Tuition: Online vs Face to Face

Private tuition has been shown to improve students’ performance in schools due to innovative approaches to learning in small, ability-based groups. Recent studies show that over a quarter of secondary school pupils in England and Wales have private tuition with the percentage in London being as high as 43%. Whether the tuition is delivered online or face to face, the chances are students are getting the support that they need to excel academically in their studies and boost their confidence; with online tuition becoming more prevalent during the lockdown, the question arises, which approach is better?

Some of the advantages of online tuition are:

a) Convenience - allowing students to attend sessions in the comfort of their own homes eliminating the need for travel.

b) More cost effective - they are generally offered at a lower price compared to attendance at a tuition centre.

c) No restrictions – regardless of geographical location, students can easily access these sessions.

Key to this, is ensuring students have a quiet working environment, good internet connection and a desktop computer or a laptop. Our recent blog on Dr Enes’ Five Top Tips to Maximise the Benefit of your Online Tuition advises how to get the most from online sessions.

During lockdown, online tuition has proven to be an effective way of keeping students’ education on track. In many ways, online tuition can be more appealing than face to face tuition, as the students are able to share their screens, use online whiteboards with writing pads and access a vast amount of online resources allowing them to hone their IT and transferable skills for the future.

In contrast, face to face tuition offers a more familiar classroom style environment with the physical presence of a tutor, something that can never be exactly replicated with online methods. Students will benefit by more freely interacting with their peers and having open discussions. Face to face tuition makes it easier for students to bond with tutors with the added benefit of the tutor being able to see what students are doing and assess their understanding through facial expressions and body language. The speed in which private feedback can be provided in these classes can result in a more satisfactory learning journey.

Whether face to face, online or a combination of the two delivery methods the most effective will ultimately depend on students’ individual circumstances and educational needs. At Excel Academics, we offer both face to face and online tuition and strive to make each experience as inspiring and beneficial as possible for all students.