One of the founders of free tutoring app EduSnap is back with a new peer tutoring app - AsknTeach.
Back in 2013, Mr Chia Luck Yong set up EduSnap as a social enterprise with two Singapore Management University schoolmates, Mr Anders Tan and Mr Shaun Tan, and launched the app the next year.
At the time, the free mobile platform drew attention as it positioned itself as the first of its kind helping Singapore students, and was reported about in major media outlets.
However, by end 2015, the trio parted ways and no longer actively maintained it.
Still believing that parents and students do not have to pay exorbitant fees for tuition, Mr Chia, now 30, decided to develop a new app, which has been available for free download since May.
His new product AsknTeach is similar to EduSnap - students upload questions they need help with - but it focuses on getting other students to answer the questions.
In comparison, EduSnap partnered tuition centres and private tutors to respond to students' queries.
Mr Chia noted that one problem emerged then: There were more people asking questions than there were answering them.
For instance, some private tutors would "burn out" after answering 100 or so questions.
He said: "We were constantly searching for new tutors to fill in for people who had left. We kept trying to find centres that had a lot of teachers."
At the same time, he noticed that a few students on the EduSnap platform were very active in answering other students' questions even though they received no reward.
He believes that with AsknTeach, the feel-good factor of young people helping others will build a community in which older students guide younger students.
Students who prove to be good in answering questions may later be offered a nominal incentive, for instance, $0.50 for a question answered correctly.
Since EduSnap stopped maintenance from end 2015, a number of other tuition or homework help apps have sprung up here in the past two years.
These include SnapAsk - which is active in Hong Kong and Taiwan as well - and home-grown apps such as Ask.ManyTutors and Queri.
Asked whether there was still space in the market for AsknTeach amidst the competition, Mr Chia said he believed that there are still more students with questions than there were people who could answer them.
Eventually, Mr Chia hopes to build an extension to the app that will provide learning resources - in which it works with professional tutors with good track records to upload content, such as online lectures, that users would pay for.
Students who have used other free educational apps said they would not mind trying out AsknTeach if it can help them.
Novia Antony, 16, a Secondary 4 student at Yuan Ching Secondary School, for one, said she liked the app's concept: "I can reply to people's questions and I can also post questions and try and get solutions."
However, she added that unless the app had enough users, it may not be efficient as answers would not be immediate.
While Mr Chia has not started marketing AsknTeach, it is now available for free download on app stores and has garnered about 100 users through word of mouth.
He has invested an undisclosed sum into the new venture, saying only that it was more than the $100,000 to $200,000 he had put into EduSnap.
Said Mr Chia: "Honestly, I do not even know if it's going to be successful. I'm just doing it because I truly believe that, in a certain way, education has to be disrupted... I just feel that people are paying too much for tuition and that shouldn't be the case."
Read the original here:
Tutoring app for students to AsknTeach - The Straits Times
- Mind uploading - 01 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Mind uploading - 02 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- A new way to battle Mexican drug cartels - KLTV - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Mobile Health Screening Units Visit Lowe's Workers - International Supermarket News - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- The quintessential sewing machine - Business Mirror - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- The Future of Windows - Technologizer (blog) - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- SEO Press Release Distribution Site Online PR News Celebrates 10000 Active Users - Online PR News (press release) - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Utilizing Online Mailing Services – Make the Most of Direct Marketing - RisMedia.com (press release) - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Carr's first look at 'Extreme' home - KLTV - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Should you advertise on iPhones? - Smart Company (blog) - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Review: Mega Man 10 - Destructoid - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Had I World Enough, and Time - Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Unicast Continues Innovative Technology Enhancements With Latest Release of ... - CNNMoney.com (press release) - March 16th, 2010 [March 16th, 2010]
- Facebook scouts for 'passionate' India head - Economic Times - March 16th, 2010 [March 16th, 2010]
- SXSW: YouTube Launches Partner Program for Indie Bands - Wired News - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Wider Still and Wider! - Bangkok Post - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- P2P Versus The World - Rampage - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Yakuza 3 - The MMOMFG Review - MMOMFG (blog) - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Behind the musings: The annotated high schools column - Chicago Tribune (blog) - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Jihad Jane, YouTube, and Me - David Horowitz's NewsReal Blog (blog) - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Justin Bieber Releases 'U Smile,' Announces Summer Tour Dates - MTV.com - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- FCC announces National Broadband Plan - VentureBeat - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Image hosting on the cheap: a look at three free services - Ars Technica - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Content Management: Secrets of the Trade - Formtek Blog (blog) - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- FCC's