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About Sylvan Online

Sylvan Online [formerly known as eSylvan] is the leading provider of live, online academic tutoring for students at grade levels 3-9. We offer personalized reading and math programs for each child, taught by certified teachers, which provides busy families with a convenient, at-home learning solution. Best of all, our programs are guaranteed to offer measurable academic results.

In this section, you'll find everything you need to know about eSylvan, from a detailed product and features overview, to a corporate Q+A overview, to a look at the technology behind our award-winning tutoring programs.

Go to our Product Overview.

eSylvan Q+A
What is eSylvan?
eSylvan is the premier provider of live, online academic tutoring and standardized assessment for students in grades 3-9. eSylvan uses proprietary technology that enables students and certified teachers to have a two- way audio dialogue using hands-free headsets, while simultaneously corresponding in writing using digital pencils and digital writing pads. eSylvan delivers personalized instruction directly to home PCs of busy families who want to improve their children's academic performance in reading and mathematics. A Product overview is included below.

Where is eSylvan?
eSylvan is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.

When was eSylvan founded?
eSylvan began pilot testing of its program in 2000. Following thorough testing that ensured academic results comparable to programs offered by Sylvan Learning Center, eSylvan was launched nationwide, and is now widely available to provide busy families with a convenient, at-home tutoring solution.

How many employees work for eSylvan?
There are more than 45 supporting staff members at the eSylvan headquarters in Baltimore and over 150 trained, certified teachers working throughout the United States.

How many sessions have been taught online at eSylvan?
Since inception, eSylvan has taught more than 100,000 hours of instruction to its students - and is adding thousands more each month. To date, eSylvan has helped more than 5,000 students master fundamental reading and math skills - and perform better in school.

Who are eSylvan's customers?
eSylvan's customers are parents who recognize that their children could be performing better in school, and want to identify and address their child's areas of academic weakness their Skills Gaps.

What courses does eSylvan offer?
eSylvan offers Academic Reading and Math Essentials courses for grade levels 3-9.

Product Overview
Each eSylvan program begins with a comprehensive Online Skills Assessment, which tests dozens of math skills and more than 50 reading skills, to pinpoint a child's skill gaps. Using these results, eSylvan creates a program that targets each child's individual needs, prescribing a variety of lessons to help the child meet his/her learning objectives. No two eSylvan programs are exactly the same.

eSylvan's online tutoring sessions offer personalized attention, and are unique in that the student and teacher speak to each other continuously using a hands-free headset, which is much like talking on the telephone. The student and teacher also write questions and answers on the same workspace displayed on both the student's and teacher's computer screens using a digital pencil and digital writing pad (similar to a mousepad). This combination of powerful technology and caring teachers allows each child to receive the individual attention needed to create confidence and success.

Teachers reward effort with verbal praise, to continuously encourage students and instill self-confidence in their ability to succeed both inside and outside the classroom. Teachers also give out electronic tokens to recognize effort and achievement. Students can collect tokens and redeem them for prizes from our online store.

In eSylvan, parents find an education partner they can trust, and students recognize the joy - and rewards - of learning. Parents place a high value on eSylvan's features:

Diagnostic/prescriptive approach: After a child completes a standardized, nationally normed test covering essential reading and math skills, an eSylvan academic director identifies the child's skill gaps and discusses his/her learning objectives with parents. Based on this information, eSylvan creates a personalized online program that includes the appropriate materials, lesson plans, and exercises.

"Mastery Learning" method: eSylvan uses a proven teaching method that has been delivered to more than 1.5 million students in over 900 Sylvan Learning Center locations throughout North America. With this method, students must prove that they have mastered a concept or skill with 80-100 percent accuracy before they can proceed to a more advanced skill. Students are then periodically re-tested on skills to ensure retention.

Guaranteed Results: eSylvan guarantees that a child will improve at least one full grade-level equivalent in its academic reading or essential math program after 36 hours of instruction, or it will provide 12 additional hours of instruction free.

Progress updates: eSylvan keeps parents informed with regular updates on the academic progress their child makes in the program. Using both private telephone conferences, as well as e-mail updates, eSylvan provides an ongoing dialogue so parents are always informed. Parents also can access their child's progress report 24 hours a day on a personalized parent Web page.

Live certified teachers: All eSylvan sessions are delivered by dedicated eSylvan teachers. Unlike many tutoring companies, eSylvan uses only teachers that are certified and trained in eSylvan programs and methods. Since all eSylvan teachers have classroom teaching experience, they are familiar with the differing requirements and curricula of a variety of school systems.

Ease of use: eSylvan is simple to install and easy to operate. It works on a home PC using a Windows operating system, with a dial-up, cable, or broadband Internet service provider. Families follow easy step-by-step instructions to install the eSylvan system on their home computer. Free, live tech support is available to answer any questions.

Motivational incentives: Students are rewarded for their efforts and achievements with electronic tokens. Tokens are given out by teachers throughout each session and can be redeemed at eSylvan's online store.

For more answers, please contact us at CustomerCare@eSylvan.com.