Higher Ed Content + Our Adaptive Platform & Analytics = The EdTech Dream Come True?

Lennon and McCartney.

Venus and Serena.

Peanut butter and Chocolate.

When a great pair comes together, the results can be game changing.

The same is true for content and technology. When learning content crafted by experts is paired with cutting-edge, AI-driven, adaptive technology, the results can start to move everyone toward the edtech dream.

 

The EdTech Dream

And the dream of edtech – as a path toward greater learning efficacy; improved student outcomes; predictive success modeling and more positive learning experiences that promote lifelong learning – is a powerful one.

Just as technology has transformed so many other industries, so too can it equip colleges to address the educational challenges of today and opportunities of tomorrow. With the right technology partner, colleges can:

• Verify subject matter mastery
• Recognize and predict at-risk students to target help
• Help students graduate on time and secure good-paying jobs
• Identify trends and predictions to inform future programs and curricula
• Provide positive learning experiences that foster lifelong learners

 

The EdTech Reality

But the reality is often much less exciting.

Integrating and deploying learning technologies within higher education systems is often fraught with challenges and roadblocks:

• Will the technology integrate with legacy systems?
• How easy is it to convert existing content?
• How can instructors monitor performance across several classrooms?
• Will students be able to easily access the information they need?
• What’s the stability of the platform and what safeguards are in place to make sure there’s not an outage during critical study times?

In fact, what we often hear as we engage with educational institutions is this:

We already have the subject matter and content expertise. What we really need is an edtech solution that can help us systematically deliver learning that’s efficient and effective…with as little hassle as possible.

 

Adaptive learning: a simpler solution for edtech?

While there are a lot of educational technologies on the market to choose from, there are few solutions that can act as true technology partners (let alone for many of higher education’s technology needs). Thus, the challenges listed above.

That’s why higher education institutions are licensing learning technologies that combine an adaptive methodology with big data and predictive analytics. These solutions often knit together many of the disparate edtech functions that are desirable to higher education institutions. As a result, they can take some of the IT burden off the institution, with capabilities like:

• Integration with legacy solutions (like LMSs)
• Seamless SSO (Single Sign On) authentication
• Easy content upload and conversion
• Effective content delivery
• Student and course metrics delivered in a way that a layperson can understand

 

Adaptive Efficacy

And these technologies are also able to dramatically improve the efficacy of learning. For example, in a three-term study of adaptive technology, sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, North Carolina State University paired with Fulcrum to test Fulcrum’s platform against in-class instructors. The study also evaluated Fulcrum against the performance of several other adaptive technologies being tested at other colleges around the United States. Our platform was the only participating adaptive technology to demonstrate improved student outcomes (10-20% success rate improvement) and increased student course “satisfaction.”

 

 “I was deeply impressed by the professionalism, curiosity, and commitment they had to understanding and enhancing student outcomes.”                                                                Jeffery P. Braden, PhD, Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences & Professor of Psychology, North Carolina State University

 

Is your institution living the edtech dream, or are you stuck in an IT nightmare? How are you embracing all the benefits and opportunities that technology can bring to your content and university (while sidestepping the challenges of integration and deployment)?

We believe that a great edtech pairing is about more than technical capability – it’s a partnership that requires development, analysis and continual fine-tuning. It’s a relationship that depends on reliability, teamwork and a mentality of “we’re-in-this-together.” That’s the only way that content and technology can come together to make edtech dreams come true.

 

“With Fulcrum, you get a stable, workhorse of a platform that can handle tens of thousands of users; and a collaborative, insightful partner who will always go above and beyond to help you meet your strategic objectives.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Nathan Schultz, Chief Learning Officer Chegg

 

If you’re interested in learning how our platform can power your content and bring your school closer to achieving the edtech dream or want more information about how we partner with educational institutions, let’s connect.