I think it's fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool we've ever created. They're tools of communication, they're tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user.
~ Bill Gates ~
Digital literacy is often classified as a 21st-century skill. That is, if we wish to get ahead in life, find a job and go about our day, we need to be computer literate.
As a society, we have known this for years now, however, findings from the Australian Council of Educational Research (ACER) studies show that our school students have not progressed in terms of their digital literacy or computer skills in the last fifteen years. So, it's not just the older generation who are struggling, but the current generation as well.
If you count yourself as one of the many Australians who aren't as savvy with computers and digital technology as you want to be, you may like to consider attending computer courses or improving your ICT skills with a private IT tutor.
Taking a course to learn the IT or computing skills you need is very worthwhile, as long as you choose the right course.
If you don't want to enrol in a course for whatever reason, but you still need to update your skills or learn new ones, you may find a private IT tutor works better for you.
A professional tutor will provide a tailored learning program, help you track your development and support you to achieve your goals.
Speaking of goals, if you want to get the most out of engaging an IT tutor, there are six things you need to do.
Step 1: Set Your Goals
Without goals or aims when you set out to learn something, you have no direction and nothing to strive for.
The goals of each student will be different and to determine what they are, it helps to ask yourself the right questions.
Take a look at a few different programming courses.
Different students have different goals, often dependent on their level (basic, intermediate or advanced) and the jobs they are in or want to pursue.
Students may wish to learn the basic functions of computers, including:
- internet searching
- administration tools
- web basics
- Microsoft programs and software (Word, Excel etc.).
Other students at an intermediate or advanced level will likely be looking for training in specialised areas, such as:
- programming and coding
- data migration
- algorithms
- HTML language
- networks and systems.
Or, school students may be seeking additional support or extension work in their computing course. This may involve help with:
- study skills
- practical application
- homework support
- advanced tutoring to attain specific success criteria beyond the education setting.
Thinking about the above, why do you want to learn more about information communication technology (ICT) and computers in general?
Also, think about the specific skills you want to learn.
Both of these — the 'why' and the 'what' — will ensure you have personal clarity when a potential tutor asks you to outline your goals. This clarity allows tutors to create personalised study programs, so each session is at your level and meets your learning needs.
From the student perspective, knowing your learning goals and targets means you can identify, early, if a particular tutor is not on track with their lessons. While learning about engineering processes might be interesting, if your goal is to advance your word processing skills, you won't get very far.
The questions to ask yourself are:
- What do I want to learn?
- Why do I want to learn it?
- How much time do I have to master these skills?
Step Two: Select Your Best Way of Learning
As with all private tuition — mathematics, English, science etc. — a session with your IT tutor can take a number of different formats. There is no right or wrong way; just choose the one that will work most effectively for you.
Private tutorials in your home
Private tuition in the home of the student continues to be one of the most popular options.
The greatest advantage of this mode of tuition is that you don't need to spend time travelling to your tutor, nor do you have to remember to take everything (computer, mouse, charger, textbooks etc.) with you.
On the flip side, this type of tutoring can be more expensive as your tutor's travel expenses need to be covered and are usually added to the tutoring fees.
Private tutorials in your tutor's home
If your living arrangements make it inconvenient for tutors to come to you, another option is for you to go to them — this may be your tutor's home or another location.
The advantage of this arrangement is that you will have access to the materials and digital resources owned by your tutor.
Lessons, where you have to do the travelling, are usually cheaper as well (although, you then have to fork out for your own travel expenses).
Online private tuition
If you don't want the hassle of travelling to your tutor's home but you don't really want them to come to your home either, then online lessons may be a great alternative.
With tutoring and computer courses online, you still achieve all your goals as your tutor is able to conduct the lessons through webcam and screen sharing. It's almost exactly the same as having them right there in the same room as you.
Internship placement
If your tutor is a professional working in the industry, as opposed to being a school teacher or university student, they may offer or encourage you to undertake an internship with them.
This is a great opportunity as you not only find out more about a specific career in the IT industry, but you also get to apply your learnings in a practical and real-life setting. Your tutor can also further target your lessons.
An internship is perfect for the intermediate or advanced level student but can be difficult for beginners as this intensive style of training can lead to information overload and overwhelm.
Weekly or fortnightly lessons
While it is possible to take one-off or short-term tutoring, regular weekly or fortnightly lessons over a longer period of time do see better results and are more beneficial for both the student and the teacher.
With a regular session every week or fortnight, a student has time to learn and master new skills and consolidate and build on previous skills.
As with other subjects, like learning an instrument, IT skills require consistent practice.
Step Three: Decide on Your Budget
Whether you're doing computer courses online, in person or have decided to work with a private IT tutor, your budget is the most important consideration. Knowing how much you can afford helps narrow down your options.
Don't be concerned if your budget is limited — higher fees do not always equate to better quality teaching. There are many excellent tutors out there who work for comparatively low hourly rates.
Some of the factors a private IT tutor may allow for when setting their fees include:
- transport costs if they are travelling to their students
- provision of materials and preparation time
- use of equipment
- their qualification level and amount of experience
- the level of their students.
If a tutor has considerable teaching experience, is highly qualified, can demonstrate a solid student success rate and is in demand (that is, the tutor has a waiting list of students), the fees are likely to match this.
In addition, if the student is seeking specialised training, such as competency with specific software, development of software, coding, IT maintenance or cyber security, the hourly rate will probably be higher than for students wanting to learn basic programming or Microsoft apps (like Excel data spreadsheets).
When considering your individual session budget, also think about how many sessions you are likely to need over the long term. This is going to be determined by factors such as:
- your personal learning style and speed
- how much practice you can do between each session
- the difficulty level of the skills, course or programs you want to learn.
