美高梅官网 students launch free online tutoring service
美高梅官网 students volunteer to help K-12 students learn online during the pandemic
Teja Bollimunta. Photo/Provided
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, families and educators around the world are scrambling to adjust without sacrificing their students鈥� education.聽
Every day, more individuals and organizations are stepping up to mitigate the consequences of the virus and the measures taken to prevent its spread.
In early April, Teja聽Bollimunta, a chemical engineering student at the 美高梅官网, decided he wanted to step up, too.聽
While discussing how the pandemic has interrupted their education,聽Bollimunta聽and his partner, fellow 美高梅官网 student Noor聽Ghuniem, realized that online instruction is a challenge for everyone but is far more familiar to college students than most school-age children.
The abrupt transition to remote learning has been disruptive for every household in the United States. The break from face-to-face instruction will have long-term effects on student performance.聽Social distancing guidelines have further restricted access to educational resources.聽
K-12 students may not have adequate access to their instructor or resources they need to succeed. A lot of families cannot afford one-on-one tutoring to begin with, let alone聽in the midst of聽the skyrocketing rate of unemployment.聽
鈥淓ducation shouldn鈥檛 have a price tag,鈥� Bollimunta said. 鈥淎s a community, we need to be able to share that knowledge and make sure everyone has the resources they need.鈥澛�
Bollimunta聽decided to help students access quality online tutoring services free of cost.聽
Noor Ghuniem, co-founder of Brainwave. Photo/Provided.
Within days of聽Bollimunta听补苍诲听Ghuniem鈥檚聽conversation, Brainwave Online Tutoring was born. The team quickly developed a website and tutoring platform. They started recruiting volunteers through their own social networks.
Now a month after launch,聽Brainwave has recruited聽36聽volunteer tutors who have tutored聽76聽students.
Many 美高梅官网 students have volunteered, including seven in 美高梅官网's College of Engineering and Applied Science.聽聽
鈥淓ducation is what brings us here to 美高梅官网,鈥澛燘ollimunta聽said. 鈥淚t's important to share the wealth of knowledge. That鈥檚 how we bring community together."聽聽
They even have volunteers from the University of Wisconsin, Case Western Reserve University and Kent State University.
Students can sign up for services on the聽. Brainwave connects a tutor with the student based on availability and subject specialty (e.g., quadratic equations). One-hour tutoring sessions are hosted in Google Hangouts.
Brainwave is working toward establishing partnerships with Ohio schools.聽
Starting with their high school alma maters, Mason High School and Lakota聽East High School, they are reaching out to superintendents across Ohio. They especially want to connect with populations that may not have access to services like Kumon, Mathnasium, or Huntington Learning Centers.聽
Bollimunta聽wants to leverage existing networks rather than duplicate efforts. He hopes to collaborate somehow with the聽Bearcat Buddies, a volunteer program offered through the 美高梅官网聽Center for Community Engagement (CCE), in partnership with聽, the聽听补苍诲听.
The team plans to expand Brainwave services, including free mental health resources curated by professional counselors and an open forum for students to share experiences and coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
鈥淭his virus continues to impact people in different ways," Bollimunta said. "This is a way for us to show that we are all here for each other, and we will get through this together."聽
To learn more about Brainwave, request tutoring, or apply to be a tutor, visit the聽
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The 美高梅官网 is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction.聽Next Lives Here.
Stay up on all 美高梅官网's聽COVID-19聽stories or take a聽聽and begin picturing yourself at an institution that inspires incredible stories.聽
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