National Broadband Plan: There is a dark side - ZDNet - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- 5 Reasons Old Media Should Buy Facebook - AllFacebook (blog) - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- "Steal It" and Other Internal YouTube Emails from Viacom's Copyright Suit - Fast Company - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- Now cafes in monument premises for tourists during CWG - Sify - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- Google-Viacom court papers leave a lot to the imagination - FierceOnlineVideo - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- FCC's broadband plan: A possible dream - Washington Post (blog) - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- The Importance of Using Social Networking for Business; Part I – Facebook - IPWatchdog.com - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- Recording YouTube Videos - Acoustic Guitar - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- Who's using location-based social networking? - KC Free Press - March 20th, 2010 [March 20th, 2010]
- iPhone will continue to beckon BlackBerry owners - CNET - March 20th, 2010 [March 20th, 2010]
- Rain leaves its mark on Azalea Trail events - KLTV - March 21st, 2010 [March 21st, 2010]
- Viacom v. YouTube/Google: A Piracy Case in Their Own Words - DailyFinance - March 21st, 2010 [March 21st, 2010]
- Getting a look at next high-tech | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/22/2010 - Philadelphia Inquirer - March 22nd, 2010 [March 22nd, 2010]
- Sprint chews on Apple while lauding 4G Overdrive hotspot - The Tech Herald - March 22nd, 2010 [March 22nd, 2010]
- 'Repo Men' contest -- the nationwide chase is almost over - Los Angeles Times (blog) - March 22nd, 2010 [March 22nd, 2010]
- Viacom vs. YouTube/Google: A Piracy Case in Their Own Words - DailyFinance - March 22nd, 2010 [March 22nd, 2010]
- These iPhone apps will help make March Madness a little more sane - Appolicious - March 22nd, 2010 [March 22nd, 2010]
- Eye-Fi Pro X2 cards have arrived, and you probably want one - tuaw.com (blog) - March 23rd, 2010 [March 23rd, 2010]
- Pharmacist shows who wins, loses with health care bill - KLTV - March 23rd, 2010 [March 23rd, 2010]
- High-Tech Texts! - The Campus Slate - March 24th, 2010 [March 24th, 2010]
- CTIA WIRELESS 2010: Samsung's New Galaxy Brings 4" AMOLED Screen, Social Hub ... - Marketnews.ca - March 24th, 2010 [March 24th, 2010]
- Google must follow Chinese rules or leave - China Daily - March 24th, 2010 [March 24th, 2010]
- Jay-Z Short Documentary 'NY-Z' Premieres Online - MTV.com - March 24th, 2010 [March 24th, 2010]
- DAs clash over Mineola sex ring appeal - KLTV - March 25th, 2010 [March 25th, 2010]
- iSilo for iPhone - BusinessWeek - March 26th, 2010 [March 26th, 2010]
- Questions Abound as "New START" Agreement is Completed - Global Security Newswire - March 26th, 2010 [March 26th, 2010]
- What will Apple do next in mobile services? - Mobile Entertainment - March 26th, 2010 [March 26th, 2010]
- How much is too much to pay for health care? - Anchorage Daily News - March 27th, 2010 [March 27th, 2010]
- The Future of Smartphones: 4G and Beyond - Entrepreneur - March 27th, 2010 [March 27th, 2010]
- Uploading and uplifting: sharing big data files - Earthtimes (press release) - March 28th, 2010 [March 28th, 2010]
- Verizon Blasts 'Outdated' FCC Broadband Plan - NewsFactor Network - March 28th, 2010 [March 28th, 2010]
- Web Host Layered Tech Offers Mezeo-Powered Cloud Storage - Web Host Industry Review - March 29th, 2010 [March 29th, 2010]
- Dropbox: Now one more reason to want a Nexus One - ZDNet (blog) - March 30th, 2010 [March 30th, 2010]
- Exaflood: Politicians Prop Up Dinosaurs, Ignore Cutting Edge Technology - NewsBlaze (press release) - March 30th, 2010 [March 30th, 2010]
- Instructions - Washington Post - March 30th, 2010 [March 30th, 2010]
- Uploading for Life Extension Will Be Valid - Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies - March 31st, 2010 [March 31st, 2010]
- 'Glee's' MySpace Auditions: What Not To Sing - Wall Street Journal (blog) - March 31st, 2010 [March 31st, 2010]
- Memeo iPad Reader: Like the GDrive on your iPad (only different) - ZDNet (blog) - April 1st, 2010 [April 1st, 2010]
- Why are pipe bomb 'how to' videos legal? Answer is alarming - KLTV - April 1st, 2010 [April 1st, 2010]
- Trip to Haiti inspiration for East Texas teen - KLTV - April 1st, 2010 [April 1st, 2010]
- Jason Kilar Leads Hulu To Profitability, But Will He Stay On At Hulu? - TVbytheNumbers - April 2nd, 2010 [April 2nd, 2010]
- Layers for IPad Adds Online Gallery, Pro Options - PC World - April 2nd, 2010 [April 2nd, 2010]
- Shane Dawson, YouTube's Comic for the Under-30 Set - New York Times - April 2nd, 2010 [April 2nd, 2010]
- Hands-On With the Apple iPad — and Your Questions - Wired News - April 4th, 2010 [April 4th, 2010]
- FedEx Simplifies International Shipping with FedEx Electronic Trade Documents - MarketWatch (press release) - April 6th, 2010 [April 6th, 2010]
- Cacoo Lets Multiple Users Create Designs Collaboratively And In Real-time - TechCrunch (blog) - April 7th, 2010 [April 7th, 2010]
- Comcast: Your New Overlord - ITworld.com - April 7th, 2010 [April 7th, 2010]
- Bloggers Photograph Food, We Get Hungry - Switched (blog) - April 7th, 2010 [April 7th, 2010]
- Apple suggests only the iPhone can fingerprint songs - Geek.com - April 7th, 2010 [April 7th, 2010]
- Senior with mental challenges killed along highway - KLTV - April 7th, 2010 [April 7th, 2010]
- Book a Cruise and "Flip" Over a Free Camcorder - CruiseCritic.co.uk - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]
- Creation Myths: what the argument that the iPad's not for creating content ... - Huffington Post (blog) - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]
- Want market share? Make a brain claim - Marketing Web - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]
- 10 Ways World of Warcraft - OUPblog (blog) - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]
- Check-in to Foursquare: Latest social media service lands in SW Florida - Naples Daily News - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]
- Apple iPhone OS 4 Announcement Makes Users Feel "Finally!" - HULIQ - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]