SBIR Phase I: A Cognitive Assessment Engine for App Based Learning

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims to develop a new technology solution to provide accessible, affordable and accurate assessment system for app based learning. Advancement in the U.S. economy has been consistently driven by technological progress and innovation. Yet, K-12 education sees little technological change, even as U.S. students increasingly lag behind other nations. The advent of mobile devices and digital learning tools/apps create promising opportunities for developing new learning technologies to deliver academic content that is more engaging, adaptive, relevant and rigorous. However, the effectiveness of digital learning technologies such as game/app based learning is rarely known. Coupling real-time evaluation and assessment systems with trusted reporting, the proposed innovation will help schools make informed learning technology decisions, provide actionable insight to help teachers monitor students' progress over time, thereby improving teachers' instruction and student learning. This will also drive the development of quality STEM apps that leverage the best of today?s technology and reduce entry barriers for innovators. This project aims to spearhead an innovation that can unleash the potential of game/app based learning, creating a marketplace where the best learning apps/technologies are recognized and continuously improved. This project aims to provide new insights and contribute to scientific knowledge about the developmental impact that the interaction with multiple educational apps has on students? learning. The originality of the solution lies in cross-app data mining and reporting. It provides (i) a one-stop dashboard to parents, teachers and students with a unified assessment, (ii) the opportunity for timely intervention and personalized recommendation to each student, and (iii) a cross-examination of a child?s gameplay through multiple apps which has the potential for more accurate assessment. The goals of the proposed R&D are: 1) to build an assessment engine that any STEM based educational app developer can use to provide game/app based assessment at the point of learning and 2) test this assessment engine in a real life setting using 3rd party educational app(s). To reach these goals - (i) a couple of 3rd party apps will be instrumented with our SDK for data collection, (ii) a pilot study will be conducted with 3rd & 4th Graders playing these educational apps on tablets in a classroom setting and (iii) the data will be analyzed with our assessment engine to test the feasibility of this new technology.