Carnegie Mellon University recently announced a partnership with Schoolhouse.world, an online tutoring platform. Schoolhouse.world is an educational nonprofit that provides free peer to peer and small group tutoring, focusing on high school curriculums and test preparation.
As part of this partnership, CMU will be offering a class this fall called “Tutoring, Teaching and Leading Through Education,” where students can earn course credit while volunteering as tutors via Schoolhouse.world. The class was previously offered before 2020, when CMU students would travel to local schools to provide tutoring, but the curriculum has been revamped for online tutoring.
Mimi Wertheimer, CMU’s Director of Student Instructor Development and K-12 Community Partnership, will be teaching the class.
“Nothing is ever going to replace in-person, face-to-face tutoring, but when we think about how we can find avenues for people to learn and engage in additional supports,” she said, “the pandemic really taught us that digital tools create points of access that weren’t there before.”
Online tutoring platforms have become increasingly popular in recent years, especially since many students face pandemic learning loss. Pittsburgh Public Schools students currently access remote tutoring via a partnership with tutor.com.
One survey found that 63% of high school students in the United States engage in online learning activities daily.
The partnership announcement was made at Carnegie Mellon’s Commencement by Sal Khan, who founded Schoolhouse.world and Khan Academy. During a keynote speech he said that “by enabling college students to earn course credit while volunteering as STEM tutors on Schoolhouse.world, we’re not only giving tutoring the academic recognition it deserves, but also expanding access to free learning for students around the world.”
CMU will also allow prospective students to submit Schoolhouse portfolios of their certifications and volunteer hours as part of the undergraduate admissions process.
