See what Mumsnet testers thought of Eedi Family’s improved online maths lessons

[JustineBMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the Mumsnet users who tested Eedi Family online maths lessons with their child aged 9 to 14. Eedi Family is an online Maths learning platform that provides interactive maths lessons for children to build confidence in maths, and following a product test last year, Eedi has implemented a lot of testers’ feedback.

If you'd like to take part in this product test, we're still recruiting for testers to take part in the next couple of weeks. You can sign up here.

Here’s what Eedi has to say: “We believe that every child has the potential to thrive in maths with the right support. Eedi Family helps children build maths confidence at home while giving you the peace of mind that your child is making progress in maths in these turbulent times. Eedi will not only motivate your child to practice Topics they need to review, but our learning companion and live expert maths teachers will help your child improve in maths quickly with tailored feedback - so they can spend less time on devices and more time offline.

This is our second time on Mumsnet review - on our first early iteration we tested our beta product and got amazing feedback from Mumsnet testers. We’ve implemented much of that feedback, in particular:

- Children can now search for any topic so they can match what they’re doing in school (you still have recommendations though!)
- Children can now take a Lesson before reviewing Topics if they need a refresher
- We reduced Lesson and video length and encourage shorter but more frequent use
- We increased availability of live teacher support during the Lessons
- Added Achievements and Routines to increase motivation - this is a space we’re actively working and would love to hear your feedback here

We’re excited to engage with the Mumsnet community again and learn from your feedback.

Join us in trying an affordable alternative to private tuition that helps your child try their best and want to keep learning.”

Selected testers received a one month free trial of Eedi Family and were asked to complete at least one virtual lesson and quiz per week.

Testers, please give your feedback by answering the following questions as well as sharing any other thoughts you have and completing the short survey we’ve emailed you. Testers of Eedi Family were invited to start taking part in different weeks. Please wait until we email you before giving your feedback on the thread.

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?
2. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?
3. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?
4. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

All testers who give the required feedback will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £100 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight T&Cs apply

I tested Eedi with my 10 year old son. I found it quite hard to navigate and to find suitable work which matched what he was doing in class (we are in Scotland if that makes a difference).

My son found it quite easy to use once we had found a suitable topic and did benefit from some consolidation of knowledge. He found it frustrating that if he made one mistake/ typo he was then directed to a very long explanation of where he went long (maybe better to be directed to this after a few mistakes). He then had to answer numerous questions correctly to get back to his original topic.

We never seemed to be able to access any 'live' help, just automated responses. We used this on evenings and weekends which is maybe why?

For me, I found the constant stream of emails very irritating - what my child had completed, what achievements were unlocked, child has not logged in for a number of days, requests to set standard times for logging in, how free trial was going, free trial was stopping, free trial was restarting, numerous feedback requests. Please reduce this!

0verall, the idea is good but there is more work to be done to improve.

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?

It was really easy to use and boosted my DD confidence in maths

1. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?

The lessons were very good and being able to speak to a tutor was brilliant as they were able to explain things to my DD when she found something a little tricky

1. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?

I think they were very good and my DD really enjoyed them

1. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

Very good. Easy for children to use and there’s access to a tutor when needed

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family? the customized learning experience
2. What was the best feature of Eedi Family? chat box to make it interactive
3. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors? love it
4. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend? Fun math learning online tutors

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family? It was a good concept but not great execution. My daughter got very frustrated at the long explanations when she would get one mistake or there was a typo and her interest quickly dwindled. She would have benefited more from something snappier and not making her feel like one mistake was going to lead to a long explanation because she didn't know it.
2. What was the best feature of Eedi Family? The concept of having tutors on hand to answer questions.
3. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors? Good idea.
4. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend? Something to keep an eye on to see if it improves. Could be useful.

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?

That there were people on line live and ready to help

1. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?

The talk to a teacher feature

1. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?

Dd liked it but found the chat glitchy. The online teachers were always helpful and she enjoyed using it. The range of lessons and topics could have been wider.

1. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

A children’s maths support site with live interactions with tutors.

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?

How it explained maths solutions through chat relatively slowly and clearly.

1. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?

The live chat option.

1. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?

Mostly it worked very well.

1. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

A supportive and interactive maths site for older primary/secondary pupils.

We found it very difficult to navigate around the site. Could not look at what he had done previously. Work was out of step for the Scottish Curriculum. Some things ds had done some time ago and were very easy for him, whereas other topics he probably will not encounter for another couple of years at school.

