About OLA

What is OLA?

About Us:

OLA provides free one-on-one online tutoring for UH-system undergraduate college students across the state of Hawaiʻi. OLA’s UH college tutors offer online support in math (up to calculus), science (biology, chemistry, physics), and writing (English language arts, creative writing, resume, and personal statement writing).

Our Mission:

The Online Learning Academy provides academic support for students to be successful in college. By offering free online content-specific tutoring, OLA aims to increase academic success and build aspirations for college- and career- bound students, particularly those in underserved populations.

OLA History

Current Programs

Since its inception in July 2007, the OLA has fulfilled a vital role in helping Hawai’i’s students get to, enroll, and graduate from our UH campuses. The original Report To Hawaii State Legislature Act 275, SLH 2007, gave life to OLA as a critical component in Student Support Infrastructure. The Online Learning Task Force’s mission was to develop a systematic plan to expand opportunities for online learning and create a phased plan with desirable outcomes to enhance students’ learning experiences across the state. Specifically, the task force designated that: The DOE should establish partnerships, including the University of Hawaii, to create an online and in-person tutoring and mentoring program where qualified people should be hired to provide online tutoring and academic support to DOE students throughout the state. Since OLA started in July 2007, students have logged over 1.6 million minutes of free tutoring!

OLA is currently involved in critical high school to college student readiness and preparation efforts between Hawaii DOE, UH System campuses, and GEAR UP/P20, including:
  • Partnering with the GEAR UP program both in the DOE System to make sure that students have adequate tutoring in math and English to help guide them into further education
  • Providing GEAR UP schools with writing workshops for their CTE Honors students’ capstone projects
  • Building a partnership with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) organizations to support students to improve the percentage of students who enroll through the “pipeline” successfully into STEM careers

 

Our Work at a Glance

Math & Science Tutoring Sessions
(2007-2024)

  • HI DOE K-12 69.5% 69.5%
  • UH Community Colleges 19% 19%
  • UH Mānoa, West Oahu, Hilo 10.5% 10.5%
  • Other 1% 1%

Minutes

Writing Tutoring Sessions
(2014-2024)

  • Undergraduate 51% 51%
  • Graduate 31% 31%
  • High School 14% 14%
  • Elementary & Middle School 4% 4%

Minutes

OLA Staff

Leilani Harjati, MA, MPA
OLA Coordinator
Leilani.Harjati@hawaii.edu
Esther
OLA Math and Science Tutor Coordinator
Coralyn 
OLA English Tutor Coordinator

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
3131 Maile Way, AEI 108
Honolulu, Hawaii 96822
VIew Map

(808) 956-3714

 ola@hawaii.edu

© All text Copyright 2024, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Online Learning Academy.