Peter, Co-founder Tutor.ng
As education before borderless across the world with Massive Open Online Courses, MOOC programmes becoming a trend, Tutor.NG is set to fill that gap in Nigeria and beyond with the provision of an out-of-classroom learning experience. In this interview with Sola Fagorusi, Youthhubafrica’s Online Editor, Peter Ogedengbe, Co-Founder of Tutor.NG reacted to questions about the platform
Q: Why did you start Tutor.ng? Any back story behind the idea?
The reality is that there is a need for an improvement in the quality and availability of education in Nigeria and scalability of brick and mortar systems have proved to be a challenge. This is why we created tutor.NG and could also be the reason we have similar projects coming up. Tutor.NG supports out-of-classroom learning and employs a unique model that aim to solve key problems specific to Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Although there are some online learning and teaching platforms similar to ours in different parts of the globe, Tutor.NG is the first online teaching and learning platform operational in Nigeria where people can monetize their content and the knowledge they are willing to transfer to others. Our interest in this particular model is hinged on three very pivotal objectives ? to improve the quality, accessibility, availability and reach of learning content and education –both formal and informal- in Nigeria; help reduce unemployment by giving skilled people and content owners an avenue/platform to pass on their knowledge to a wider audience for a fee or free; a system that can complement the conventional teaching system, and support blended learning – where people can learn at very affordable rates.
Q: In what way do you think that online learning can change education in Nigeria? What challenges do you think that online education can help solve?
Online education can change the quality, accessibility, availability delivery of educational content and learning in Nigeria. People can now learn what they need to learn based on their interest and profession. The delivery is beyond location and accessibility is at a more convenient pace and time. We are solving the problem of infrastructures for content owners and making educative content available to learners on the go.
Q: What do you hope to achieve with Tutor.ng?
The conventional education system is reaching a point where it has to be complemented by other supporting learning systems – both online and offline, which are more available and accessible on the move. People will still have to go about their daily business and they will also want to add value and increase their knowledge, Tutor.NG is designed as the ready platform to proffer solution to this out-of-classroom mode of learning. Also, there are people-content owners who would like to share their knowledge on something and monetize their content, Tutor.NG can also help them to achieve this aim.
Q: What are the challenges you face with Tutor.ng?
The most important challenge we are facing which is peculiar to everyone in this country is availability of data bandwidth and reliable internet connection at an affordable cost. It is more difficult to run a live class seamlessly with the present connection speeds and rates charged. Having said that, we are sure with the rate of investment and developments going on in the ICT sector, this will get better and hopefully before the year runs out we will have majority of our users seamlessly enjoying live classes.
Q: How are you working around these challenges?
From performance and all we are putting in place to make this a major online education hub in Africa, we believe this is achievable. We are investing heavily in infrastructures and equipment for our online and live class features to make this work perfectly. We are also reaching out more with publicity and working on more partnerships with organizations. We also work with tutors to create awareness, seminars and programs to sensitize people about usage of the platform.
Q: How do you get your tutors? Is it just anyone with skills in a certain field? Or certified? What are the standards?
As a general platform to willing tutors, there is no minimum requirement for teachers coming to the platform. However we check the quality of their content and personal profile before the courses are verified and listed. We also give local support to our tutors in helping them create quality content bearing in mind that e-learning is relatively new to a majority of Nigerians. Content by tutors aren’t exclusive to our platform. Our Compliance Team oversees the content development and approval process before they are verify and listed.
Q: What can businesses/organizations benefit from Tutor.ng?
We have different benefits designed for organizations which include the ability to conduct their trainings online and also setup instant meetings with their partners and colleagues in different locations for collaboration. This special feature makes it easy for them to run trainings and meetings like they are in a physical location.
Q: Much more than being a learning platform, it is also a content sharing site; what kind of content can people share and how do they go about sharing content?
Tutor.NG Platform is a robust system that provides everything you need to take your teaching online – a virtual classroom, functionality to create and deliver courses with assessment tools, ability to work with different document formats – doc, pdf, ppt., content sharing features, live interactive sessions. We are promoting a wide range of learning contents and we welcome anything that can actually be taught. We have academic courses such as Professional Oil and Gas Chemistry, vocational courses like “How to Bake” to courses as secular as ‘How to Woo a Lady’. This gives our tutors a wide range of flexibility in building and sharing what they feel will interest any fraction of audience.
Q: How can mobile users make good use of your platform?
We understand the dynamics on Nigeria’s internet penetration as statistics have shown that more people have access to internet through mobile devices. We have developed mobile websites, suitable for all mobile devices and we also have mobile application for Android Platform, iOS and others to follow soon.
Q: The beautiful thing about the website is that it transcends the “traditional education” platform, for the handcraft trainings, how are the practical elements integrated?
We have a courseware system that makes it possible for trainers to record their videos on their own and upload it on the site. This gives the learners ability to see firsthand what can be done when working with their own tools.
Q: Is there a “physical” end to the learning? For instance if the tutor/student wants to take trainings beyond the computer?
Yes, the system encourages trainers to have a blended learning structure through their virtual classes and location specific classes. Where a tutor wants the learners to have a real life meet or practical, this can be scheduled and as agreed by the parties. The overall beauty of the platform is that it reduces the time to spend in physical location and saves time commuting and infrastructure.
Q: Where do you see this platform in five years?
As a disrupting technology to the present education system in Nigeria, we aim to create a standard for eLearning in Africa. We believe in the next five years, we will have presence in at least 15 major African countries helping Africans primarily get knowledge and making them self-employed through vocational and soft skills learning. We definitely would be a reputable online institution offering various degree awarding courses which will be acceptable all over the world. Most importantly, we would have built the most robust and vibrant eLearning and financial exchange hub on the continent.
Q: Are there plans to become a certificate-awarding organization?
Definitely the aim of Tutor.NG is to create a reputable and Tutor.NG degree recognized institution which certificate will be acceptable by major recruiting companies in the world.
Q: What are the potentials for the website?
Potentials are limitless as we are creating learning and teaching space which will reduce learning stress to the barest minimum. As a solution providing hub, we hope everyone seeking answers on anything will be able to find it in one place, Tutor.NG
