What Is The Best Way For Students To Find Statistics Help?
I'm naturally inclined toward sciences like Math or Stats, but I recognize and understand that not everyone feels the same. Everyone has different inclinations are ideas. But Math and Stats are required everywhere and it is arguably difficult for many students to go by their mandatory classes when they have a dreadful feeling about them.
Students will be challenged by the assignments and they will see themselves in dire need of help.
I have argued frequently that successful learning in math needs to be paired with interest, but that is not always the case. Students do have some interest, I would say.
They are at least interested in passing their classes, and to me, that should a fertile enough ground to settle proper learning foundations, in spite of the fact that such interest is rather fragile and it can be lost at any point, if too many adverse events happen.
Will Students who Are Struggling Improve their Performance with a tutor?
Experience shows that yes, they will. But it is not granted. In the first place, why is a specific student needing stats help in the first place? Is it because they are not understanding the contents of the class? Because if that is the class, maybe they are better off going to the instructor's office hours.
The instructor is your best source of information for the content of the class. Now, some students tell me that they don't understand what the instructor tells them. That is a possibility, certainly.
Stats instructors do a good job, for the most part, at teaching statistical concepts. But they come from a very academic approach. They statistics as a type probability theory, in which unknown population parameters need to be estimated based on sample sizes.
And, under that premise, they do a superb job at explaining why we do what we do. But students don't see it that why. Students see weird formulas, the see irregularities (why is "N" sometimes and other times "N-1", etc).
Then, the academic approach flops for them. Really, some students need a more "street-smart" approach to stats, and that does not happen.
A tutor can help, because a tutor normally has a way less academic background than a stats instructor. And as such, they will give a more getting-your-hand-dirty approach to why we use this formula instead of this other formula.
Whereas the instructor will give a strong theoretical background so that student will be able to deduce the origin of the formulas used. A totally different approach.
Online or Offline Tutors
Both have advantages and disadvantages, and there is not one alternative that is always better than the other. On the one hand, an online stats tutor may be available 24x7, maybe not the same tutor, but a portfolio of tutors, which makes the online option really convenient.
One option for good online tutors is MGT, among several other alternatives. Also, there is no need to move out of your room to get in touch with them. Online tutors will help you with your homework assignments even by e-mail.
Offline tutors, or face-to-face tutors on the other hand will develop, likely, a better rapport with you and they may identify with your cause in a stronger way, but they are not available 24x7, and since there are other costs (commuting, materials, etc), they tend to be more expensive.
Which one is better for you? It depends on your specific situation. Just give both types of stats tutoring a try and decide for yourself.
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