Since the pandemic, more schools and universities have been embracing the improved accessibility of online learning. And truth be told, despite the initial learning curve for teachers and tutors, there are actually many benefits to holding classes online. Perhaps the biggest one is convenience: an online setup lets both tutors and students work from the comfort of their own homes. Online learning also allows students and teachers to work together across time zones and geographical boundaries.
However, as we mentioned briefly, online tutoring can come with a bit of a learning curve for educators. For starters, teachers will now need to develop digital literacy skills to make the most of the technologies available to them when running classes online. These range from graphic design skills to navigating online video platforms to better utilizing social media.
Below, we’ll be listing some of the most essential digital skills that educators need to develop in order to deliver classes online.
In 2024, tutors need to know how to create and manipulate various types of digital files, including Word documents, PDFs, JPEGs and many more. Online tutors need to know how to compress PDF files, combine files, and convert them using tools like Adobe Acrobat, alongside ensuring that these file formats can be used by their students in the same way.
Each file format has its strengths and weaknesses, and you’ll be using them for different purposes. You might want to send students study material as a PDF, for example, or require submissions in a particular format.
The best way to learn is by experimentation. So be sure to play around with the various file formats out there to discover the unique capabilities and applications of each one. In the future, you may be able to accomplish nifty things like creating multiple choice quizzes out of PDFs!
Digital design is an extremely sought-after skill in many professions, and tutoring is no exception here. The ability to create engaging visual content is a fantastic way to keep students interested in what you’re teaching and help them retain the information.
Students learn best when you present them with the information in multiple ways, and being able to create fun infographics, great PowerPoint presentations or even interactive videos is a wonderful tool to have in your arsenal.
Luckily, graphic design is a widely accessible skill to learn in 2024. There are loads of online resources on graphic design. Some of these are free, and some you’ll have to pay for. The learning curve isn’t as steep as you might think: picking up the very basics of graphic design shouldn’t take more than a few days.
It’s safe to say that online education has transformed the education sector on a global scale in more ways than one. But one of the most prominent advancements we’ve seen is that now, students from all over the world can enrol in the same course, no matter where they’re located. This has dramatically boosted the accessibility of a quality education, ensuring that even students living in under-resourced regions can still further themselves academically.
But as always, a quality education is reliant on quality teachers. And to excel in the realm of digital tutoring, teachers and tutors now need to be able to deliver classes effectively online – and a massive part of this is simply learning how to use the various video platforms out there.
Some of the most popular online video platforms for teachers to use today include Zoom, Google Meets, Microsoft Teams, and Skype. All of these different platforms possess their own pros and cons as well, and some teachers may find particular platforms easier to navigate than others. More often than not, however, tutors aren’t able to select their platform anyway.
If you work at a tutoring agency, chances are there’s an official platform that’s used by your organization, and you’ll need to learn how to use that interface. If this is the case, then our best advice to you is to be proactive – seek out online tutorials for that video conferencing software to boost your own proficiency. That way, you can ensure that your digital classes stay compelling and aren’t just limited to video feeds and screen sharing.
There may be instances where you or your students can’t make it to class. This might be due to employment responsibilities, because life gets in the way, or simply due to time zone differences. In these cases, it helps to know how to record your lectures and send them to your students.
Zoom, one of the most popular online video conferencing platforms out there, allows you to easily record your sessions as both a video and an audio file. You can also shoot a lecture on your phone or camera and send it to your students.
While pre-recorded classes are no replacement for live interaction, they can be a useful tool to have at your disposal. Lecture recording is yet another reason why online learning technologies have been praised for boosting the accessibility of a quality education. If for any reason students have to miss a lecture, it won’t adversely affect their learning.
This might be an odd skill to include on a list like this. After all, aren’t we trying to get our students to use social media less? But it might surprise you to learn that social media can be a useful teaching tool for tutors. This is because these platforms have already captured the attention of students – so it stands to reason that they could be valuable for educators to utilize as well.
By harnessing platforms like X and Instagram, tutors can meet students where they are and connect with them outside of class. A tutor might create a page for a particular class and upload educational content, for example. Or forums and groups on social media (i.e. Facebook groups) can be used for knowledge and resource sharing, or to add an extra fun element to group projects.
No matter how you feel about it, social media is here to stay, so tutors are best off learning how to use it positively.
Nothing stimulates students more than games, so what better way to catch and hold their attention than playing educational games with them? You’ve probably heard of or even used Kahoot, but there are other platforms out there. Play around with Quizlet, Baamboozle, Slides With Friends and more.
When you use online games or other methods of gamification for online learning, you’re letting students learn while having fun, which is a great way to help them retain information. Rather than forcing your charges to learn, they’ll actively want to participate in your classes.
The world of education has been transformed by the digital revolution. Tutoring in 2024 involves more than sitting with students at a table and reading to them from a textbook. It’s crucial to be able to use different platforms to deliver your lessons and to familiarize yourself with certain tools.
These days, tutors need to have certain basic digital skills to teach effectively. In this article, we’ve covered six of the most important ones. Mastering all of these skills will improve your effectiveness as a tutor and keep your students coming back to you for more.
We aim to empower learners of all ages and levels by simplifying the process of finding the right tutor, fostering a supportive educational environment, and promoting academic success
