Iowa students of any age can access free, live tutors online through a program called Brainfuse HelpNow, which is marking its first full year in the state.
Any day of the week, between the hours of 2 and 11 PM, the program’s Jack Rothstein says tutors are available to help answer practically any question ranging from basic reading skills all the way to university physics courses.
“HelpNow provides access to live tutors for kindergarten up through adult learners,” Rothstein says. “If I live in the state of Iowa, I have access to Brainfuse HelpNow. That means if I’m working on my math homework and I’m stuck, I can log on and connect with a live tutor for free.”
The program employs more than 3,000 tutors nationwide who are available through the Online Classroom where there’s a Whiteboard and a chat window.
“So many kids today, they don’t even like to talk on the phone and many prefer to text and chat and that’s the preferred method of communication,” Rothstein says. “With the Whiteboard, students can copy and paste or upload assignments or papers that they’re working on.”
There’s also a Writing Lab where students can upload virtually any sort of writing assignment and get a critique within 12 to 24 hours.
“The Writing Lab is very popular,” Rothstein says. “It can be used for the proverbial ‘What I Did Over Summer Break’ paragraph when I start a new school year, up to maybe I’m applying for college and as part of my application I need to do an essay.”
There are also practice tests, electronic flashcards and other study tools available for free. Through funding provided by the Iowa State Public Library, there are several other online programs designed to help Iowans.
“JobNow provides access to live job coaches, interview coaches, resume coaches and unemployment benefit navigators,” Rothstein says. “VetNow provides access to VA benefit navigators, college-level tutoring and career transition support for veterans.”
All you need to take part is an Iowa library card and the ability to log on to: https://home.brainfuse.com/iowa/