SBIR Phase I: Offline Edge Learning Management System (COVID-19)

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will be to provide a solution for the students and schools with an urgent need for a remote learning solution. An estimated 85% of families on rural Native American reservations do not have high-speed internet access. The need for a remote learning solution is especially pressing given the COVID-19 pandemic which is requiring many schools to implement online or hybrid learning models. If students are not able to participate in these new models, it is likely that they will have substantially lower achievement levels than their peers who do have access to remote learning. The proposed project advances a technology to enable online learning without access to high-speed internet. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will advance a new system to support digital learning with lower access to high-speed internet. First, this project will explore edge computing in innovation by building a new learning management system that has intelligent edge nodes capable of providing a complete student learning experience without access to a central server. Second, it will improve pedagogical approaches in this environment, supporting digital learning across limited or no access modalities, including print-to-digital workflows. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.