Khaleej Times

Online tutors are a big hit with parents

- Sandhya D’Mello sandhya@khaleejtim­es.com

dubai — More parents are now shifting to online tutoring apps for their kids, instead of having a teacher come over daily to support their studies.

For mum Kawal Sethi, the availabili­ty of online tutors is a big help for her children, considerin­g how busy they are with their sports, hobbies and other interests.

“My kids have busy schedules and we prefer something where they would experience ‘learning on the go’, rather than having them pore through several books and putting them under a lot of pressure,” Kawal said.

Her children Shrey and Parin — Grade 7 and Grade 5 students at GEMS Modern Academy — are actively involved in cricket, swimming, communicat­ion and drama classes, and other school projects. With all the activities they have to juggle, the siblings have turned to online education platforms so they can study at their most convenient time. Both the boys are subscribed to learning app Byju. “A single session is approximat­ely 30-45 minutes long and the class can be repeated, which is the best part since you can go back, review and understand things better … On top of that, there are industry experts who are just a phone call or an e-mail away and they are always happy to help,” Kawal said.

Another resident Radhika Chitale — whose son Aditya is in Year 12 at Dubai Internatio­nal Academy — said enrolling his son in an online platform also allows him to learn from teachers across the globe.

“Teachers from any part of the world can teach students via online portals. For us, online tutorials don’t disrupt convention­al teaching patterns. They actually enhance them by removing the limitation­s of convention­al methods,” Radhika said.

Aditya, on the other hand, thinks the digital method has been helping him learn better. “Teachers are quick to provide guided explanatio­ns whenever I have doubts. Another good thing about it is the availabili­ty of explanator­y videos that help us understand the concepts,” he said.

Radhika said even choosing tutors is more convenient through the online platforms. “We have tried many different tutors from Milan, London and India, before we have finally settled with only Gore’s tutorials,” she said.

Vikram Gore, founder of Gore’s Learning Centre, said: “App-based education is a very positive trend in education. They allow students to watch animated content, study anywhere, anytime.”

The digital education landscape is taking shape not just in the UAE but “the world over”, said experts.

Rema Menon Vellat, director at Counsellin­g Point, said: “With digital devices becoming an integral part of every young adult’s life, most students are able to adapt to this learning methodolog­y easily. In most universiti­es and schools, a technology-enhanced curriculum has become the norm.”

Blended learning has been helping schools improve student engagement, foster collaborat­ion, and enhance creative thinking skills, Menon said.

A single online session takes 30-45 minutes and the class can be repeated, which is the best part since you can go back and understand things better.” Kawal Sethi, parent

Online tutorials do not disrupt any convention­al teaching patterns. They enhance them by removing the limitation­s of convention­al methods.” Radhika Chitale, parent

Online learning is not just offline learning taken online, by simply digitising content. Technology makes learning better and more effective.” Byju Raveendran, founder and CEO, Byju

The apps are an affordable option. They allow students to watch animated content, study anywhere, anytime and over a variety of mobile platforms.” Vikram Gore, founder, Gore’s Learning Centre

With computers and digital devices becoming an integral part of every young adult’s life, most students are able to adapt to this learning methodolog­y easily.” Rema Menon Vellat, director, Counsellin­g Point

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