To begin, a quick word on who makes up Boffins Academy. We are a large academic community of trained teachers, standing beside you throughout your studies. Our aim is to keep evolving alongside modern teaching and technological trends, and to innovate in the production of interactive educational material. We promise a true learning journey and a valuable technological experience that carries the standing of Boffins Academy. Our team of experienced, highly skilled teachers has built learning programs for children, teenagers and adults alike.

Boffins Academy offers complete online programs for primary and secondary school subjects, foreign language learning, and lessons for every level and learning need, with a single purpose: success in a demanding school curriculum and in the examinations of the educational system. But we do not stop there. Our teaching team is staffed to support university courses, assignments and projects as well.

All of our programs are flexible and shaped to meet different learning needs and age groups, making live attendance and in-class participation a genuine experience. Our smart classrooms are equipped with the latest educational tools. The flexible way of attending our courses prepares younger and older students alike for the job market and for their university studies, as they train and take part dynamically in an online digital environment. Online education also includes the asynchronous learning environment, which provides:

Additional supporting educational material
Discussion groups modeled on Internet newsgroups
Communication by email
Applications for assessment and self-assessment of learners

The Advantages of the Online Lesson

The use of modern teaching methods, compatible with the preferences and habits of today’s teenagers (e-learning): interactive videos, screen sharing, PowerPoint, educational quizzes, and at the same time greater capacity in terms of teaching pace and the tools available to the educator. Lessons are recorded, and the notes from the teacher’s electronic board are saved in parallel. This multiplies the value of the lesson, since the student can rewatch it as many times as needed, taking personal responsibility for filling in any gaps.
Greater scope for parental oversight, and therefore the assurance that a parent can offer constructive feedback on the work being done with their child. A communication network between teacher and students is possible through the platform, which has its own messaging application for each class.
On these networks, the teacher and the teaching assistants can answer any student question 24/7, at any moment of the day.
Online material and notes are provided at no extra cost or burden to the student (or the tutoring center). Lessons are dynamically designed, with an organizational plan before each session and the active inclusion of students in the learning process.
Time saved, no pointless commuting, and the possibility of a private-style lesson delivered online, with many of the qualities of one-to-one tutoring.

The Concerns Parents and Students Raise

Parents and students often have reservations about online lessons and their effectiveness, especially given the recent experience of school online lessons that unfortunately proved inadequate. Some typical questions from parents, the first and most important among them:

Will my child actually follow the lesson?
When the child is in their own space, can they copy, and are they being supervised?
What happens if there are technical problems with the connection?
Is remote communication just as effective? A tutoring center is also a place of socialization. Doesn’t online tutoring isolate the student?

Our Answers

First of all, whether a student follows a lesson adequately rests on the ability, technical training and experience of the teacher. Our teachers are chosen primarily for their educational and professional grounding in online teaching, as well as their ability to inspire their students.
As for the possibility of copying or a lack of diligence, this is not tied to the nature of the teaching but to the responsibility of teachers and parents, who must show students that copying harms far more than it helps.
Monthly parent-teacher meetings, where the student’s progress is discussed and recorded fully and thoroughly, naturally at times and on days that suit each parent.
Regular tests (every two weeks) that faithfully simulate the school examination environment and its difficulty. These are held online with supervision by a proctor and an open camera. For the senior grades in particular, parental oversight is welcome, a measure even better than supervision at an in-person center.
Monitoring of homework and missing assignments, which must be delivered within the given time frames; if this is not respected, the parent is informed.
An interactive lesson in which the teacher keeps students continually engaged and can judge whether a student is making progress or has resorted to copying in exercises and tests.
In case of technical problems, we stress the essential prerequisite of access to high-speed internet. At the same time, lessons are recorded, and the teacher’s in-lesson notes are available afterward as a PDF, so that even in an extreme weather situation with a technical fault, the student can watch the whole lesson again. In addition, we maintain a server for resolving questions, and online lessons prevent missed classes due to inability to attend or illness, except in exceptional cases.
Moreover, being at an in-person tutoring center is not a cure-all: a student there may well not be paying attention, may copy, and may be distracted, while large classes and far more noise are also possible. The online lesson can offer an alternative and equally clear, interactive way of teaching that sparks interest and helps the student use modern technology to their advantage rather than their detriment. In most cases, when we are talking about small classes, it can practically be considered private tutoring. And let us not forget that the ability to record the lesson lets the student watch it again and again. By hearing the teacher’s explanations once more, assimilation and understanding become far easier, a weapon the in-person lesson cannot offer.
At this point we must admit that remote contact and communication are certainly not as interactive as being there in person. For this reason, our online tutoring center, fully aware of how important student socialization is, not only prevents any form of bullying often seen in the in-person coexistence of students, but actively seeks to promote student communication in shared discussion groups, through documentary and film presentations, seminars on the psychological support of teenagers, topics related to education, counseling, career guidance and more.

Extra Innovations

Boffins Academy cares about building a deep relationship with each student. Beyond the educational side, then, it is our duty to stand beside students and parents in their worries and anxieties around education. Some of our initiatives include:

Project assignments.
Participation in competitions.
Scholarships for top performers or for children meeting low-income criteria.
Educational seminars led by teachers who are also authors.
A one-to-one introduction of each family to the owner.
Equal treatment of students, and classes tailored to their needs.
Professional psychological support and counseling.
Help completing the university application form.
Each student has their own educational advisor (shadow teacher) with whom, always in cooperation with the parent, they set quarterly, semester and yearly goals.