This Week in Edtech, 8/30/23, with Guests Dr. Deepak and Maria Walley of Prof Jim
Aug 30, 2023
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Guests Dr. Deepak and Maria Walley of Prof Jim discuss AI achieving parity with human instructors, the rise of AI edtech companies, Course Hero's AI Academy, the popularity of ChatGPT in schools, declining college interest among Gen Z, the charade of 'test-optional' admissions, funding for special education solutions, AI transforming educational content into interactive videos, the B2B model in edtech, and the importance of patents in the industry.
Prof Jim's real books, which convert textbooks into interactive videos using AI, have been shown to improve learning outcomes for students.
Creatively Focused raised $3 million to address teacher burnout and retention in special education, offering tools and support to educators.
AI avatars developed by Prof Jim are achieving parity with human educators, delivering engaging educational content and saving time for teachers.
Deep dives
Prof Gym: Transforming Textbooks into Interactive Video
Prof Gym is an AI education company that converts textbooks and internet material into interactive videos, known as real books. The real books contain teaching content, assessments, and additional tidbits about the subject matter. They leverage AI and GPT-4 to create 15-minute videos on any given topic. Studies have shown that real books improve learning outcomes, with students in one study answering 36.8% more questions accurately compared to those exposed solely to text. The vision for Prof Gym is to provide a tool that educators can use to bring their content to life, saving them time and enriching the learning experience for students. It can be used by educators in various scenarios, such as substitute teacher coverage, homework assignments, and professional development courses. Publishers can also benefit from using Prof Gym to convert their textbook catalogs into revenue-generating course marketplaces. Some notable customers of Prof Gym include Cengage and Lincoln Learning.
Addressing Teacher Burnout with AI Tools
Another company, Creatively Focused, raised $3 million to address teacher burnout and retention in special education. They focus on upscaling paraprofessionals into full-time special educators and providing tools to support special educators in their roles. The aim is to make it easier for educators to create compelling interactive videos without the need for extensive equipment or training. The use of AI tools has shown superior learning outcomes compared to traditional text-based lessons, with students demonstrating greater accuracy in answering questions. Real books can be used in various contexts, including substitute teacher coverage, homework assignments, and professional development courses.
Indian EdTech Company, QMath, Faces Challenges
QMath, a popular Indian EdTech company, recently faced financial challenges, resulting in layoffs. The CEO cited a bad macro situation and the need to focus on profitability. QMath had previously raised $57 million in funding, and its primary backer is Google. This development reflects the overall uncertainty and dip in confidence in the Indian EdTech market, as companies transition from growth mode to profitability mode. The scalability of EdTech companies in India and their ability to provide learning outcomes will play a significant role in navigating these challenges.
University of West Virginia Makes Significant Cuts to Liberal Arts Curriculum
The University of West Virginia recently made drastic cuts to its liberal arts curriculum, affecting 32 majors and resulting in layoffs. The decision was driven by financial pressures, including a budget shortfall and the need to maintain profitability. While the move aligns with a growing emphasis on career-focused education, it also raises concerns about the role of universities in fostering well-rounded citizens and supporting a diverse range of professions. The cutbacks highlight the ongoing dilemma faced by universities in balancing financial sustainability with the broader societal goals of education.
AI achieving parity with educators
The podcast discusses how AI technology, specifically avatar-based education, is achieving parity with educators. Prof. Jim, an AI education company, has developed AI avatars that can deliver interactive and engaging educational content. They have conducted studies comparing the effectiveness of their avatars to traditional instructional methods, such as textbooks. The results show that the avatar-based content is just as engaging and effective in terms of student attention and learning outcomes. This AI technology not only saves time for educators by automating the content creation process but also offers a new way to bring textbooks and other written materials to life for students.
Building an AI-driven education platform
The podcast explores the potential of AI in education and discusses the business strategies of Prof. Jim. They have built a B2B model by partnering with publishers, allowing them to leverage existing content and turn it into interactive and engaging experiences using their AI avatars. This strategy allows them to reach a wide audience and provide personalized learning paths, assessments, and games within their lessons. They differentiate themselves from other AI companies by obtaining patents for their technology and focusing on creating comprehensive educational videos, rather than just text-based outputs. The discussion also touches on the future possibilities of AI personal assistants in education, as well as the importance of data protection and ownership in this emerging field.
