Matches made online aren’t only on eHarmony. UCF is the second school in the nation to adopt Tutor Matching Service, a system that allows students to search for tutoring services through social networking.
The idea started in April 2009, when Group Interactive Networks, an organization that uses technology to solve problems, wanted to eliminate difficulties with private tutoring.
TMS evolved as the solution to these issues in the form of a Facebook application.
Latoya Jackson, the Student Government Association student affairs coordinator and UCF student manager of TMS, said pricey rates and the lack of tutor resources for upper-level courses are two issues that the service addresses.
“I like that it’s students helping students; I like that it’s flexible and students can do it in their own time,” Jackson said.
The TMS application allows students to find a tutor by subject, review the tutor’s experience in the subject area and read a brief overview of the person.
Any area of expertise or degrees received is listed on the tutor’s profile. Even grades that the tutor earned in specific classes are available to review if the tutor chooses to provide them.
Open appointments are posted on a tutor’s profile and a student can book themselves based on convenience with the click of a button. TMS also provides suggestions for spots to meet for the tutoring session.
A tutor can also request a standard rate for his or her services, and if a student is not satisfied, TMS guarantees a refund. Tutors can build their credibility by gradually increasing rates, getting good reviews from students and by having certification provided.
Rajiv Asnani, a TMS student manager at the University of Florida, said the use of social-networking technology is a great way to approach the idea of tutoring.
“It provides one real central location that students can look for tutors,” Asnani said.
UF was the first school to start using the service and currently has 127 tutors available on TMS. Jackson said that without any advertising, UCF provides 25 tutors on TMS now.
“We need to get to a broad range of subjects,” she said. “I’m hoping to change that come fall.”
Jackson said she is in contact with people from UF to help with marketing ideas. She said the aim is to gear the marketing to both sides: tutors and those who need tutoring.
Asnani said he believes the service will be successful at UCF as early as the summer B term, and other schools are already working on bringing TMS to their campuses, too.
On June 11, TMS was recognized for this early success with the Cade Prize for Innovation as part of a competition sponsored by the Cade Museum for Innovation and Invention, located in Gainesville. The competition recognizes and promotes Florida’s innovators.
According to the museum’s website, TMS was judged for its readiness to launch its idea, the ability of the prize to take the service to the next level and the impact it has on a national or global scale.
The award included a $50,000 grant from the Gainesville Community Foundation and a year of office space in the Gainesville Enterprise Center.
Jessica Bent, the vice president of public relations for TMS, said the award offers many opportunities for TMS.
“This will allow us to speed up the process of implementing TMS on all academic campuses as their primary private tutoring marketplace or as a supplement to current tutoring centers,” Bent said.
Asnani said the grant would also help further the efforts of TMS to one day provide online tutoring so that students can find tutor resources from all over the nation.
Jackson said she believes in the service because students get to find help easily and tutors can offer help and maybe make a little extra cash.
“I think it’s a win-win on both sides,” Jackson said.