Epiphany Learning
N48 W14170 Hampton Ave., Menomonee Falls
Innovation: Epiphany Learning Personalized Learning Application
www.epiphanylearning.com
Like most good ideas, the concept behind the Epiphany Learning Personalized Learning Application started as a scribble on a napkin.
That napkin, the product of a date between husband-wife team Scott and Laura Henderson, evolved into a roadmap for the development of the education tool, which debuted in August 2014 and launched a second application version last month.
Epiphany Learning, also the name of the company behind the application, centralizes and eases the process of personalized learning for teachers, students, schools and districts.
Through a personalized learning approach to education, curriculum, projects and instruction are tailored to fit the different learning needs, styles and goals of individual students. Personalized learning revolves around the idea that ownership of teaching should be taken from the teacher and put “into the hands of the learner,” said Laura, founder and chief executive officer of Epiphany Learning, which has 26 full-time employees.
“We should empower learners to feel responsible and excited about their learning, and to do that we have to connect with who they are individually,” Laura said.
While a seemingly sound education model in theory, personalized learning can be a cumbersome task for teachers and administrators.
Scott, director of business development at Epiphany Learning and a special education teacher at Brown Deer Elementary School, knows firsthand the overwhelming chore of tracking papers and progress for students pursuing their studies through personalized learning.
Upon realizing that the system behind personalized learning needed to be made more efficient and scalable, Scott turned to Laura and her technology expertise. Laura’s professional background in technology covers 15 years.
Her solution gives educators, administrators, students and parents one central location to record student performance and goals, as well as track academic progress.
The application, which operates in real-time with responsive design, is completely configurable so that schools and districts can customize features to student needs. The application, which serves K-12 students, is structured with learning profiles in which students can capture information covering all aspects of their education and assemble a learning profile history.
Among key application features for students are:
- Strengths, in which students, parents and teachers can identify student strengths, both from a default list and an “add own” option.
- Preferences, in which students can discuss their specific learning preferences, including how and where they best learn.
- Goal setting, in which students can elaborate on their aspirations.
- Assignment management, which highlights assignment details for students, including progress and due dates.
Students also are able to recognize their peers for achievements, as well as suggest their own assignments and weigh in on how much they like particular assignments.
Among the key features of Epiphany Learning for teachers, who have their own access point, is:
- The ability to access all of their classrooms and create student subgroups according to different kinds of learners and different projects.
- The ability to access individual student profiles and give feedback to students on their profiles.
- The ability to track student schedules – particularly in school systems that host open school seminars for students.
Laura and her team have installed the application in some capacity in 13 Wisconsin school districts, intentionally narrowing their geographic focus so that developers could immerse themselves in classrooms and gather input directly from students and teachers.
Among the most significant impacts the tool has made on the classroom is a shift for teachers, so that much of their non-value-added work is converted into value-added work for students in a “more seamless and exciting way,” Laura said.
Epiphany Learning plans to expand nationally in November and hopes to have a presence in 500 districts next year.
