Although in-person classes are going on in full swing, distance and online learning services are here to stay. A $4.2 billion industry in 2018, the online tutoring market is now worth over $5 billion. That is a 33 percent growth in less than 2 years. Investments in this sector have seen a remarkable increase as well. In 2019, over $4 billion was invested in online tutoring platforms. These investments increased to over $12 billion in 2020.
The pandemic played a huge part in all this. However, now that the spread of COVID-19 is being controlled to a great extent, and offline classes are continuing once again, will it die down?
The simple answer is no; there is no chance that we will see the online tutoring industry fade away anytime soon. People will make more investments into it if anything. This is partly because of all the money and effort a lot of companies and individuals have put into this sector, and partly because students are reaping a lot of benefits from it. And that is what we will touch upon in this post – how online tutoring is beneficial to students even though offline classes have begun. In doing so, we will also realize why the industry itself will not become a thing of the past.
Offers Better Accessibility
The traditional way of seeking help from a teacher or even a TA after class hours is somewhat complicated, often inconvenient. You have to send them an email or visit their office to just get an appointment for a later time or date. There will often be times when luck will not be on your side, and you will fail to secure a slot. Things get more complicated if your exams are near, but they cannot give you time before the exams are over.
With online homework assistance and tutoring services, these problems slowly disappear. Not only can you seek help before exams, but you can do so for homework as well, something subject teachers and TAs are often reluctant to do.
With services like Homeworkmarket (new name is Sweetstudy), a student can simply log into their account through the website, and post their homework problems. It does not matter whether you need a plagiarism-free essay or help with a difficult math assignment, Sweetstudy always has experienced tutors and teaching professionals ready to help you out. No matter the course or the type of assignment, you can always expect help from these platforms and their contributors. The same cannot be said for all teachers and TAs.
On-Demand Service
Getting an appointment for a one-on-one session with your faculty members is difficult as it is, things become more problematic when you have a problem the day or night before an important exam. You cannot contact a teacher or TA in such crucial times, but you can post a request for help at any of these forums or tutoring platforms, knowing that someone will help you out.
The on-demand service is what makes these platforms so intriguing, even when offline classes are taking place at their usual pace.
Opportunity for Those Who Want to Learn
Online tutors can give you an entirely different perspective on a subject or topic or can help you learn a new or easier approach to solving various problems.
Take mathematics for example. You know how to solve a problem with the technique your teacher taught you. However, there might be more techniques that you are unaware of, some of which might even be a lot easier than your teacher’s. It is this curiosity that you can fulfill with the help of online tutoring and that too within the comfort of your bedroom.
Preparing for the Future
Needless to say, there will come a time when schools or colleges will not be enough to teach you everything you need to know to succeed in the real world. Hence, you will have to turn towards MOOCs and online tutoring. So in a way, by letting the practice of online learning continue as it is, you are allowing yourself to be ready for the rapid changes that are about to come your way.
Having established all these things, it is easy to see why online tutoring and homework assistance services are not going to fade away anytime soon. So it is better we get used to it, as it is both beneficial, as well as an integral part of education in the future.
