Online tutoring refers to the process by which knowledge is communicated from a tutor or knowledge provider or expert to a student or knowledge recipient over the Internet. Online tutoring has been around almost as long as the Internet and takes the following form:
Tutoring via email and knowledge content
In this mode, the tutor or knowledge provider creates knowledge content in a very structured and methodical manner. The student retrieves this knowledge at their own time and pace. Interaction between the tutor and the student may be via email. In addition, tests and quizzes may be taken and submitted by the student and returned to the graded with feedback by the tutor.
Real-time tutoring over the Internet
With increased bandwidth, students and tutors can now engage online simultaneously as in a physical classroom. With additional technology tools, the tutor can present material on their computer to the student and students and tutors may work on the material on a “whiteboard” at the same time. The whiteboard is the equivalent of a physical classroom blackboard and enables the tutor to write and generate illustrations in real-time. Real-time tutoring typically includes both audio and video devices. A weaker variation of the real-time tutoring is the use of online chat and instant messaging by the tutor to interact in real-time with students.
A good online tutoring method may incorporate both forms of online knowledge delivery for effective and lower cost.
Procedures
From the above description, it might appear that online tutoring may be a direct mirror of age-old physical tutoring procedures. However, there are subtle differences in both the method and the delivery of online tutoring:
Unlike face-to-face or physical tutoring where traditional tutors are used to writing on a blackboard, online tutoring requires additional preparation of course material so that it is delivered to the student in faster time typing into the whiteboard. This is because using the mouse to write is still more challenging compared to using chalk on a blackboard. A good modus operandi is to prepare the course materials as slides and then use the white board to illustrate and highlight aspects of the material as the lesson proceeds. This also means that online tutoring might waste less time.
Since tutoring is usually on one computer – the tutor’s computer – the tutor has greater responsibility to control access to the whiteboard and even access to speak to the class. In fact, it is a good idea to keep online tutoring classes very small when a lot of interaction is needed.
Attendees are in remote locations and tutors direct access to demand attention. As a result, online tutoring might be more difficult for tutoring younger children or those with little attention span unless there is additional adult presence, such as the parents, with the student.