2008 Woodie Awards
Tutoring Web site launched publicly
uProdigy.com offers tutoring for advanced classes at bargain price
Dave Ward
Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: News
|
Syed Adil Hussain, creator and chief executive officer of the Web site, said his service aims to offer "quality and affordable academic tutoring to students in need."
The Internet start-up was selected as the winning entry in the Product and Services category in the MIT 100k Entrepreneurship Contest in the fall. The award and prize money is given to a company whose business plans show high growth potential. The Web site was selected as the most likely to succeed from over 100 other entrants into the competition. Hussain, a Harvard graduate student, said he started the company because he "couldn't afford the high prices normally charged for help in higher level math and wanted to help others in my situation." So instead of charging normal private tutoring rates ranging from $60-$70 an hour in some cases, he offers sessions for a flat rate of $15 an hour, and students can be tutored in a vast number of subject areas.
While uProdigy.com began operating publicly last week, students from Boston-area colleges have been using the service since last October, and according to Hussain, "they've found it to be very effective."
"We've done a lot of research into what subjects that students need the most help in," Hussain said. Hussain said surveys showed 20 percent of students needed help in math, 20 percent needed hard sciences help, 15 percent needed help in essays and grammar and the rest needed help in the humanities.
The assistance available on uProdigy.com actually originates in South Asia, but Hussain said he is confident tutors are trained well enough to be as effective as any face-to-face tutoring session.
"All of our tutors go through a rigorous training process, with three interviews and a battery of standardized tests."
"We only accept about 5 percent of the tutors that apply," he said, adding that at the moment most of his employees are based in India. According to the Web site, all of the tutors employed have at least a master's degree and some have a Ph.D. and/or prior teaching experience. The Web site offers tutoring services 24 hours a day.
Be the first to comment on this story