Homework Hotline Expands Hours

Harvey Mudd College’s Homework Hotline, a free, over-the-phone math and science tutoring service for students in grades 4 through 12, has extended its hours to help more elementary and high school students as they manage their classwork from home.

Homework Hotline (1.877.827.5462) is now open for calls from 3 p.m. – 9 p.m. PST, Monday through Thursday, until May 1, 2020.

The Hotline is staffed by high-achieving students from Harvey Mudd, one of the nation’s top undergraduate colleges specializing in math, science and engineering. Hotline tutors receive training to effectively communicate with callers, are equipped with books and materials from local school districts and have a Dropbox link so callers can upload materials if necessary.

Hotline tutors are working remotely from their homes, since Harvey Mudd has moved to online instruction in response to the pandemic. Tutors are working from 12 states, including California, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington state as well as Washington, DC, and remain committed to keeping the Hotline functioning for students in school.

“Homework Hotline is an open-access program and, during this pandemic, can continue to provide tutoring services,” said Gabriela Gamiz, the College’s director of community engagement. “The Hotline was created to provide live math and science homework assistance to as many students and families as possible, particularly those in underserved areas who lack access to in-person tutors. Based on community input, we chose an over-the-phone service as the most accessible means of communication.”

Homework Hotline primarily serves the Greater Los Angeles area but receives calls from multiple states. Homework Hotline is open to all who need and wish to call with a homework question. Tutors average 3,000 calls per academic year. The majority of calls to the hotline come from students in junior high and high school, with over 60 percent of callers requesting help in trigonometry, geometry or algebra.

“We are happy that in this difficult time Homework Hotline can continue to be a resource in our community and beyond and can bring a sense of normalcy and belonging to our HMC student tutors as well,” said Gamiz.