NAITSA has introduced free in-person drop-in Nimbus tutoring sessions to support students’ success. “It’s a new thing that we just created … to make tutoring more accessible for students,” said Alessandra Medeiros, NAITSA Service Hub Manager.
Sessions begin in February 2024, and registration is now open. Through the Nimbus platform, the student selects the applicable tutoring program(s), picks the course they want and selects an available time. In-person tutoring sessions will occur in room A-134 on the NAIT main campus.
The subjects currently being offered are accounting, statistics, trade math, general math and DMIT. Physics and Chemistry may become available, but everything depends on the demand from students and tutor availability. “Finding tutors is also difficult … in this scenario we have right now, we’re starting with five tutors: two are alums … and two are retired instructors. One is a current student,” said Medeiros.
The sessions will last approximately two hours and will be open to all students. The tutor will divide their attention equally between all participants. Medeiros also advised that students come somewhat prepared. “We recommend them [to] bring their books or computer for the class … And have maybe a few questions they have prepared. When they meet with the tutor, they can ask those questions, and the tutor can assist them as a group,” she explained.
Tutoring on Nimbus can be a profitable side job for students, especially when they offer private lessons. “We have students who tutored over 300 hours last year, and if you do the math, the average cost is about $25 times 300 hours; you know how much they made,” commented Medeiros. She also adds that the tutor’s charge stays in their pocket, and they don’t have to pay any percentage to the platform or NAITSA. “So, it’s a good way to help students during this financial hardship many students go through. It’s a good way for them to make some extra income.”
While sessions haven’t started yet, NAITSA is excited to expand their offerings for students. “We had feedback from the tutors, and they think it’s a great idea and opportunity to help students,” Medeiros explained. “There was one student who attended [a pilot session that took place in November] that she wanted to know when the next session was going to be because she wanted to be in it … they heard a free session and wanted to come for it.”
Students can find more drop-in sessions during Discovery Days, an event happening February 5-9. “It’s an event that the Executive Council is leading that supports students in various ways to push for the midterms. There will be a few extra sessions for that week, specifically accounting, DMIT and trades math. And then we’ll have again for the finals,” she completed.
The project couldn’t have happened without the support of NAITSA, which Medeiros was grateful for. “Thanks to our VP Academic and Executive Council for allowing the grant, giving us the money, in other words, to put this program together.” For further information or questions, students can reach out to tutor@nait.ca.
