Insights from the Biannual SimplyTutors Survey
WHAT OUR TUTEES ARE TELLING US
Biannually, Excel@Uni surveys bursary students using our SimplyTutors platform to assess how well our academic tutoring service is meeting their needs and where we can improve. Our goal is to understand who is using the service, how they experience it, and, most importantly, whether tutoring is helping them achieve stronger academic outcomes. Between March and June 2025, we gathered feedback from more than 100 tutees. This blog post summarises the key insights from that survey and how we plan to act on them.
WHO OUR STUDENTS ARE AND HOW THEY USE SUPPORT
The demographic profile of SimplyTutors users remains consistent with previous years. Most respondents were female African students in their second or third year of study, with the University of Pretoria and the University of Cape Town representing the largest share.
Beyond demographics, it was important to understand how students make use of academic support more broadly. Many reported drawing on lecturer consultations, tutorial classes, and online forums in addition to SimplyTutors. This suggests that the platform is used as a supplementary resource rather than a replacement for institutional support, helping to reinforce understanding and build confidence alongside other learning channels.
Given that SimplyTutors operates primarily as an online service, we also explored whether digital barriers were limiting access. Encouragingly, most students indicated that data access was not a major obstacle, meaning they had sufficient connectivity to participate effectively. This shifts the focus away from basic access challenges and toward enhancing the quality, relevance, and overall impact of the tutoring experience.
PLATFORM USER EXPERIENCE
Onboarding and navigation: The vast majority of tutees found the platform guides clear and the website easy to navigate, which affirms that the onboarding experience is working well for most users. Only one respondent reported challenges with ease of use and convenience. A mobile display bug from the first semester was also flagged, where some functions did not render correctly. Resolving this issue will likely further boost satisfaction and inclusivity, especially for those who access the platform primarily on mobile.
Tooling feedback: Feedback on the digital whiteboard was more mixed. While it is a central tool for interactive sessions, a handful of users highlighted opportunities for improvement, citing issues with speed, audio, and video quality. Given that the whiteboard is central to interactive sessions, improving its usability will be considered a priority for the next SimplyTutors roadmap.
TUTOR PERFORMANCE AND STUDENT LEARNING BEHAVIOURS
Students rated their tutors on key service elements such as preparedness, communication, clarity, and ability to contextualise concepts. Encouragingly, all tutors met the 80% benchmark, and even the lowest-scoring element, providing practice activities, still averaged close to 80%. This reflects a consistently high standard of tutoring across the platform.
Another interesting finding is that many tutees engaged with multiple tutors: around two-thirds worked with at least two tutors, and a third with three or more. This suggests that students value flexibility and choice, often seeking out different tutors to suit specific modules or learning needs.
When reflecting on their own learning behaviours, many tutees noted areas for growth, particularly in help-seeking, independent study skills, and initiating bookings. Roughly a third to two-fifths of respondents indicated they would like to improve in these areas.
These findings highlight a dual opportunity: while tutor performance is strong, students could benefit from structured support in developing effective study habits. Interventions such as reminders to book sessions early, targeted study-skills workshops, or short guides on asking effective questions could empower students to get even more value out of SimplyTutors.
ARE TUTEES SEEING ACADEMIC GAINS?
The headline finding is that 65% of tutees reported an improvement in their subject results after using SimplyTutors. A further 21% had not yet received their results at the time of the survey, suggesting that the overall impact may be higher once all grades are in. Only a small minority (14%) reported no improvement.
When asked about their marks prior to tutoring, about half of the students reported being in the 40%–50% range, with roughly two-thirds scoring 50% or lower. Fewer respondents reported marks in the higher bands (70% or higher). This highlights that this year’s cohort largely began from a lower academic base, precisely the group that can benefit most from additional support.
However, after using SimplyTutors, results showed a clear upward shift. Many students moved out of the failing region, and overall performance trended higher. While around 10% of tutees still reported failing grades, this reflects a much smaller share than before and points to an opportunity to provide even more focused, high-touch support to ensure that every student has the chance to succeed.
The data also shows that high-performing students, with marks above 70%, are engaging with tutoring. This suggests that SimplyTutors is not only a remedial tool but also a resource for strong students who want to consolidate their understanding and push toward excellence.
In summary, SimplyTutors is helping students build momentum, moving large numbers out of failure zones and into higher performance bands. The next opportunity lies in extending this progress further by tailoring additional interventions for the small group of learners who continue to face the steepest challenges.
LOOKING AHEAD
The tutee survey confirms that SimplyTutors remains a valued student support mechanism. Most students are satisfied with their tutors and report improved marks. At the same time, there are still opportunities for improvement, which we are excited to address. Excel@Uni, as a leader in holistic bursary management and bursary administration, is committed to translating this feedback into action. By combining user-driven improvements with evidence-based tutoring strategies, we aim to ensure that even more students thrive academically.
If you are a bursary or scholarship programme manager, and want to get more detail about our bi-annual survey, feel free to
