The Theory of Online Tutoring - Essay Example

Business Management Introduction: In the present globalised situation, where information technology has taken huge and speedy strides, the theory of online tutoring is developing at a fast rate. This mode of learning has become the favoured means of learning. When it comes to IT, online tutoring programs will help the students as they need not attend any school but can analyse and learn at home. The online tutors have helped a lot in the achievement and improvement of online tutoring and learning programs. One of the permanent images substantiating the spirit of education is that of a tutor on one end of a log and a scholar on the other end. Tutoring online has double success as in conventional instruction. In spite of the popularity of great lecture classes found in colleges, the nucleus of learning is one-to-one conversation between a tutor or mentor and a student. The test has always been to discover ways of instruction that is effective in one-to-one learning relationship. The Internet has nowadays made individual education and instructing realistic and cost efficient to a degree that was never before possible (Bloom B. 1984). Online tutoring plans have great demand these days, especially when it comes to getting qualified in the field of IT owing to its profits and quality, amidst the student society. The modus operandi of the studying procedure is suitable for the students and they get a chance to think out of the box answers. In the online tutoring course, the teacher and the student are involved with synchronization between them. The teacher can have a one to one interface and contact with the students. Apart from these, communication is practical in the sense that they are live and real time. The students can also get their doubts cleared in their IT lessons immediately. They can also take part in a live chat with their teachers and avoid break in their work because of the continuous process of learning. Actually according to Eduventures U.S. spends more than $4 billion a year on tutoring (Gurdon, 2006). With regard to the internet-tutoring segment, the numbers displayed in 2005 showed that more than 2.6 million students took to tutoring online and that more than $1 billion was spent on exam training (Mozumder, 2006). Apart from this online tutoring helps the students to make their learning progress more interactive. Such tutoring and learning process would be devoid of mono talking but at the same would be filled with a good deal of creative thinking and fun packed actions. Problem Definition Information is very crucial in the growth of an intelligent tutoring system for IT. For this, we can make use of the repository of educational documents mined from the web and can be made simple by the tutors so that the students easily understand. The content stated above can be reinforced from the following key resources (i) MIT Open Courseware, NPTEL India (ii) .edu domain (iii) Discussion Forums - Google Groups, Yahoo Answers (iv) YouTube, Google Video and Metacafe (v) (vii) Domain specific websites for questions, tutorials etc. Open depositories like Wikipedia and different information pages in the field of IT like blogs etc: - authored by informal users if utilised proficiently will prove a very good resource for learning. Actually, in the US the law admits that those schools labeled as "needing improvement" for three consecutive years in the field of IT are obligatory to render free tutoring services to only students from low-income families (Tutorsforkids.org, 2007). Figure: Problem Definition (Courtesy: 03CS3010_Mayank_Jain.pdf) Online Tutoring Conventionally, auxiliary education service suppliers followed a principle, where after school coaches functioned face-to-face with one or a few number of students at a prearranged and selected amount of time. Nevertheless, the Internet has altered this practice since students now can meet a tutor online via live chat with the use of software such as "Microsoft Net Meeting," instantaneous messaging or by voice over internet protocol (VoIP). Many companies make use of tablets, which is known as the "virtual blackboards" that permit student and the tutor to better converse and understand the material. With these instruments, a tutor in a distant location can accomplish their task of tutoring their students by delivering an idea and then supporting that student. Also with the emergence of voice technology on the cyberspace, "real-time voice-based online education" has become reachable to all across the globe. Furthermore, the students get an occasion through the cyberspace tutoring plans to choose an online tutor according their choice. Cost of Internet tutoring: Cost of private tutoring, especially with regard to IT, is quite high for many people especially those on the lower income side, but still such extra coaching is needed to achieve adequate grades and reduced stress in the learning experience. To overcome the issue of high cost in professional one-to-one tutoring, tutors can be hired from India so that classes can be conducted on the internet such that the two parties (the learner and the tutor) can link together for the I.T tutoring service to be delivered. The marketing for this service can be done in western counties especially for those people who want to take part in Microsoft accredited exams weather they attend schools or not. The service can be advertised through the study materials supplied, in the study books and in the book shops, internet and in schools. This service will be different from the expensive classes or one to one tutoring that is now on offer in person. As it is in the field of I.T, the students will also become very competent in using the PC so that they can be comfortable in using this mode of additional guidance. This mode of tutoring