Overall, great for encouraging children to attempt more difficult maths problems and expand their knowledge of the subject.

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?

We liked the lack of pressure of a teacher looking over your shoulder. The tutor was available if needed but we could go at our own pace and watch and rewatch until it clicked. The explanations were clear and short and we never had to ask for a tutor help as the lessons and videos were so good.

1. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?

The chat style even though it was just a bot. Worked really well.

1. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?

We liked Eedi. Felt like a good interactive even though it wasn’t a real person. Didn’t interact with any tutors. My DS wasn’t keen on talking to a real person but I found it good to know they were available if we couldn’t work past any problems.

1. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

Great way to increase confidence and skills in maths in a low pressure way at a pace that suits each individual.

We found the site glitchy at times. When trying to access lessons under the lessons tab we'd often get an error page.
There needs to be an option to skip a lesson when you realise halfway you have it all figured out but you still have to complete all the worksheet and it can be frustrating.

The emails. Jesus, the emails. It was ridiculous. I'd get 20 in a row when my DS was on a roll getting through the topic. Way too much. A daily update email would have been fine.
Gifs were annoying at times. I liked that touch at the beginning of each chat but there were some ones on a loop every second so were replaying so so fast. That's made my brain feel weird and could be a real problem for some people. They need to stop after a few 'goes'.

We found it really helpful all in all and a positive experience. My DS definitely brushed up on a lot and learnt some new things. He's a little more confident in his abilities which is what .i wanted.

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family? The platform encouraged children not just to give the right answer, but to think through how they got there, and articulate that.
2. What was the best feature of Eedi Family? The bot had a very good algorithm and pitched itself at the right level really well.
3. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?They were good but my child went on strike as it was the Easter holidays and he didn't want to do maths, apparently. He modestly thinks he is halfway to winning the Fields Medal anyway.
4. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend? Intelligent expert tutor system for online mathematics coaching at low cost.

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?

It was easy to use and my daughter seemed to like using it, we took part in a previous trial and she liked it then too. It focused on things she hadn't learnt before.

1. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?

That is gave her certain courses for her to do and made it harder or easier depending on what she had done before.

1. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?

They were really good, she learnt a lot from them, she liked that it gave her a video and questions to work on.

1. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

A maths website that helps your child understand what they are learning at school and helps you and them gain more understanding of the topics.

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?

The support for working things through when they weren't understood.

1. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?

Interactive engagement with learning that adapted to the child's need.

1. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?

My daughter found the step by step explanations when she was struggling really helpful (most of the time - occasionally they started from something she couldn't relate to/understand)

1. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

An online maths tutoring platform that helps a child work through problems until they understand.

We're another family that were frustrated by the lack of connection to the Scottish curriculum (although I recognise that's a smaller market), and also having signed up a 9 year old I couldn't put her in the equivalent English year group (year 5) as the youngest option was year 6. She got on fine with that as her maths is strong, but you might want to clarify the tester criteria.

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?

My daughters maths results in school improved

1. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?

Emails parents when lessons have been done so I could keep on top of

1. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?

Improved service. Much more positive experience

1. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

Highly recommend

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?

I loved that it is so personalised and adapted to my child's learning.

1. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?

The chat feature was great, and it really adds something compared to other tutoring website.

1. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?

We didn't use a live tutor, but the chat lessons worked well and efficiently targeted specific issues.

1. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

A fun tutoring service for children to develop their maths skills.

The thing that could be improved is the parent hub; I felt that it didn't give me much information at all in terms of what my daughter had achieved and whether she was in line with her age's learning requirement. The constant emails at the beginning were also quite annoying. But overall, a positive experience!

I was frustrated by this whole campaign. I was happy to be accepted then couldn’t sign up for the correct year group. No reply from MNHQ via email or the thread when I stated I was having problems.

The eedi emailed me to say the trial was over even though I used a code for a month. After that was sorted by eedi they informed me the trial was for year 5 and there was no year 4 content but we could try at the higher level if we liked. Still no response from MNHQ on the issues though and no guidance whether to continue.

We did try it and found it clunky to navigate, overwhelming with the amount of emails , and not something that would benefit our style of learning.

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?

I liked that they were linked to the topics my son was learning at school and helped improve his confidence in maths. I also thought the length of the lessons were just right- they were not too long that concentration was lost or too short that not enough was covered.

1. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?

My son enjoyed being able to match topics with his school work and the achievements he achieved progressing through the lessons. We did find the website difficult to navigate at first.

1. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?

My son enjoyed them. He found them useful.

1. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

Yes, I think it is a fun way of encouraging maths learning and gaining confidence which can be taken into the school setting.

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?

The concept - an interactive platform to help kids struggling/boost kids doing well at home I think is a good one

1. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?

Difficult to say - we found it difficult to navigate

1. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?

We never seemed to be able to access this

1. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

Online maths learning platform

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?

My DD wanted to do some maths at home as she didn't feel that she had fully covered everything on the curriculum at school, she has had a few different maths teachers over the last few years and the teaching has been all over the place. The new format of Eedi has allowed her to try different topics and she can easily tell with the five questions whether or not she needs to revisit a topic.
It's been great for picking up on a few topics which she either hasn't understood or hasn't covered and boosting her confidence with the rest. Unfortunately though not everything she's been doing at school is covered, she has been doing ratios this time and there aren't any lessons on Eedi (yet).

1. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?

The explanations of answers when necessary. She's had the opportunity to message a tutor on two occasions, once was very helpful in clearing up a misunderstanding, the other (when she wanted some ration questions) wasn't able to help.

1. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?

Much improved from the previous trial. It's a little frustrating that most of the time when she's online (evenings and weekends) there isn't a tutor available.

1. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

Cool maths website you can use to check maths progress at home - but not all the content is there yet!

Forgot to say we also found that our trial had been cut short although they reinstated it when I questioned this. And DD is desperate for a mystery box but it's a little unclear as to what she has to do to get one!

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?If you need to get intouch with the tutors they was quick to reply
2. What was the best feature of Eedi Family? The lessons was tailored for my son
3. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors? My son would get frustrated when he got the answers wrong and the chat bot would take such a long time. He got bored really easily from this. Wasnt so easy to navigate as well.
4. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend? Its good as a support to help your child

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?

I liked that they were asked to explain their answers rather than just a yes/no response

1. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?

My Daughter liked the chat type set up of it

1. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?

My daughter liked it but would have liked there to be less questions on the same content. We've used programmes before where it tests first to find the best starting level and then if they're getting stuff right gives them the option to skip to the next section. She was finding it a bit too easy and getting bored. After the trial ended I got a message about moving her up a level but it was too late by then

1. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

Good practice for those that are struggling to explain maths concepts

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?

The chat bot

1. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?

The live chat with the teachers

1. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?

The chat box was okay and the teachers one of them was not good at all as she was not any help

1. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

Its a very simple site with limited features

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?

My daughter liked the chatting bit which she said made it fun.

1. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?

The way it explains things when you make a mistake and shows you how you got it wrong.

1. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?

It was a good way of presenting it as my daughter liked it being a "chat".

1. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

I'd describe it as one of various potential maths options.

This wasn't asked in the questions but it was annoying that my daughter could only log in if I was logged in first. This meant she had to stop using it before the end of the trial as it logged her out when I was away.

I also found the volume of emails a nuisance. A weekly (or twice weekly) summary email would be better than receiving umpteen emails whenever your child uses Eedi.

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?

Me and my child really liked the revision idea and how you could do a whole mini topic on the questions you had got wrong.

1. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?

We really like the live chat feature.

1. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?

We talked about different methods and solutions to solve and calculate the different questions.

1. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

I would describe as a really fun and easy to use website for your child to get ahead in school and in education.

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?

I loved the email updates telling me what my child had worked on during the lesson, and what topics they'd struggled with. I also found it a very easy to navigate website.

1. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?

The updates. It's impossible to get any information out of my child so the reports were brilliant.

1. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?

My child loved them, said concepts were explained very clearly.

1. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

Very clever piece of kit that takes the guesswork out of helping your child with schoolwork.

I supported my 10 year old daughter to use Eedi and there was a lot of good aspects to it there was also things that she struggled to use or understand.

1. What did you like most about Eedi Family?

It was great that there was a lot of help either on chats or videos that supported the subject if the child didn’t understand the topic or certain question.

1. What was the best feature of Eedi Family?

The best feature was the lessons to help support the child’s understanding on the subject.

1. What did you and your child think of the chat-based lessons with our learning companion Eedi and our tutors?

Yes they were very good and felt like this was a big plus to eedi.

1. How would you describe Eedi Family to a friend?

On our personal experience I probably wouldn’t recommend it as my daughter really struggled to understand the work and a lot of the mathematical terminology that was used. On numerous occasions she said that she hadn’t heard certain words or she hadn’t been taught them in school. Other children may be different and I can see the benefit of Eedi especially if it was something that you wanted to use either for children who are taught at home or to just supplement a child who is at school.