Virtual tutoring helps rural Alaska high school students

The Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) at the University of Alaska Anchorage is connecting with high school students across rural Alaska in a new, tech-savvy way. The program is reaching out to young people in more than 50 Alaska communities to better prepare them for college and introduce them to the many opportunities that exist in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.

As part of the program, students are required to complete online courses in chemistry, physics and trigonometry. To assist in their learning, ANSEP pairs each high school student with a current ANSEP college student to participate in virtual tutoring sessions. The online classroom combines live audio and video technology, in addition to a "computer tablet" device for sketching math problems, to make learning easier.

ANSEP's Pre-College Bridging Program is designed to get young students academically ready for university-level coursework. Students who choose to participate in the bridging program are required to successfully complete online courses in chemistry, physics and trigonometry to enhance their skills.

In addition, students build computers and learn to use AutoCAD, MS Office, GIS and other appropriate software systems relating to STEM careers. As an incentive to complete the contracted courses, students get to keep the computer they build.

The virtual tutoring program, a part of the Pre-College experience, pairs each high school student with an ANSEP college student at the junior or senior level. The team meets for two hours each week in an online classroom, where live audio and video make asking questions and solving problems easier for both parties. And since math problems are difficult to translate via a keyboard, students use an electronic "computer tablet," which can be used to physically sketch out equations and symbols -- all in real time.

"I am glad to be a part of a process that will take the student to a better academic level," said Shawn Takak, ANSEP student and virtual tutor. "I quickly developed relationships with each of the students I tutored. The technology made it so a live visit was never necessary; the interactive tutoring was completely one-on-one and personal."

The virtual classroom is administered by eLecta Live, a virtual classroom software and a Web conferencing solution for live classes and online meetings. ANSEP has 30 computer tablets, five of which are housed in the ANSEP Building on UAA's campus.

"This virtual tutoring program helps me with the courses I'll need to eventually get into the ANSEP program at UAA," said high school student Ephimia Wilson.

ANSEP is a longitudinal program that works with students from the time they are freshmen in high school all the way through graduate school. ANSEP increases university recruitment and retention rates through hands-on high school outreach initiatives, rigorous summer bridging programs, focused academic learning communities, organized student cohorts, networks of peer and professional mentors, community-based learning, professional internships and undergraduate research projects.

"As a mentor, I encouraged each of my students to fully participate by asking all the questions they had," said Takak. "I was able to help them by stimulating critical thinking skills and at the same time enhancing their problem solving skills."

"If we help these students in any way -- even if it gets them through a difficult test -- we've been successful," said Mike Bourdukofsky, ANSEP Regional Director for its Pre-College Component. "This program is about reaching out and developing connections."

For more information about ANSEP, visit http://ansep.uaa.alaska.edu/ .