would be the cost leader in the field as it uses a cheap medium and labour. The focus would be just on I.T Online tutoring costs differ based on the IT program and the amount of help a student might need. However, comparatively with the conventional mode of tutoring the cost is low. Tutors from India to reduce cost of tutoring: India is fast up-and-coming as the all-inclusive on the net tutoring hub by producing top-quality teaching services at practical rates. With a great number of devoted post-graduates who are well versed in English language, India has the supreme potential to grow in the online tutoring industry, according to the industry insiders. In reality Indian teachers give tutoring services for a payment, which is very, less when compared to their counter parts in the United States, United Kingdom and other European countries. Kathreen who is 18 years old and hails from Westchester County, New York, and who had been receiving private tuitions from Tutorvista since October last year, says that: "My Indian tutor is very patient and kind. She takes time to explain things to me and I have improved in my IT classes. With online tutoring, we can do sessions at our convenience. We save a lot of time, instead of having to drive up and down". Majority of online tutors are located in places like India, Philippines, South Africa and Philippines since their tutoring is of high standard and cost wise they are cheaper (Toppo, 2005). Also, tutors from India can be put through company specific teaching techniques, accent reduction training, cultural awareness training and other forms of preparation, very easily as individuals from India can easily adopt themselves to different situations (Das, Paulson, 2005). Opportunities and Challenges The present and future chances for internet tutoring on IT are far-reaching, but encountered by noteworthy challenges. With the U.S. teacher deficiency and the spread of tutoring as a basic requirement for students, tutoring and exam formulation suppliers find themselves at a distinctive advantage with regard to price. On the other hand, the movement for online tutoring, especially for IT, seems to comply with more services that are supplied at the same price. A challenge for the service providers is to make completely apparent the quality of their services. Lastly, there have been noteworthy political challenges with reference to NCLB funds being utilised for tutoring service providers from teacher's organisations like the American Federation of Teachers and politicians including U.S. Representative George Miller of California (Das, Paulson, 2005). However, some providers have been able to make additive strides into this market. Tutoring online is cost effective for IT students The arrival of the Internet has contributed to the revolution in the world of education. In the present days' world, online education has derived immense popularity. Students instead of going to schools prefer to study from their homes. This has contributed to the idea of online tutors. Online tutoring calls for a growth of full coordination among the students and the knowledgeable online tutors. The fundamental interaction between the teachers and the students is live, matched and real time. The students get all help from their tutors via live chats. Conclusion Thus, advancements in science and technology have significantly revolutionized every area of modern life and thus communication is not an exception. The idea of Online Education builds on the speedy expansion in the field of communication. Virtual learning is a comparatively new idea in distance education. Thus, online learning or tutoring is an interactive mode in which students work in full coordination with qualified and experienced teachers. The interaction between the student and the teacher is one-on-one and live. References 1. Bloom B. The 2-sigma problem: the search for methods of group institution as effective as one-to-one tutoring. Educational Research June/July, 1984; 4-6. 2. http://chennai365.com/information-technology/india-emerging-as-online-tutoring-hub/ 3. Rai, S. (2005, September 8). Latest in outsourcing: Homework. The New York Times. SES for Providers (2007) Retrieved May 1, 2007 from http://www.tutorsforkids.org/ providers.asp#pagecontent 4. Gurdon, M.C. (2006, June 26). Weekend Journal; Taste: Educational Supplements. Wall Street Journal. p. W11. 5. Mozumder, S.G. (2006, July 7). Online tutoring outfits gets $2 mn funding from Sequoia Capital. India Abroad. 36(40), p. A18 6. Das, A., & Paulson, A. (2005, May 23). Need a Tutor Call India. The Christian Science Monitor. 7. Gewertz, C. (2005). Critics Question Use of Offshore Firms for Online Tutoring. Education Week. 24(2), p14-14 8. Irvine, G. & Irvine, M. (2006, January 1). "Distance Learning" for Schoolkids Goes Global; The Internet enables American students to be aided by Indian tutors. The lessons, though not face to face, are low-cost and real-time. Los Angeles Times. p. A17 9. Sharma, A. (2005, July 22). Outsourcing; Indian teachers tutoring U.S. students at a far lesser cost. News India - Times. 36(29), p. 17 10. Smarthinking. Individuals. (2007) Retrieved August 14, 2009 from http://www.Smarthinking.com /static/individuals/ 11. Toppo, G. (2005, August 30). Offshore learning online Overseas tutors help students in USA. USA Today. 12. http://www.tutoringservices.com/faq.php accessed on 14th August, 2009. 13. Zheng Rong, Ke Zhao, "Research and Practice of Internet-Based Intelligent Tutoring Platform for Science Teaching," csse, vol. 5, pp.442-445, 2008 International Conference on Computer Science and Software Engineering, 2008. 14. http://216.239.37.100/searchq=cache:aQtUkv--s3gC:www.sba.gov /library/pubs/ mp-15.pdf+site:www.sba.gov+tutoring&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 15. ww.tutorvista.com. Read More