7 tips for success with a virtual tutor

The majority of students who used a virtual tutor reported improved performance in schoolwork, according to Tutor.com’s website.

Ninety-six percent of those surveyed after utilizing the service received better grades and increased confidence in their academic pursuits. And the program is offered at no cost to eligible service members, civilian personnel, and their dependents.

READ: How to help your military kid avoid the ‘summer slide’

Since 2010, approximately 3 million military members and their dependents have done exactly that through Tutor.com, one of the oldest and most prestigious virtual tutoring services. Besides access to 3,000 highly-qualified tutors, a top benefit of using Tutor.com as a military-connected student is that it is completely free.

Read on for tips from Pamela Brehm, Tutor.com’s senior director of military & government programs, on how to successfully work with a tutor virtually:

Get familiar with the platform ― Tutor.com is far more than just emailing a professor. It’s an entire virtual classroom designed for any sort of academic problem you may have, so explore. Brehm said that students can utilize the text-chat or two-way voice chat, an interactive whiteboard, text and coding screens, drawing tools, graphing calculator and file sharing.
Come with your assignment ready ― you can either type the assignment into the chat box or directly upload it once your session starts. “If you are ready with the necessary materials, your tutor will be able to clarify quickly how to help you, and you can get started together right away,” Brehm wrote in an email.
Make sure to pick the right subject ― sometimes academic challenges cover more than one area of expertise. Your chances of getting help quickly and without annoyance rise when you choose the right sort of tutor from the get-go.
Be ready to work ― Brehm said that sometimes students use Tutor.com with hopes that the tutor will simply solve the problem for them. But that’s not how it’s designed to operate! So come with your thinking cap.
Be confident ― “You can figure out whatever you’re stuck on, and tutors are dedicated to helping you,” Brehm said. “Rest assured: It’s OK not to know the answers or even where to get started. That’s why you are connecting with a tutor!”
Remember that there is a pot for every lid … and a tutor for every student ― If you don’t click with a certain tutor, there are plenty of others. Tutor.com’s platform allows you to select someone else who might better fit your learning style.
Think outside the clock ― Given its constant accessibility and consistency, consider not only using Tutor.com for yourself, but also sharing with your dependents (including military children) to ease military-related transition stress. “Military families also report that having access to Tutor.com offers them a consistency that may be otherwise unavailable when their educations may be interrupted due to deployments and moves,” Brehm said.