eTutoring

Going back to college or starting college classes for the first time is a major decision. And everything from a busy lifestyle to full-time jobs to where you live play in to that decision. One solution may be online classes. The flexibility of online classes is certainly a great idea for some people, but is it right for you? Here are questions you should ask yourself to find out if online learning is indeed the right path for your goals. 

A hurdle we have experienced at eStudent Services (eSS) has been how we can engage students to make them aware of our programs in eight seconds. With just over a half million students enrolled in higher education in Ohio, keeping that student population engaged and informed has been an impossible task, but with some help can be achieved. 

Education has been my vocation and passion for most of my life. So as a baby boomer, I can tell you that many of us are not just resting as we get to retirement age. Some of us are still actively engaged in our jobs, some in volunteer work, while still others are busy mentoring the next generation. The point? Lifelong learning is real and doable. 

Something as simple as a postcard from one conference can be a networking investment toward your next conference. Here's how one eStudent Services team member was able to network like a champ at a recent conference by using a postcard from a previous one for some critical research into such things as who the keynote speakers were and who other attendees of the upcoming conference could be. 

Most of us have heard of the book “7 habits of Highly Effective People” and the lessons it teaches – that the most successful people are proactive, thoughtful, organized, optimistic, etc. A recent study concerning student success shows additional examples of what makes someone highly effective – or, more specifically, highly effective in the online classroom. A recent study concerning student success shows examples of what makes someone highly effective in the online classroom.

Kelvin Trefz joined the eStudent Services team as executive director in July 2016. Kelvin holds two degrees from Ohio State and has a background in education.

Before joining eStudent Services, Kelvin taught science and math to high school and college students. He also played a role in the creation of Ohio State’s former learning management system, Carmen.

Did you know Ohio has the largest single state collaborative of eTutoring across the continent? That’s because there is a great deal of support for a program that began as a grass roots collaborative effort and has blossomed across the state.

Understanding how a collaborative offers a cost-efficient and effective model for an eTutoring program was the focal point of a presentation eStudent Services delivered at the recent Association of Colleges for Tutoring and Learning (ACTLA) Conference. The presentation was titled, “Chronicles of Ohio’s eTutoring Collaborative and Steps to Start Your State’s Collective.”  

Mitch Wilson, the eStudent Services’ program coordinator, joined the staff in 2013 and assists in managing the tutors of eTutoring and the students’ questions, the daily operations of eTutoring, webinar hosting design and editing, data analysis and school communications. But there's a lot more to him than just those eSS work duties. Check out Mitch's Meet the Staff profile to learn a little bit about his background and what he does away from the OH-TECH building. 

You might wonder, “What is Digital Learning?” According to Ohio Senate Bill 316, “Digital learning, means learning facilitated by technology that gives students some element of control over time, place, path or pace of learning.” Digital learning encompasses the effective use of technology to empower teachers and students. Digital Learning Day (DLD) allows schools a set time to discuss and share ways to provide every child the opportunity to learn in a robust digital environment every day, with the goal of success in college and a career. It is a day to celebrate and empower teachers, showcase innovative usages of technology and share resources.

Watty Piper’s classic message from 1930 in The Little Engine That Could is applicable today, more than eighty years later.  Although the first time the phrase – “I think I can” – was found was in a 1902 Swedish journal, and again soon after, in 1906, in Reverend Charles Wing’s sermon to his Brooklyn congregation that had just paid off the church’s mortgage … most humans believe they are capable of greater achievements.