MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the 2020-2021 academic year around the corner, governments around the world, and particularly in areas hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, are racing to find solutions to better serve students during these difficult times. Recent CNN reports point to a hybrid model becoming the prominent solution. Though schools are taking a broad range of approaches, this hybrid model entails a mix of traditional in-person schooling and online or remote learning. One thing is clear, education will not go back to what it used to be, and perhaps this is a good thing.
When the pandemic first hit, schools and families were faced with very difficult decisions. In the US, over 20 Million students rely on free school lunch as their meal. With schools closed, it was evident that many children would suffer. But this was just one of many examples of ways inequality has been a serious problem for students and further amplified by the pandemic.
As highlighted by Microsoft, keeping students engaged is also a key problem for schools, and per the experience with remote learning thus far, it is even more challenging to achieve in a digital setting. Now that it is clear things will not return to normal in time for this fall semester, and that likely online learning to some extent is here to stay, various EdTech companies are proving to be far more prepared that traditional schools in developing solutions that help all students, including those typically disadvantaged. One such company, Studypool, has led the way in developing true, high quality remote learning / tutoring.
Boasting over 200,000 tutors with expertise across 250 subjects, Studypool offers students the opportunity to dive one-on-one into specific academic questions as well as explore new topics in a cost-effective way. Students set a budget upfront when they post their questions so the cost of the on-demand help is transparent. They only pay when they are fully satisfied with the answer they receive. In traditional tutoring, this is simply not feasible. Students need to pay upwards of $100-$200 per hour, and sometimes still don’t get the help they need. Studypool has really made it possible for those students struggling with remote learning to get that extra individualized support in a cost-effective way.
Though the company was growing quickly prior to the pandemic, site traffic and new user sign ups have skyrocketed in recent months. According to a rep for the company, Studypool expects record-high engagement on the platform in the coming academic year and will be unveiling various new tools and services to not only help students but also instructors in dealing with the “new normal” of academia. One such tool is the Educator Portal which has been available to a limited-users to date. This member’s only portal is like the ultimate community board for academics. Teachers from all over the world can share course materials and discuss ideas for class lessons. Not surprisingly, a popular topic on the board has been “How to optimize classes over Zoom.”