Online tutoring is a modality where the writer and tutor meet via the Internet for a remote tutoring session. These sessions can be text-only (live chat), video-only, or a combination of text and video interaction. Occasionally, the tutor and writer may agree to speak via phone call and work on a shared document online, typically through Google Docs – the easiest way to work simultaneously on a single document.

For online sessions, writers are encouraged to have a full or partially-written document or idea of what they want to work on during a session so that the session is beneficial to writer and tutor. Examples include:

• A partially written work that is academic, professional, or creative in nature
• A completed work that needs editing and real-time feedback
• A paper prompt or brainstorming ideas to guide the writing process

Online tutoring can also function as a conversation between writer and tutor where the writer asks the tutor general questions about writing, a specific assignment, or their writing process in general (particularly if the writing is professional or creative).

All online sessions must be scheduled for a minimum of 1 hour in order to have time to discuss what needs to be worked on before diving into work. The maximum time for a session is three consecutive hours.