Tutoring for Upper-Level Classes at UF
Opportunity: Once students at the University of Florida
enter into their upper-level courses, classes become harder and there are fewer
tutoring resources to help them succeed.
The who: Students at the University of Florida
The what: Students have limited access to tutoring resources
to help them succeed in harder classes.
The why: There may not be enough tutors with expertise in
higher-level courses
Testing the who: There could be students at other
universities who have this need. In addition to students, there could be tutors
that need to make money that have experience teaching harder classes. These tutors
would be employed, and would therefore have the need for this.
Testing the what: The boundaries would be the number of
tutors that have knowledge of the subjects and the number of students that were
actually seeking help.
Testing the why: Tutoring resources for higher-level courses
may have been put in place before, but there wasn’t a need for them. Maybe
after freshman year students start to develop their own study methods that they
are happy with, so they don’t see a need for tutoring.
Interview #1:
This person pointed out that there are many schools that don’t
even have tutoring resources to begin with. While we have aids for our general
education requirements, some universities have nothing to help their students
except the textbook and the professors. She figured that if other students at
other universities can get through their classes without any additional help,
she could do the same.
Interview #2:
This person pointed out that some majors and colleges at the
University of Florida have classes that are considered more difficult than
others. This student was an engineering major and said that he probably
struggles more in his upper-level courses than someone in a different major
would. He thought a tutoring service would help him survive the engineering
curriculum.
Interview #3:
This student made it clear that she didn’t want her hand to
be held all throughout college. By this she meant that she wanted to find her
own resources and not be spoon-fed all the answers to questions that professors
would be asking on exams. The student said that as a freshman, the tutoring resources
were really helpful because she used them to get adjusted to college. However,
she said that once she entered into the job market, employers wouldn’t be
giving her step-by-step directions on all her tasks; she would have to think on
her own and come up with her own solutions, rather than be told what to do and
how to do it.
Interview #4:
The student explained that having to pay an additional fee
for tutoring services every month, in addition to the tuition that he was
already paying to attend UF just wouldn’t be a feasible option. He stated his
confidence that UF professors and TAs give enough resources to help students
succeed on their own, without outside assistance. He also said that if you’re
smart enough to get into the university, you’re smart enough to put in the work
and get good grades.
Interview #5:
This student said that if she knew she was just going to get
help from a tutoring service to pass all her classes, she wouldn’t even bother
going to lectures anymore. If she had the notes and the tools she needed to
succeed in the class, she wouldn’t feel that it was necessary to drag herself
to class every day. She felt this would hinder her college experience, as she wouldn’t
be taking advantage of the knowledge her professors had. She was also quick to
say that she wasn’t just attending the school for a grade; she wanted to
actually learn something.
From my interviews, I found that students, for the most
part, are willing to put in the work themselves. Interview #3 and #4 really
considered what the downfalls of continuing to use a tutoring service all
throughout college would be, such as the money it takes to pay for the material
in addition to the tuition you’re already paying, and the drawbacks it will
cause once you get a job. The last interview was really great because the
student said that grades weren’t everything, and she was at college for the
bigger picture. It was important for her to learn as much as she could instead
of just taking exams and passing classes. I think that students want some form
of help when they are freshman, but after that they start to form their own
study habits and find resources on their own to pass their classes.
I think this is a wonderful opportunity for not just the upperclassmen students but for the university overall. Their creditability depends a lot on their student's performance as well as maintaining a certain GPA to not lose their internships or scholarships which can penalize them with limited tutoring resources. I like how you mentioned your interviewees and their take on your opportunity and how #4 mentioned the "additional" cost which is highly true. They're additional help but sometimes don't cover exactly what will be on the exam.
ReplyDeleteI love your opportunity idea and I think it would prove really effective if implemented well. I do think that your interviewees made good points however, as in the real world you can't just go to a tutor, and that an easily provided service might hinder the necessary self-sufficiency learned throughout college. However, I think interview 5 could almost support your opportunity in a certain light, as if someone was simply just regurgitating information to pass exams without a true understanding of the topic, tutoring or some form of help could allow them to make the necessary connections in the material and benefit more from the course.
ReplyDelete