SBIR Phase I: Mobile Platform for Student Goal-Setting & Engagement

该项目将开发一个利用Colytix？现有的应用程序和用户基础，以创建一种能够解决社区学院和兼职学生在留学生方面的巨大差距的变革性技术。大学教育被视为美国公民经济成功的主要驱动力之一，因此直接影响公民的福利和整体经济的健康。2015年，美国总统巴拉克·奥巴马在国情咨文演讲中提议向许多美国居民免费支付社区大学学费后，社区大学受到了极大的关注。一旦实施，这项计划将大幅增加社区大学的招生人数，但如果不改变现状，很可能只会加剧目前较低的毕业率和保留率。该项目将提供一项关键技术，帮助在全国范围内实现这些目标。该项目将使用技术、交互设计和教育理论的创新组合，以实现学生与他们的教师和导师之间的合作。该项目的最终目标是创建一个个性化的平台，将每个学生-S的长期目标分解为可管理的、短期的、个性化的目标，同时提供一个由其他学生和教职员工组成的社区来监控进展、提供鼓励，并在必要时提供及时和适当的干预。这种方法将解决学生保留率低的所有关键因素，并为每个学生提供一条明确的成功途径。该项目最初的重点将是社区大学的科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)学科，但该平台的基本原则可以应用于任何地理和/或机构的任何学科。

This project will develop a platform that leverages Colytix? existing app and user base to create a transformative technology capable of addressing the massive gap in student retention among community college and part-time students. College education is seen as one of the primary drivers of economic success for US citizens and therefore directly impacts on the welfare of citizens and the health of the overall economy. Community colleges received significant attention in 2015 after President Barack Obama proposed to make community college tuition free to many residents of the US in his State of the Union Address. Once implemented, this plan would increase enrollment at community colleges dramatically, but would likely only exacerbate current poor graduation and retention rates if no changes to the status quo are implemented. This project will provide a key technology to help to realize these goals across the country.An innovative combination of technology, interaction design, and educational theory will be used to enable collaboration between students as well as their faculty and mentors. The ultimate goal of the project is to create an individualized platform that breaks each student?s long term goals down into manageable, short term, individualized targets while providing a community of other students and faculty to monitor progress, provide encouragement, and provide timely and appropriate interventions when necessary. This approach will address all of the key factors in low student retention and provide a clear pathway to success for each individual student. The initial focus of the project will be on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines in community colleges, but the underlying principles of the platform can be applied to any discipline across any geography and/or institution.