As an example, the average hourly rate of a Superprof tutor who offers professional tutoring in information technology at a Years 7 to 12 level is $16. The range, however, goes from $14 an hour, up to $100 an hour.
Still on the Superprof platform, the more niche the subject area, the more expensive the tutor's hourly rate is, and the less tutors there are to choose from.
- Coding averages $26 an hour
- Web design is $20 an hour
- Software development is $27 an hour
- Computer science is $17 an hour
Step Four: Where to Find Computer Courses and Tutors
Now that you've sorted out your goals, the form of tutoring you prefer and your budget, the next step is to find your ideal course or tutor who can meet your requirements.
There are a number of avenues you can explore when you're looking for an IT tutor.
Through a professional organisation
Many professional education institutions, including vocational schools and ICT associations, offer classes and private tuition. They are also good sources of information regarding where you can look for a tutor as they are likely to have a database.
It's good to remember, however, that not all tutors are members of such organisations. This does not mean they are not good at what they do, but they may prefer to avoid the extra fees these institutions take as their 'cut' for a listing.
Old-fashioned advertisements
Yes, people still do this and it can be highly effective, especially if you are looking for a private tutor for face-to-face lessons as they are likely to live near you.
Try checking noticeboards at your local library, community centre, primary school or high school or at the shops. University campuses are also a good place to look. Some tutors may distribute flyers or have an arrangement with their public library or computer hardware store to display their flyers at the front counter.
Not so old-fashioned but, these days, social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, as well as Gumtree, act as virtual noticeboards.
Tutoring platforms
There are many, many tutoring platforms that list tutors for all sorts of subjects. Unlike some of their competitors, the Superprof platform allows you to set filters for your search, including location, level and budget, and narrow down your options, which gives you a greater chance of finding the best tutor for your needs. Your first session is almost always free too!
Word of mouth
Another old-fashioned method but still one of the best if you know other students who access tutoring. It's a testimonial and a referral all in one.
Step Five: Check the Tutor's Profile
Simply put — find out as much as you can about your tutor first! It's amazing how many people either forget to do this, or feel they can't.
If this is you, remember this: your tutor may well make or break your future success. A great tutor can move you forward. A bad tutor can set you right back.
There are two things you really should check:
- the background of your potential tutor
- whether or not you and your tutor 'click'.
Teaching experience and qualifications
In Australia, anybody can be a tutor as there is no legislated government requirement for tutors to have any specific training, university degree or formal professional teaching qualifications. For the student, it's really a case of doing your research and 'buyer beware'.
In your search, you are likely to come across tutors who are:
- qualified teachers with experience teaching ICT at school or university
- professional IT people (with engineering or computer science degrees) who are considered experts in their field
- students who are studying a computer science degree or other course and are looking for ways to make extra money
- young people (or old) who are passionate about computers and really 'know their stuff' even though they don't have formal professional qualifications.
There are positives and negatives to each type of tutor. People in the IT industry may have advanced knowledge but not have the best teaching skills; qualified teachers may be able to break down information so it makes sense but may not have the advanced level of expertise you require and so on.
As with the form of tutoring (at home, online etc.), the experience and qualifications of your tutor often boil down to your preferences as a student.
The best thing is to ask for a trial lesson, but also, don't be afraid to pull out if it's just not working for you.
Personal characteristics of your tutor
In an ideal world, the personalities of teachers and students would have nothing to do with the quality of teaching and learning but the reality is, they do. Personality clashes happen all the time — it's a fact of life.
It may be that, as a student, you prefer a male or a female tutor. You may prefer someone who is outgoing and chatty or someone who is quiet and serious.
Age is another factor that can sway some students' experiences with their tutor.
It may be a case of feeling more comfortable with a tutor who is older/younger than you but more often, in the case of information technology and the digital world, the thinking is that the younger the tutor, the more up-to-date they are likely to be. In the fast-moving IT industry, keeping up with current trends and technology is essential.
On the other side of the coin, some people may prefer an older tutor because age is equated with wisdom and experience. Certainly, the older the tutor is, the more teaching experience they are likely to have had.
Again, as with professional traits, personal characteristics and preferences are ... personal. Just know what you prefer when you are searching for a tutor and don't be afraid to change your mind.
Step Six: Ask questions before enrolling in computer courses online
Before you take that final step, it is important to ask yourself a few final questions — and to answer honestly.
How motivated are you?
Whether you are under the pump to complete a computer science project or just want to learn a few new skills out of interest, if you are not intrinsically motivated to learn, not even the best tutor in the universe will be able to help you.
Students with a lack of motivation are going to find every excuse possible to avoid getting the work done — and this includes cancelling tuition sessions. Eventually, unless you get your mojo back, you will end up quitting.
Note that a great tutor should be able to motivate you, but a lot of the effort has to come from you as well.
Have a look at some ways to boost your digital literacy and check out what some of the best university courses in Australia are if you are looking for a bit of extra motivation.
Is there time in your weekly schedule?
It may well be that a lack of motivation is being prompted by a lack of time to get the work done.
Are you already overloaded with commitments? Is now the right time to take on something new? Is there anything you can put aside to make room for your IT tutorials?
What are the benefits of private tuition?
As mentioned previously, there are pros and cons to all styles of learning — formal courses, online lessons, private tutoring.
If you are leaning towards private tutoring but still undecided, go back to Step 1 and your goals. If a private tutor knows your goals (be they intermediate or advanced web development, programming, cybersecurity, software development or data migration) they can tailor your program specifically to meet these.
Know your learning style. If you find it tricky to learn independently with self-paced online tutorials, a private tutor can keep you accountable and support your progress.
Whatever you decide, if you follow these six steps, you should be well prepared to kick some digital goals.
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Great Article @ logitrainh