Tips for getting students on board with online lessons

This article originally appeared on the Wyzant Tutor Blog on 4/28/2017.

We’ve found (and you probably have too) that some students are hesitant to try online lessons. Maybe they aren’t comfortable with the technology, or don’t think they’ll be as effective as in-person lessons—but based on feedback we’ve collected, students actually love and prefer online lessons once they give them a chance. In fact, on average, students rate online lessons higher than in-person lessons.

So investing a bit of time up front to help students understand the benefits of online lessons will pay out for you in the long run by saving you time and money on traveling, and giving you the flexibility to work from wherever you want.

3 tips to get students on board:

1. Schedule a demo of our online learning studio.

This is a new way to show new students how easy online lessons are at Wyzant—and you can set it up right in messages. Here’s how it works:

• From messages, click on the computer icon at the bottom left side of the thread.

• Select whether you want to conduct the demo now, or schedule it for a later time.

• The student will receive a link in your message thread to “join” the online demo room. If you selected a later time, all of the details will be included in the message.

• To join yourself, you’ll click on the same link in the message thread.
• Once you’re both in the demo room, you’ll be able to see and hear each other over video chat. Now you can walk through which collaboration features you think would be most helpful for this particular student. Be sure to point out any other aspects (screensharing, file sending, etc) that you think would be helpful for them.
• Once you’ve completed your demo, click on “End Lesson” to be taken back to the message thread, where you can then schedule your online lesson.

Although it’s not required, offering the online demo for free is a smart, short time investment up front that could lead to recurring students, and save you a ton of time commuting down the road.

2. Share tips so students can prepare ahead of time.

We’ve learned that students feel more comfortable trying something new (a la online lessons) when they feel prepared. These are our top tips for preparing ahead of time for an online lesson:

• Find a quiet place with no distractions.
• Make sure you’re on a desktop or laptop computer.
• Use Google Chrome for the best experience.
• Test your audio and video before the lesson.
• Wear headphones to reduce outside noise and prevent echoes.

3. Let each student know why you believe online lessons at Wyzant—and our online learning studio—will benefit them.

Here are a handful of talking points to consider:

• Fitting online lessons into a busy schedule is easier than trying to meet in person.
• Interactive features like video chat and a shared whiteboard make collaborating so easy, it’ll feel like you’re in the same room.
• It’s much easier to work together on the same screen than sitting side-by-side.
• Fewer distractions mean more productive and efficient lessons.
• Remember, the best reason to try online lessons is to access the best tutors across the country—so be sure to highlight why they should want to work with you, specifically, and why your qualifications make you the right fit for them.

Want to provide them with additional information? Send them to our online lessons page where they can view the video below, along with helpful tutorials about our online learning studio.

Ready to try out the new online demo feature? Message a student to set one up.