A new service, TutorTeddy, offers 24/7 tutoring services in science and math-related fields and is available for UW Oshkosh students.
Cambridge Innovation Center team member Claudia Rallis said the of www.TutorTeddy.com main goal is to assist college students who feel they are falling behind or could use extra help.
“We offer tutoring services and homework help as well as help for students who do not feel challenged enough in class,” Rallis said. “Our tutors are experts in their fields and are available 24/7 online.”
Rallis said the main appeal of TutorTeddy is the help it provides in a variety of topics as well as different techniques to help students with study.
“Topics we cover include accounting, programming, finance, economics, chemistry, biology, engineering (chemical & mechanical), computer science, statistics and calculus,” Rallis said. “We are very passionate about math and science, but know that these can be intimidating and difficult subjects for many students. We are here to offer help to those students however we can.”
TutorTeddy is available whenever a student needs help with tutors online ready to respond, Rallis said.
“Sometimes it can be difficult to make the tutor’s schedule fit yours, especially if you are juggling sports, clubs, a job, etc. along with your studies,” Rallis said. “This is where TutorTeddy really shines. Because our services are offered online 24/7, students can get the help they need regardless of where they are or what their schedule is like.”
UWO junior Casey Schut is a math tutor at the Student Success Center on campus and said while the service might be convenient online for students, she believes there are many benefits to the traditional one-on-one tutoring.
“As a tutor I am able to assess what a student already knows and what they are struggling to understand,” Schut said. “I can then use that information to help them construct their own understanding of a problem or concept.”
Schut said she sees TutorTeddy affecting the tutoring services offered on campus and believes traditional tutoring is a more beneficial way of learning.
“TudorTeddy is a quick-fix solution for learning,” Schut said. “For this reason I see it slowing tutoring services on campus, but I feel that there will always be a need for personal one-on-one tutoring because one-on-one tutoring has benefits that an online service can never meet that go beyond just passing a class.”
Tutor Coordinator at the Student Success Center Crystal Soderman said whether students use the traditional tutoring services at UWO or TutorTeddy, extra help is always encouraged.
“All of our tutors [at UWO] did well in the class they tutor for and try different strategies, both verbal and visual to help students,” Soderman said. “Tutoring is just a benefit for all no matter the medium.”
Schut said while TutorTeddy may help students in subjects, having a tutor who experienced the class a student is struggling in is beneficial in a way online tutoring couldn’t be.
“Students that receive tutoring services are able to work with an expert in the class material who has received training on how to be an effective tutor,” Schut said. “In addition, clients are also networking with older students in their major who are able to answer their general questions on aspects of their program in an informal setting.”
Rallis said she hopes TutorTeddy will help benefit all students and will help them feel more comfortable in their academic settings.
“We also hope to get students more excited about and engaged with math and science topics,” Rallis said. “With technology becoming more advanced and widespread with each passing year, the number of jobs in these kinds of fields is expected to grow significantly in the future, and we want to inspire more students to pursue these subjects in addition to helping them with their classwork.”
