Outschool launches AI-powered tool to help teachers write progress reports

Outschool, the online learning platform that offers kid-friendly academic and interest-based courses, today announced the launch of its AI Teaching Assistant, a tool for tutors to generate progress reports for their students . The platform – primarily popular for its small-group course offerings – also revealed that it is branching into one-on-one tutoring, putting it in direct competition with companies like Varsity Tutors, Tutor.com and Preply.

Outschool partnered with OpenAI to power the AI ​​teaching assistant, Outschool co-founder and CEO Amir Nathoo told TechCrunch. OpenAI has been at the center of intense debate among educators since ChatGPT launched in 2022, with many fearing that the technology could enable new cheating and plagiarism techniques. However, others see its potential to help teachers complete administrative tasks more effectively.

Outschool’s new AI tool is designed to help teachers save time on progress reporting and encourage better communication with the learner’s parent or guardian. After each learning session, tutors enter bullet points into the AI ​​teaching assistant detailing the learner’s performance in class. The AI ​​then generates a few paragraphs that give parents an overview of what the student did that day and how they performed. Tutors can choose between a descriptive message or a concise version.

We spoke with Melanie Pauli, a piano teacher with over 25 years of experience who joined Outschool in 2020. Pauli was among the select educators who tried the AI ​​tool when it was in beta. She found that creating a few paragraphs took her less than five minutes, saving her time between classes.

“[Before] I communicated these things directly with the students,” Pauli told us. “Sending messages directly to parents can, in turn, keep them as customers longer. They feel like they are part of the learning process.

One caveat is that this feature is only available to tutors who offer private lessons. However, the company told us that Outschool could adapt the tool to its group course format if there was enough engagement.

Image credits: Out of school

The platform also launched one-on-one tutoring, which is a smart move as online tutoring continues to grow in popularity post-COVID. The market size is expected to reach $23.73 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research.

“It has been a challenge for parents and teachers to help students bridge learning gaps after the Covid-19 pandemic,” Nathoo said. “One-on-one tutoring is a powerful tool allowing parents to provide their children with the academic support they may need. »

Since Outschool launched in 2015, the platform has enabled over a million learners to take over 100,000 live online courses. Its learners range in age from three to 18 years old.

The new offering will allow Outschool tutors to earn more income since they can charge a higher price for individual sessions. Outschool has more than 4,000 educators teaching a variety of subjects, from English to reading and writing to math, art, music and singing.