Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) will be bringing an Uber-like tutoring service to Carleton in the fall semester, called Soach.
CUSA president Fahd Alhattab said the partnership with Soach, an online tutoring service, was created in order to better support students in their academic studies.
The app itself is still currently in private beta, but promises to offer on-demand local service, according to the app’s website.
Students can select the location of the tutor by university, as well as a desired price range and the subject they need help in. From there, students have the freedom to choose from a variety of tutors that meet the criteria, and a chat is set up with the tutor prior to any formal arrangements. Payment is handled electronically through their credit card.
Soach’s rates are determined by the tutors themselves, and normally range from $15 to $30 an hour. According to Alhattab, the high cost of conventional tutoring services has been a deterrent for students seeking academic help.
“Every student we’ve talked to has been really excited because people are tired of these old tutoring services which also cost way too much money,” he said.
While the pricing is attractive to potential tutees, Alhattab said that student safety has been CUSA’s biggest concern throughout the implementation process.
“We are currently discussing with [Soach] regarding what is their tutor vetting process,” he said. “In this day and age, it is important that we give students as much access to as many tutors as possible and provide those jobs, but it is important that all this happens in a safe environment.”
CUSA will be providing spaces on-campus for tutoring sessions in order to ensure students’ safety and offer an effective learning environment.
Similar to services such as Uber, Soach has a rating system for both tutors and tutees.
Breanne Morrison, a third-year food science and nutrition student, said she finds the pricing control to be a welcome change compared to older styles of tutoring.
“I definitely would use it because of the fact that you know how much you’re paying, and you can search based on how much you want to pay which is great as a student,” she said.
Brian Taylor-Ladas, a third-year criminology student, said he would feel comfortable using Soach, although he would “want to see a profile picture and references to the studies they have been doing.”
Morrison said she is content simply with the app’s rating system currently in place.
“A certificate [of qualification] would be beneficial but it doesn’t necessarily mean anything [for the learning process],” she said. “Different people have different learning styles so with Soach if you don’t like a tutor you can always pick another one.”
According to Alhattab, Soach will be up and running on campus by the end of September and CUSA will be in charge of promoting the service.
