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DA District Administration
Where K12 students can get homework help from college tutors
College tutors at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Harvey Mudd College specialize in math and science
By: Matt Zalaznick
September 4, 2019
Editor Note: This program using college students focuses on math and
science for middle and high school students. Empowering programs using
college students focus on the basics that will help students succeed in
math and science later in their education.
DA District Administration… What’s in it for a university that hires
its students to provide free math and science tutoring to middle and
high school students who are struggling with their assignments?
In Indiana, the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s AskRose Homework
Help service conducted more than 32,000 tutoring sessions last year.
The student tutors improved their communication skills and learned to
look at problems from new angles, says Susan Smith Roads, director of
AskRose.
“We know our students are going to be outstanding engineers,
mathematicians and scientists,” Roads says. “We also want to make sure
they’re good citizens. This encourages them to give back to the
community.”
About 30 tutors staff AskRose from 7-10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday.
They provide assistance via email, webchats, and occasionally over the
phone. Tutors have also used Skype to tutor classrooms of students.
“The tutors do not just give answers; they guide students through
homework so they understand the concepts,” Roads says. “The tutors ask
lots of probing questions to get that lightbulb moment going with the
students.”
College tutors strengthen community trust
Harvey Mudd College, a top-ranked STEM school in Southern California,
partnered with Rose-Hulman in 2010 to establish a similar homework help
program. The free service—which is open to students in grades 4-12—has
strengthened the college’s relationships with surrounding communities,
says Gabriela Gamiz, Harvey Mudd’s director of community engagement.
“A higher level of trust has been built, and we hear back from our
community partners that they want to work more closely with Harvey
Mudd,” Gamiz says.
Eight students out of a team of about 40 serve as tutors Monday through
Thursday from 6-9 p.m. Half of the tutors are part of the college’s
work-study program, and the evening schedule also provides a convenient
time for students to give back to the community, Gamiz says.
The tutors report they are growing more confident explaining complex
ideas over the phone, a valuable skill when it comes to job interviews,
she adds.
Some are also becoming more aware of socioeconomic conditions in the
region. Tutors get the most calls about algebra I, a graduation
requirement in California public schools, which some callers have taken
multiple times. This situation has opened the tutors’ eyes to some of
the struggles faced by local public school students, Gamiz says.
Masters of modern math
At Rose-Hulman, tutors have access to most of the math and science
textbooks used in Indiana’s middle schools and high schools. AskRose’s
website also offers hundreds of additional resources for K-12 students,
Roads says.
“Our tutors have just recently finished high school, so their goal is
to help students understand concepts in the way those concepts are
taught in school today,” Roads says.
The team at Rose-Hulman assesses the program nightly by survey, and 99% of users have said they would contact AskRose again.
AskRose is funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. and Rose-Hulman, while Harvey Mudd’s service is funded by a private donor.
Both schools heavily promote their services in regional high schools and on social media.
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