Netflix for Education: Remind As An Emerging Learning Experience Platform
When I read about a business trend that’s emerging in another sector I often find myself imagining how that theme might apply to what we’re doing at Remind.com. Yep, my opinionated self can’t help but process information in a “if this, then that” manner, which then compels me to explain the connections I see. Such is the case with Josh Bersin’s recent article highlighting the notion of learning experience platforms or “LXPs”.
As Bersin describes, “…the LXP is a place employees go to learn. It curates and recommends content based on your role, experience, goals, and interests; it lets employees publish and share content they find useful; and it uses data, AI, and machine intelligence to recommend, nudge, and push content to people based on the skills they want (or need) to develop.” For the corporate employee, an experience that could do all this might be thought of as analogous to the role Netflix plays in our consumer life — curating and recommending content based on your interest; using data, AI, and machine learning to recommend, nudge, and push content to people based on what they want to watch.
So what does this have to do with what we’re doing at Remind, and our focus on K-12 and higher education? Well, by replacing much of Bersin’s description of an LXP with terms more applicable to K-12 and higher ed, and then adding the crucial layer of relationship building 2-way communication that Bersin doesn’t highlight, you essentially define the essence of how Remind’s communication platform forms the foundation of an LXP that serves students in K-16. What does this look like when I apply my own “if this, then that” conversion from Bersin’s corporate learning version of an LXP to the emerging LXP that we’re building at Remind?
- From Bersin: “Employees, on the other hand, want a visually attractive, intelligent, mobile-enabled interface that actually gives them a true ‘learning environment’.” Just as consumers have gravitated to mobile communication apps WeChat, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook Messenger, these same consumers will expect a communication interface in the context of their learning environment that supports consumer-like ease-of-use and engagement. This is why a mobile-centric communication foundation like the one Remind has developed will be central in enabling a learning experience platform in education.
- From Bersin: “…the learning experience platform sits on top of a series of tools and delivers a consumer-like experience to employees.” For Bersin these tools include traditional learning management systems (“LMSs”) and other software and applications that are used by corporations. For education, Remind’s communication platform will continue to support similar integrations with education services like LMSs, learning software services, and school information systems (“SISs), and other tools that are used by administrators and teachers to support student outcomes.
- From Bersin: “Imagine, for example, if you have all your company’s learning content in Degreed or another LXP and you now decide you want to build an onboarding program for sales people in Salesforce.” Let’s turn this example into an education-centric one. Imagine when all teachers, students, and parents are communicating and sharing learning content through Remind in one academic year, and then a new school year is about to begin. Those same teachers, students, and parents are able to pick up from where they paused their learning experiences from the previous school year (and even summer learning work). When everyone comes back from the summer break, they are able to easily add the next layers of learning that evolve each week during the new school year.
- From Bersin: “I believe the focused LXP companies have the potential to play a similar role in the gigantic employee learning market, selling an employee-centric layer that sits on top of the LMS.” Paraphrasing Bersin’s quote a bit, I believe Remind has the potential to support K-12 schools and districts, and higher education institutions, by delivering a teacher and student-centric communication experience that connects the LMS, SIS, and all other learning content crucial to all stakeholders in the K-16 ecosystem. By no means does Remind need to replace any of these important software systems. Instead, we can amplify the respective value each of these other services provides by creating in Remind a learning experience platform built through the power of communication.
Bersin’s article — as well as other perspectives he has drafted — speaks to this emerging concept of the LXP and thus creates a compelling way to envision the role a communication platform like Remind might play in K-16 education:
- Communication plays a crucial role since that’s how relationships between stakeholders — teachers, students, parents, and administrators — all come together. Without a way in today’s digital world to easily weave together these relationships, the rest of what an LXP can achieve will be limited.
- Opening the communication platform to the broadest array of educational services — from those created by 3rd parties to the content generated by schools — turns Remind’s communication platform into a learning experience. Further, the learning experience evolves by enabling both self-discovery by students along with the targeted delivery of learning experiences informed by AI and machine learning intelligence that’s based on student effort and progress.
- Ultimately, Remind will evolve into a fully functional LXP when our platform becomes a destination where students manage and define their individual learning journey. Communication that triggers engagement with the right learning experiences at the right time creates a powerful combination for students. When this version of an LXP includes oversight and engagement from professional educators and parents, we see a growing opportunity for Remind to help all stakeholders in a school community deliver the most impactful outcomes for students.