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Thursday, March 28, 2024
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UF initiates $525,000 pilot program with peer-tutoring service Knack

Knack tutoring online

Urja Shah’s last time tutoring chemistry and physics students through Knack was in late March.

Shah saw a decrease in students on Knack looking for tutoring when COVID-19 hit and students were told to go home and given UF’s S/U grading option, she said.

For Shah, tutoring was a large part of her income. She said she reaches out to students through social media now, and asks professors for help, but it’s not as convenient as Knack was.

However, the 20-year-old UF astrophysics and physics senior said students are returning to the platform again for Summer B, as a result of Knack’s partnership with UF.

After 18 months of discussion, UF’s Office of the Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Knack have decided to implement both a pilot program and extended tutoring program. The program was announced Thursday afternoon in an email sent to UF students. According to Angela Lindner, UF’s associate provost for undergraduate affairs, the programs will offer UF students free tutoring services and an opportunity for tutors to earn $12 an hour.

“Thinking from the standpoint of a student, this is a very helpful initiative that will in turn help out students who are going through a rough financial situation who will now have reliable, affordable and an effective tutoring experience,” Shah wrote in an email to The Alligator.

The extended program was created after Lindner emailed all UF students in May asking about their transition to remote learning. She said about 350 students responded within an hour of her email being sent asking for academic resources like tutoring.

Linder said both programs started tutoring students Summer B and will end Spring semester in 2021. The Office of the Provost originally granted the pilot program a $25,000 budget to tutor students. However, to include all UF students through the extended program, the Provost Joseph Glover provided an additional $500,000. Knack will receive about $26,000, while about $393,7000 will be used to pay tutors.

In Spring, Shah would earn about $40 to $50 a week from two to three tutoring sessions. However, now, she will have to work several hours to make the same amount because of the hourly $12 wage, she wrote. She said she considered tutoring privately instead of using Knack, too.

However, she wrote that the opportunity will help students who are struggling financially and academically because of COVID-19, so she will continue to tutor through Knack.

The pilot program was first limited to the UF McNair Program, Promise Program, Student Support Services Program and Innovation Academy, but was extended to include all UF students. Once the funds run out, the program will end.

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Both programs will tutor students struggling with the 38 most repeated UF courses, including statistics and chemistry. Lindner said the project will be successful if course repeats decrease and students use the service.

Students enrolled in the 38 designated courses will receive an email in the upcoming week with information on how to sign up with Knack, according to the email sent Thursday.

Co-Founder and CEO of Knack Samyr Qureshi said more than 100 UF students have signed up to be tutors since an email was sent to UF students in May marketing open tutoring positions for the pilot program.

Only UF students will be allowed to tutor other UF students, according to Lindner.

“It’s a great initiative because UF has a lot of students who are incredible tutors,” Shah said.

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