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The National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) is a STEM education nonprofit. In an effort to expand their offerings to reach more students, we needed to develop online learning experiences that were comparable to (if not better than) their face-to-face experiences.
The Challenge:
How might we design an entirely new online learning experience for students based on the organization's in-person student experiences?
Goals:
• Support student achievement in Advanced Placement courses and exams
• Test and validate a model for future online learning experiences
Constraints:
• Legacy technology systems and infrastructure
• Limited standardization and alignment between departments
• Diverse users with competing needs and priorities
• Compliance, specifically with capturing program participation to charge appropriate grants
My Role:
Product Designer / Product Manager
The Team:
Program Design,
Coach Development,
Program and Delivery Operations,
Technology,
Data Analytics and Evaluation,
Program Management,
MarCom,
Finance
Tools:
Blackboard LMS, Google Suite
Skills:
User Research, interaction, visual design, prototyping, project management, instructional design
Platform:
Web
Venturing into online learning marked a new chapter for the organization, prompting me to seek feedback from students and educators who were already engaged in our traditional face-to-face learning programs. I wanted to understand their perspectives on online learning and technology.
In conjunction with analyzing existing user feedback data, I took an active approach by designing surveys and orchestrating over 10 in-person and virtual focus groups across the country. Since NMSI serves a wide range of users, I wanted to ensure I captured their perspectives.
This hands-on engagement with our end-users was incredibly enlightening.
Student users wanted:
• Content curation and multiple engagement options
• Access to experts
• A website with concise study resources
Teacher users wanted:
• The ability to track student progress
Based on these insights, I developed key customer personas, enriching our understanding of the diverse needs and experiences within the communities we served.
As with any design endeavor, there are always challenges and tradeoffs.
Challenge: Insufficient resources for website development
Decision: Work within constraints of existing learning management system
Challenge: System did not allow teacher users to track individual student progress
Decision: Incorporate completion certificates that students could share with their teachers
We worked within our design constraints and guiding principles to develop several prototypes that provided a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities for our users. We continued to iterate on our designs based on user feedback and testing.
Our Online Student Supports were credited for increasing students’ Advanced Placement exam scores and increasing college readiness. In some instances, educators and students felt they learned more from online sessions compared to their in-person classes.
Additionally, our work in developing online learning experiences laid the foundation for other products and services to move online. When the 2020 pandemic happened and schools closed down, the organization was uniquely positioned to move all face-to-face events online and offer support to millions of educators and students nationwide.
Our first annual Online Summer Series Conference for educators was the largest and most attended online event for the organization. More than 10,000 educators registered, resulting in about 40,000 unique enrollments in over 100 courses.