Bài đăng về ES as a social entrepreneurship

Students to Benefit from Free Tutoring App

19 Jun 2014

From left: EduSnap founders and developers Chia Luck Yong, Anders Tan Wei Siong, Shaun Tan Jun Hua

Got a maths or science problem you need help with? Are you too shy to ask your teacher for answers? Well, we have got an app which is just for you.  Anders Tan Wei Siong, a NYP alumnus who graduated with a Diploma in Business Informatics in 2007, has developed a mobile app called EduSnap that helps primary, secondary and tertiary school students find solutions to difficult homework questions.

The free app is available on Android and iPhone interfaces.
 
Anders came up with this idea of the social enterprise due to his personal difficulties with homework in his early childhood. He ended up in the EM3 stream because he did not feel comfortable asking his teachers for help with school work. A cousin eventually helped him by tutoring him.

He took the long route to university and went through ITE and polytechnic before eventually attaining his IT degree from SMU. Now, Anders wants to help students who are facing similar difficulties with their studies.

Anders developed the application together with his SMU course mates Chia Luck Yong and Shaun Tan Jun Hua. The group is registered with the Social Enterprise Association and plans to make EduSnap a sustainable social enterprise.

“On this platform, we do not advocate the provision of answers,” said Anders. “Instead, we want users to complete the questions after receiving help in the form of advice and suggestions.”

EduSnap allows students to post homework questions anonymously, and volunteer educators will be able to provide advice and suggestions.  Moderators from 12 tuition centres will also vet through the solutions, provide advice, and take down inappropriate content.

 

“We have a lot more exciting features coming up that will help make learning through the platform more personal and efficient,” said Anders.

Edusnap also works with Volunteer Welfare Organisations (VWO) to help beneficiaries receive free tuition classes from their tuition centre partners, and seek help on Edusnap through devices that are available at the VWO centres.

Interested tutors can sign up to be Bishops on the EduSnap website.

“Bishops are our volunteer educators. We have modelled our roles to pieces in a chess game. And believe that our bishops, just like the chess piece, guard the flanks, and make sure no threats (questions and doubts) seep through the system unresolved,” said Anders.

Anders believes he has come a long way since his childhood days. He also gives credit to NYP to helping him cultivate his spirit of social entrepreneurialism.

“I took part in many co-curricular activities offered by NYP in order to have a more fulfilling life. One significant appointment was being the President of School of Information Technology Club,” he said. “Another significant experience was representing NYP in an overseas expedition to Korea and a youth exchange programme in Vietnam. These experiences have certainly widened my perspective of the world as well as ignited my interest to contribute to the society.”

Source: http://www.nyp.edu.sg/media/campus-news/news-archives/2014/apr-jun/students-to-benefit-from-free-tutoring-app