College Connection: Tutoring via the Internet is increasingly popular

• Convenience, value, and the use of high tech software add to the popularity of online tutoring
• Tutoring sessions can be archived for future reference by the student or parent
• Virtual whiteboards, screen-share functions and real time video all benefit online tutoring
• Students prep for PSAT, SAT and ACT as well as all high school subjects from the comfort of home

Tutoring is no longer associated with students struggling to pass a class or in need of academic remediation. High school students, in increasing numbers, are turning to personal tutors to help them ace honors and Advanced Placement high school courses as well as to prepare for the daunting PSAT, SAT and ACT exams.

Often, the tutors they hire are not sitting next to them.

Parents, many of whom appreciate the benefits of teleworking, value the pragmatic aspects of having their children tutor online. Convenience comes to mind first of all, as parents do not have to transport their children, back and forth, to tutoring sessions. Value is another attribute, as students who work with tutors in person frequently spend time reviewing what they had been taught in previous sessions.

Thanks to available technology, tutoring sessions can easily be archived (recorded) for future reference. Students preparing for an exam can look back at any time on material with which they are struggling, but which had been addressed at one point during a tutoring session. Parents, who want to check on the productivity of their child’s sessions, can likewise access the recorded lessons.

One of the main reasons online tutoring is increasing in popularity is the existence of high tech software. Students and their instructors can collaborate on a virtual whiteboard. Documents and images can be uploaded and then drawn over by tutors using styluses. Students and tutors can go back and forth between an unlimited number of screens and even utilize screen-share functions. Real-time video allows students and tutors to see and hear each other at all times.

Of course, the quality of the tutor is of vital importance for both in-person and online tutoring. College Bound Review, for example, uses only Ivy League educated instructors as their tutors. These tutors have scored in the top percentile nationwide on standardized exams and are able to communicate effectively and demonstrate complicated material in a simple manner.

In addition to specializing in PSAT, SAT and ACT prep, these tutors each work with students on their subject areas of expertise, offering tutoring in every high school subject including all areas of Math and Science, Literature, Critical Reading, History, Psychology, Economics, Statistics, Computer Science, French, Italian, Spanish, Music Theory, Essay Writing and Editing, Organizational Skills, and Time Management.

It’s never been easier for students to hone their academic skills from the comforts of home.

Susan Alaimo is the founder and director of SAT Smart and College Bound Review. For more than 20 years, SAT Smart has offered both in person and online tutoring, PSAT/SAT/ACT prep courses and College Application Services by Ivy League-educated instructors throughout Central Jersey. Visit www.SATsmart.com, www.collegeboundreview.com or call 908-369-5362.