At Pear Deck Tutor, we spend a lot of time thinking about how we can connect students with the right tutor at the right time. We’re always looking for ways to improve your experience on our platform, so each tutoring interaction helps you take the next step on your learning journey.

Pear Deck Tutor did some digging lately. Our research uncovered how we can better align with student needs and the priorities of schools, districts, and universities. This is resulting in several exciting improvements!

What’s changing?

Optimized subject list

We’re kicking things off with an optimized subject list. Starting August 3rd, we are removing several infrequently requested subjects and streamlining other subjects into curriculum areas. You can find our new subject catalog here.

New interface

The Pear Deck Tutor platform also gets a shiny new coat of paint! The Browse Tutor page replaces the subject pages, and the Request Page now offers a more user-friendly interface. You’ll also find that our updated request flow is more intuitive – especially important for younger students. K-12 students will be asked about their grade level when they submit a request, so the tutor can hit the ground running when the session begins. We’re also adding a new tutor filter to the Browse Tutor page that allows students to easily find tutors they’ve worked with before.

Next: more information and filters for the Browse Tutor page

This is just the start! Next, we’re making the Browse Tutor page even better. Early this Fall, tutors are better able to present their experience and expertise to a student who’s searching for the right learning partner. We’re also adding another new tutor filter that helps students find a tutor that matches their language preferences.

Next: Match with students more efficiently

This is followed by an optimized matching system that more efficiently connects students and tutors. You won’t be able to see this change – it’s hidden in the bytes behind the scenes – but you’ll notice you’ll be able to find the right tutor for your request more quickly!

As part of this product update, scheduled for later this Fall, we’re also removing the waiting room. We’re confident you won’t miss it – who has time for an extra step when you’re ready to tackle that algebra equation?

Besides an improved interface, the most impactful change is that there are no more tutoring sessions available in legacy subjects. After August 3rd, students can only select one of the new curriculum areas and their corresponding subjects in the tutor request process. The New Browse Tutors page will replace the subject dropdown in the navigation bar, which means students can also no longer find or request tutors for direct requests in the legacy subjects.

What about students who have repeating sessions with a tutor in a legacy subject?

We understand the value of continuing sessions with the same tutor. Some students have built long-standing relationships with tutors on the Pear Deck Tutor platform. Those connections will still be available. No new sessions can occur in legacy subject offerings after 8/3, but chats with tutors in those subjects will remain accessible.

If you’re a student who has repeating sessions in a legacy subject, we encourage you to message that tutor to define what other subjects they can help you with. In most instances, you’ll find that a removed subject is closely related to a subject that is still available. For example, instead of requesting sessions in SQL Programming and Web Development, you can conduct your sessions in Computer Science. Your tutor can help you find a subject, or you can suggest one from our new subject catalog.

Once you and your tutor have defined which available subject is the best match, open their tutor profile, click on “Start a session,” and select that subject.

If there’s no closely related subject, we encourage you to wrap up your learning journey with this tutor in that subject. We understand that this may take some time, but we are confident that you’ll benefit from getting tutoring support in one of the available subjects on Pear Deck Tutor.

How did you make the decision on the updated subject offering?

Pear Deck Tutor has conducted extensive research and internal analysis to uncover what type of tutoring students need the most from an online, on-demand platform. Our research included in-depth reviews of RFP content requests and summative assessment plans of the largest districts in the United States. It also included a thorough internal analysis of student session request volume, post-lesson data, and tutor feedback. This research revealed an opportunity to optimize our platform through a consolidation of tutor resources into the areas of highest demand for students. You can read more about the research findings here.

Won’t students miss the subjects that are now removed?

Our analysis confirmed that even with the removal of 80% of the offered subjects, we can guarantee that 96% of tutoring requests will be covered with the revised list. The majority of removed subjects are included in the streamlined curriculum areas and do not represent an actual loss of support in the requested topics. The few harder-to-match or infrequently requested subjects that are eliminated impact a very low percentage of students. Although we don’t wish for any student to lose a tutoring opportunity in their subject of choice, we see this as an opportunity to improve the quality and availability of our support in the chosen subjects. Our streamlined, efficient, and focused subject offering that aligns with the priorities of our partners and the learning needs of students maximizes the availability of high-demand subjects for students and tutors on the platform.

Questions? Contact us: support@tutor.peardeck.com