PERFORMANCE

What Makes a 5 Star-Rated Session?

What makes a 5 star-rated session?

(Getting low ratings? Looking for ways to improve your sessions?)

Study experts with higher ratings are routed more questions for bidding AND are more likely to win the bid. Here are some tips from our 5-star Study Experts that can help raise your rating.

Remember, our mission is ensuring the highest educational sessions for our students – not only providing the correct answer, but also helping them understand the concepts and how to apply them to get the correct answer.

  • Ensuring the student understands the explanation and final answer
  • Slicing your explanation multiple times so the student can follow along
  • Engaging and updating the student as you are working
  • Use of proper English and grammar
  • Using LaTex or Wiris editor
  • Setting time expectations
  • Clarifying the question
  • Closing out of a session properly
  • Things to avoid

Ensuring the student understands the explanation and final answer

  • After providing the concept, step-by-step explanation, and final answer – ask if the student understands how you arrived at the final answer. Also, help clarify if (s)he does not understand – remember, just because you have provided the final answer does not mean the session over. The student may have additional questions.

  • Do not continue explaining a problem if the student is clearly not following.

Slicing your explanation multiple times so the student can follow along

  • Slice your explanations in multiple parts – this way shows the students you are continuously working on the problem and gives the students a chance to speak up if they are unclear about a particular step. Students have a much better experience with Experts who use slicing since they feel they are not waiting as long for a solution.

  • Do not lump the entire explanation into one message – this method has a greater chance of a confusing a student during the explanation, causing you to explain the step again and spending more time on a problem. Additionally, note the blue text in the below explanation – hyperlinks to external sites are strictly forbidden and will result in disciplinary action.

Engaging and updating the student as you are working

  • Talk to the student throughout the session – this method lets the student know you are working through problems, putting him/her at ease. Remember, these students may be potentially stressed from being unable to complete the problem – this is your chance to help ease their frustrations and make learning a more enjoyable experience!

  • Do not ignore what the student says or disappear for the majority of the session to solve the problem. These sessions are a dialogue between Expert and student, so answer appropriately and follow up with questions they may have.

Use of proper English and grammar

  • A majority of our students are English speakers, so using good English improves the quality of your explanations.

  • Poor English and typos will make explanations harder to understand and potentially confuse the students more.

Using LaTex or Wiris editor

  • The LaTex and Wires editor makes equations easier to understand – it is crucial to use these tools as mathematical problems are difficult to type and read using plain text.

  • Not using the LaTex and Wires editor increases the chances a student will get lost during the explanation. Take a look at the difference between the example above and below – see how much easier it is to read mathematical equations after being processed by LaTex and Wires?

Setting time expectations

  • Let the student know that it will take a few minutes to solve the problem. We understand some problems may be more difficult and take longer to explain, which is why we also recommend splitting up the explanation (as already mentioned above) to walk the student to the correct answer.

  • Do not leave the student to solve the problem without telling him/her how long it will take. Students may have their own idea for how long it takes an Expert to solve a problem (we call them Experts for a reason) and be upset if you do not meet their expectations – increasing the chances that they would give a low rating.

Clarifying the question

  • When an image contains more than one question, it is a great idea to clarify which question the student wants answered so an Expert does not answer the wrong one. This also sets the expectations with the students that only one question can be answer per session.

  • Do not answer whichever question you think the student wants. Always clarify the question as not doing so may lead to answering the wrong question and being unhelpful to the student.

Closing out of a session properly

  • Ask the student if (s)he needs any more help with the problem. If not, thank the student for using Got It! and end the session politely.

  • TIP – if you are still working on the problem there is a new shortcut, /time2, that notifies the student that you will continue working on the problem even after the 10-minute timer has expired.
  • Do not just provide the answer and ask the student to close the session. Students evaluate the entire session from beginning to end – it is in your best interest to be kind and courteous until the student closes the session.

TWO THINGS TO ABSOLUTELY AVOID, NO MATTER WHAT

  • Students expect Experts to be able to answer their questions correctly and explain how to get to the correct answer. Do not claim a question unless you are ABSOLUTELY certain you can solve it. Providing incorrect answers always leads to a low-rated session and the potential suspension/termination of a contract.

  • While we are all human and make mistakes sometimes, if a student is telling you that you don’t understand the question, do not continue to try answering the problem until you clarify what problem the student needs. A student is sending in a problem expecting an answer to that problem – providing an irrelevant answer leads to a low-rated session.