A Tutoring Transformation

Over the course of the Oglethorpe’s history, bettering the student as a person as well as a member of academia has always been a main focus. One way Oglethorpe University has tried to better student lives is via various tutoring programs. To understand what the changes are in the tutoring program this semester, the Stormy Petrel Newspaper interviewed Miriam Smith, the new tutoring manager spearheading the changes. For a full transcript of the interview, click the link at the bottom of the article.

Throughout the course of the interview, Smith was very excited about this new website, WC Online. She put an emphasis on two main points. WC Online is more user-friendly for both students and staff and the Academic Success staff are now able to collect data.

A major takeaway from the email exchange was the user-friendliness of WC Online. Smith referred to the previous platform, Tutortrac, as “a bit clunky” and “difficult to use” for both students and the Academic Success team. She also said that WC Online makes knowing your tutor easier since it now includes photos and small biographies of each tutor, so that you know who you are going to for help before making an appointment. And as Smith puts it, “It’s a million times easier!”

On the student side of the new tutoring platform, ease of use is a must. From the faculty’s perspective, WC Online offers analytics. The Academic Success team uses WC Online to gather data on student usage, the length of tutoring sessions, and even the amount of study time each student has logged. Tutortrac had a similar function, but it required sorting through excess data making it difficult to utilize.

All in all, this WC Online can be a great tool in better understanding your courses and getting the support students need to succeed this semester. This new integration of online tutoring appears to be a sign that the Academic Success team is actively striving to enhance the student experience at Oglethorpe University.