Origins

The inspiration behind this app was the sudden switch to online learning in the Spring of 2020.

This app is a solution to not only helping students get free tutoring if they cannot afford tutoring, but it also simplifies the process of finding the right tutor depending on what a student needs at the moment.

The inspiration behind the name of this app is the animal, a raven. Ravens work together at younger ages, are known for their cunningness/wit, and can be inventive when faced with problems that need solving. In all, they symbolize problem-solving. Therefore, Ravens was a fitting name for an app whose goal is to bring together a community of students to rise to the challenge of online learning—together.

Features

Ravens is an app where students can easily seek out tutors or teachers.

Tutors or teachers can easily mark when they are available for zoom or hangout calls (or even available just through communications through emails), and they can mark what subjects they feel comfortable helping out their classmates. They can also include a list of classes that they have taken so that students will be able to see if a particular tutor can help them out with a certain. By allowing peer tutors to mark when they are available, there is no communication hassle. They will get a notification when a student signs up for a time slot, and on their “personal calendar” page, they will see when a student has signed up for a class and what sessions they have that day. Before students sign up for a timeslot, the tutor can include a link for the zoom or their email (for a hangout call) that will only appear after a student signs up (as to not have random people joining the call.

Students can then look through the time slots in a day, find a particular subject they would like help with, and select a tutor that could help them the most (by looking at what classes tutors have already completed). Once they sign up for a timeslot with a peer tutor or a teacher, they will be able to access the zoom link or email for hangouts.

This app is a solution to not only helping students get free tutoring if they cannot afford tutoring, but it also simplifies the process of finding the right tutor depending on what a student needs at the moment.

Now, many teachers have to figure out when they are available to help students, especially since many have children of their own. This way, their students can just easily look through a teacher’s available timeslots, find one that also works for them, and voila.

Screenshots

Kernals

Q: How is the Kernels score calculated?

A: This point system, Kernels, is based roughly on how many people have received help from a particular peer tutor. It calculates how many times each tutee has signed up for one tutor’s sessions. The more times that a particular tutee has signed up for a tutor, the more Kernels that the tutor is given.

Q: What does a higher Kernels score mean?

A: If a certain user has signed up for a tutor more than once, more points than normal are added to the tutor’s Kernels score. This is because the user finds the tutor helpful and believes that the tutor’s sessions benefit them.

Q: Is this a ranking system?

A: This system is not a ranking system because we believe that peer tutoring should not be a competition to get the most hours with the least productivity and good work. Instead, Kernels act as a way to see how many people rely on a particular tutor for help.