Meet Zak Morris: The 16 Year Old Behind Tutorial Rocks

I am Zak Morris, founder and lead developer of Tutorial Rocks, an AI powered learning platform built to make proper, modern education tools available to anyone with a browser.

I live in Dudley in the West Midlands in the UK and I am currently a BTEC Level 3 Computing Extended Diploma student at Halesowen College, class of 2025. I spend most of my time either writing code, shipping features, or talking to students and staff about how to make learning less painful and more effective.

Who I am

I started coding young and never really stopped. Over time that turned into a habit of building full products, not just random scripts. That is where Tutorial Rocks came from.

A few key facts about me:

• Founder and lead developer of Tutorial Rocks
• Based in Dudley, West Midlands, UK
• 16 years old and studying BTEC Level 3 Computing Extended Diploma at Halesowen College
• Focused on web development, infrastructure and AI integration for real users, not just toy projects

The short version is simple. I enjoy taking ideas that sound too big for “a student project” and just building them anyway.

How Tutorial Rocks started

Tutorial Rocks started because I was bored of badly structured tutorials and messy notes.

Most students know the feeling. You jump between random YouTube videos, out of date blog posts and half finished course notes, then somehow you are supposed to sit an exam and be fine. I wanted a platform that:

• Keeps everything in one place
• Lets you learn at your own pace
• Uses AI properly instead of as a gimmick
• Gives you a clear path from “no idea what this is” to “I can actually do this”

What began as a small side project turned into a platform that now serves learners at scale and keeps growing. The tech stack has evolved, the design has had multiple passes, but the goal stayed the same. Make it easier to learn properly.

What I actually build

Day to day I am not just “the founder”. I am the one wiring things together so the whole thing works under load and feels fast.

Some of the technologies I use:

• Python and Flask for the backend logic and APIs
• HTML, CSS and Tailwind for fast, consistent UI layouts
• JavaScript and React for interactive parts of the site
• SQL for relational data and reporting
• Redis for caching and background jobs
• Docker and cloud infrastructure to keep everything deployable and stable
• AI integration for things like smart hints, content generation and personalised learning support

That mix lets Tutorial Rocks deliver tutorials, learning paths, progress tracking and more without feeling like a clunky school VLE from 2009.

Why education matters to me

I am a student building for other students and educators. That gives me a pretty direct view of what is broken.

Things I care about:

• Accessibility
  A lot of good content is hidden behind awkward interfaces, paywalls, or systems that were clearly not designed with actual students in mind. Tutorial Rocks is built to feel like a modern app first.

• Structure
  Learning should not feel like clicking random links and hoping for the best. Features like Learning Paths give a clear route through a topic, step by step, with AI support when you get stuck.

• Real outcomes
  It is not just about “watching tutorials”. It is about building skills that mean something in college, university or work. Certificates, projects and tracked progress all exist to support that.

• Community and collaboration
  I am not building this in isolation. I work with other developers, educators and students to test features, gather feedback and keep things moving in the right direction.

Building Tutorial Rocks while still in college

Balancing full time study with running an edtech platform is exactly as chaotic as it sounds, but it also keeps things honest.

Because I am in the classroom environment most days, I see what actually works and what does not. That feeds directly into:

• How I design features
• Which subjects and tools get prioritised
• How the platform communicates with students and staff
• What we focus on when we talk to colleges and schools

Halesowen College has already tried out Tutorial Rocks with students and the feedback has been positive. Staff have given good reviews on how it fits into real lessons and how easy it is for learners to use. There are ongoing discussions about the platform being used more widely as part of normal study in the future, which is exactly the direction I want it to go.

Tutorial Rocks is not a detached “corporate” platform. It is being built from inside the education system by someone who uses it and watches other people use it.

Where Tutorial Rocks is going next

Tutorial Rocks is not finished. It is still moving fast.

Some of the areas I am focused on:

• Deeper AI integration that actually helps people learn instead of just generating walls of text
• Stronger learning paths with richer progress tracking and better exam support
• Cleaner infrastructure so the platform scales smoothly as more learners join
• Tools that make it easier for schools and colleges to plug Tutorial Rocks into what they already do

The long term goal is clear. I want Tutorial Rocks to be one of the most trusted and genuinely useful educational platforms in the UK and beyond.

How this blog fits in

This post exists for two main reasons.

First, transparency. If you are going to trust a platform with your learning, you should know who is building it, what they stand for and what their background is.

Second, clarity for search. When people look up Tutorial Rocks, I want them to clearly see there is a real founder, with a real track record and a clear mission, not just a random anonymous site.

If you are a student, educator or organisation and you want to see where Tutorial Rocks can fit into your world, keep an eye on this blog. I will use it to share updates, breakdowns of new features and honest thoughts about the future of learning and education tech from someone who is building it while still living it.