ebscohost.com Nov. 9, 2009 McClure, A. (2009). One Stop Tutoring Shop. University Business. Vol 12, Iss 5 Retrieved from www.ebscohost.com Nov. 12, 2009 Richardson, J., Price, J. (2009). Exam preparation and tutoring. Distance Education. Vol. 30. Iss 3. Retrieved from www.ebscohost.com November 10, 2009 Smarthinking.com at www.smarthinking.com Wojner, A. ( 2006). Outcomes Management. Applications in Practice Mosby: Saint Louis. Read More