CoffeeLearning

CoffeeLearning is a web site which links members (who pay $10/year and must be over 18) with volunteer tutors. All tutoring sessions are one-on-one and many take place in coffee shops (it is suggested that participants alternate who buys the coffee), libraries, and high schools. Tutoring subjects include math, computers, and literacy. All members must fill out a web-based questionnaire periodically, to evaluate their tutor(s), rating the tutor from one to five on various attributes. The average score for each attribute is posted for each tutor, in the previous year and for all time. Prospective tutors are screened using timed, multiple choice tests in math, computers, and/or literacy. Tutors who perform well are free to make their attribute scores publicly accessible to non-members (such as potential employers).

Role of Fred Victor

This venture is something I would do in partnership with Fred Victor. I would have access to photocopies of all Back to Basics math/literacy curricula, and I would post my own version of that curricula online. I would modify all curricula, by making up my own math problems and English stories/grammar lessons, using Back to Basics curricula as a guide. Fred Victor would receive a donation of 10 percent of gross revenue. I would be responsible for developing the web site and paying web hosting fees, as well as fees paid to Google for AdWords advertising. At most once a month after going live (less often before going live) I would meet with William and/or Robin for up to one hour.

Web Site

No membership fees are charged to members who register during the first year of operation. Afterwards new members can pay online, by cheque or by Canadian money order. Members select their city and search for tutors, filtering by math, computers, and/or literacy, and the tutors are listed in descending order of overall score, performance-wise. Each tutor has an info page, including math, computers, and literacy checkboxes, major intersection (closest to where they live), attribute scores, and availability times (days of week, mornings, afternoons, and/or evenings). When contacting a prospective tutor, the member selects math, computers, and/or literacy, enters an optional message, and clicks on Contact. The tutor then receives an automatic email, and logs on to the web site and responds, if desired. If the member lacks an email address, he can log on to the web site to retrieve messages from tutors. When registering, the member must supply either an email address or phone number. Password resets can be sent to that phone no. if necessary. Tutors can access curricula from the web site, in the form of Wiki-style documents. Members can write tutor reviews if desired, which can be viewed by other members.

Revenue and Expenses

All revenue comes from membership fees. Expenses include employee salaries (the volunteer coordinator and myself), a cut of 10 percent payable to Fred Victor, web hosting fees, Google AdWords advertising, and anything left over pays for gift cards mailed to the tutors. An expenses pie chart is displayed on the web site.

CTML Curriculum

All curricula exists in the form of Wiki-style documents, similar to Wikipedia articles. All volunteers are tutors and/or curriculum-writers. Any volunteer can update existing curricula, or create new curricula. My own Wiki-style markup language (called CTML: CoffeeText Markup Language) adds support for tables, grids, and multiple columns. Grids are used for entering mathematical expressions, and adjacent grid cells may be merged to accommodate oversized characters. After implementing the markup language, I intend to contact my cousins, Eric and Ellen Davis, and/or my ex-girlfriend, Carla Silver, who are all educators. They will help me recruit volunteers, who will write curricula.

Beyond the Basics

Eventually CoffeeLearning will enable tutors to teach all kinds of topics, everything from advanced calculus to basket weaving. However, the core mandate of CoffeeLearning will remain as follows: teaching math, computers, and literacy to adult learners. This mandate is meant to harmonize with the Back to Basics program of Fred Victor. I need to partner with that organization in order to increase my credibility.

Implementation Steps

1. User Database
2. Member, Tutor, Content-Creator databases
3. Design CTML
4. Converter: CTML-HTML
5. Subject Database
6. Recruit content-creators
7. Scheduling databases, etc.
8. Improve website aesthetics
9. Go live
10. AdWords advertising
11. Payment system after one year
12. Hire volunteer coordinator

Contact Info

Mike Hahn
Founder
CoffeeLearning
2495 Dundas St. West
Ste. 515
Toronto, ON  M6P 1X4
Canada

Phone: 416-533-4417
Email: hahnbytes (AT) gmail (DOT) com