Newly Launched Learner Positioning Systems (LPS) to Help Edtech Companies Incorporate Research into Products
Grant opportunity available for product developers
WASHINGTON, April 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Promise Global has launched a new version of its Learner Positioning Systems (LPS), a free and open-source online tool that links learning sciences research to practice to address learner variability and enhance opportunities to personalize learning for each student.
"Every learner is unique. In order to meet students where they are, and create an equitable learning environment, edtech products must be inclusive across context and needs," said Karen Cator, CEO of Digital Promise. "We developed LPS so product developers and teachers have the tools and strategies they need to help their diverse student populations thrive."
To address learner variability and recognize how much variability plays in the life of each classroom learner, LPS has embarked on a rigorous examination of the learning sciences to offer strategies for how students learn in specific content areas. The goal is to put the research at the fingertips of educators and edtech product developers, so they can easily find and use evidence-based material.
"Our goal with LPS is to translate learning sciences research into a framework that product developers can easily use to inform their design," said Vic Vuchic, Chief Innovation Officer at Digital Promise Global. "By applying research, we could have tremendous impact on learning outcomes for all learners," he added.
The LPS tool organizes learning sciences research into four pillars – Content, Cognition, Social and Emotional Learning, and Student Background – to provide a framework that explains what are the critical variables or Learner Factors and how they connect to each other. A robust list of research-based strategies, along with short videos, complements the Factors. Currently, the LPS's Learner Models include: Math pre--K to 2; Reading pre--K to 3; and Literacy 4 to 6, which includes reading and writing, with others to be released later this year.
"ReadWorks was thrilled to partner with Digital Promise Global to further integrate research on literacy and learner variability into our platform," said Kathy Bloomfield, interim executive director of ReadWorks, an edtech nonprofit that reaches over 15 million students and 1.1 million educators annually. "We haven't always had the bandwidth to focus on certain factors affecting literacy, but LPS made translating the research to product design much simpler. The result is a product that supports the full diversity of learners and has been very well received by educators nationwide."
Digital Promise Global is now offering mini-grants to early reading product companies for the development of learner variability features and supports. The RFP application is open on a rolling basis for interested companies now through December 31, 2018.
For more information, please visit https://lps.digitalpromiseglobal.org.
Press Contact:
Erica Lawton Weinschenk
Digital Promise
202-450-3675
[email protected]
About Digital Promise Global
Digital Promise Global is a nonprofit organization working to spur innovation in education. By working with educators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and leading thinkers, Digital Promise Global leverages technology, taps into research, and shares powerful stories to improve the opportunity to learn around the world. This work supports people's development of learner agency, and their ability to operate in a global context. For more information, visit the Digital Promise Global website and follow @Global_DP for updates.
SOURCE Digital Promise Global
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