A lot has changed since TutoringZone started helping UF students get through their classes in 1999.
Faced with competition and a market dominated by online learning, the veteran study service is moving closer to campus and will be streaming lessons live.
TutoringZone is moving from North Main Street to about five new locations, said general manager Alek Hartzog.
More students came to tutoring sessions after the company put its material online about a year ago, he said. The current building is not big enough to accommodate all of the students.
TutoringZone serves 5,000 to 7,000 UF students each semester, owner Matt Hintze said.
It’s in competition with Study Edge, another tutoring company in Gainesville.
In June 2011, nine TutoringZone tutors left to start Study Edge, according to Alligator archives.
Hintze said he feels he offers competitive tutoring services.
He said competition benefits students by forcing both companies to provide better services.
Hintze tutors students in business classes about topics like competitive markets, financial planning and supply and demand.
“I think it’s critical that the students are always the winners in this,” he said.
TutoringZone will stream its lessons live online, he said.
The study service is opening recording studios in the New Horizons Computer Learning Centers.
“We are definitely going to continue to innovate with what we do online,” he said.
The company’s goal is to give students more learning tools online than they can get in a classroom setting, he said. However, students can still attend lessons in person.
TutoringZone serves UF, Florida State University and Indiana University. Hintze mentioned plans to expand to another school in the fall but would not say which one.
The company’s expansion doesn’t include hiring more tutors, he said. It currently employs nine full-time tutors.
Hintze said students should try different services and then decide which service is best for them.
“Competition’s good — everyone runs faster when they’re being chased,” he said.
