Student Digital Learning Design Challenge

In collaboration with StartX, the Transforming Learning Accelerator launched a pilot student digital design challenge to help students create effective learning tools and scale them. Students teamsbuilt apps to create rewarding environments that go beyond lectures and worksheets to support learning communities where students persist and thrive. The challenge included the following elements:

Workshops Students participated in a series 12 of workshops to grow their knowledge and network. Workshops focused on learner-centered design processes, learning science and design, technical implementation, team building, and entrepreneurship. Featured guest speakers included Dylan Arena of Kidaptive, Amit Patel of Owl Ventures, Piya Sorcar of TeachAids, and Anthony Bloome of mEducation Alliance.

Mentorship Awardees gained access to mentors who provided support throughout later-stage research, design, and development phases of their projects. Mentors include faculty experts, industry experts, and peers with recent experience in developing digital learning experiences.

Funding Students had the opportunity to apply for two rounds of funding. In the first round, grants of $1,500 were awarded to the top 12 teams for earlystage prototype developmentand user testing. In the second round, after two consecutive Design Sprints with these 12 teams, larger grantsof up to $9,000 were awarded to the top seven teams for advanced prototype development and user testing

Connections Awardees will be introduced to community of entrepreneurs, faculty experts, and industry gatekeepers interested in producing more effective learning solutions.

Student Digital Learning Design Challenge

12 Teams, 34 Participating Students School Affiliation of Awardees

Humanities & Sciences

Earth

Business Doctoral (18%) Masters (35%) Undergraduate (44%) Unknown (3%)

Education

Engineering

Non Stanford Student

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

SPOTLIGHT

ON DESIGN

Working Together

PeerTeach, a project of the Transforming Learning Accelerator’s Student Digital Learning Design Challenge, facilitates peer tutoring in math classrooms. It trains all students to be effective peer tutors, optimizing matches based on compatibility, and leveraging student mastery to help fill peer learning gaps. It was designed by a team of students including a high schooler, undergraduates and PhD.

Student Digital Learning Design Challenge

Stapoo Education Equips low-income students in India with digital e-learning literacy skillsto empower them to take control of their education despite any barrierthat comes their way.

DarselA text-based EdTech platform that enables interactive AI-driven personalized learning for K-12schools in internet/device-constrained environments (mostly developing countries).

EpicConnectA productivity platform for fellowship programs that serve community collegeinstructors, building connection, enhancing belonging,and helping participants collaborate on their fellowship projects.

Health ULeverages microlearning, gamification, and rewards to deliverdiabetes prevention programs in bite-sized, digestible lessons.

Sonder A nonprofit web search platform that dynamically assesses and reduces bias in websearch results.

KoffeeshopA virtual space for students to replicate the experience of working with friends in a sharedspace like a lounge or coffee shop while on campus.

Whale Watchers Teaches underserved elementary school students about well-being (social, physical, relationships, mindsets) and how to maintain it by playingwith a lovable family of well-being whales. Youth-Designed Social Learning Platform We are working with 60

all-female sixth-grade computer science students to designa social media platform for schools,center learning over advertising,connection over isolation, and empowerment over argument.

Little TingzUses artificial intelligence to help kids transform abstract emotions into tangible objects.

Virtual Community BoardConsolidates enriching, crowdsourced virtual events,facilitating participation of high school students in workshops, socialgatherings, and more.

ELF Expressive Low-Budget Filmmaking (ELF) is a collaborative project where people with various skills and backgrounds come together to learn filmmaking, create amazing videos, and share them with friends.

SPOTLIGHT

ON EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

CanWe Virtually Immerse Students in Hands-On Field Experiences to Develop Observational, Spatial, and Problem-Solving Skills?

Interest in virtual field trips spiked when COVID-19 sent students home in March 2020. Traditional field experiences provide students with opportunities to bond over a shared experience and develop learning activities in a more informal learning environment. Ryan Petterson of the School of Earth and Bryan Brown at the Graduate School of Education worked with support from the Transforming Learning Accelerator’s Digital Learning Initiative to create new field studies opportunities that marry learning and social-emotional goals with advances in technology. One aim is that students themselves eventually create — and teach — their own virtual trips. Although the virtual resources were jump-started to address the current needs for online learning, these resources can also augment in-person field experiences later on.

Ryan Petterson

Director of Field Education School of Earth

Bryan Brown

Associate Professor Graduate School of Education