Presentation to President Obama's Science & Technology advisory council (PCAST) on STEM Education. See http://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blog-cacm/109290-our-big-idea-open-social-learning/

1. Open Social Learning
!
Dr. Ashwin Ram!
Georgia Tech"
& OpenStudy!

2. Education: What s the problem?
!
Access!
More than one-third of the
world s population is under 20.
An estimated 100 million people
qualified to enter a university
have no place to go. !
To meet this staggering demand,
a major university needs to be
created each week. "
!— Sir John Daniel (1996)!

3. Education: What s the problem?
!
Access!
Almost one-third of community
college students can’t get into a
class they want.!
20% can’t get the help"
they need."
!— Pearson Foundation (2010)!

4. Education: What s the problem?
!
Engagement!
88% of high school dropouts
have passing grades.!
! — Gates Foundation study"
! Silent Epidemic (2006)!
47% of dropouts say classes are not
interesting .!
60% find video lectures boring .!
60% read less when using "
e-textbooks.!

5. What Engages Our Students?
!
Social Media!
95% spend 10-15 hrs/wk "
on Facebook!
80% go to Wikipedia!
55% use IM for homework!

6. What Engages Our Students?
!
Games!
“I'm calling for investments in
educational technology that will
help create ... educational
software that is as compelling as
the best video game.”!
— Barack Obama (2011)!

7. Imagine “Open Social Learning”!
Imagine a Facebook where "
the point is to study together,"
not trade pictures and jokes.!
Imagine a World of Warcraft where "
students earn points by "
helping each other learn.!
Not educational games. Education experience itself
is structured as a “social game”.!

8. OpenStudy
!
MIT! Purple Math! HelpWithFractions! Gates/Hewlett"
Yale! Tutorial.Math.Lamar.edu! CalculatorSoup! NSF NIH"
Michigan! FreeMathHelp! DavidDarling Info! GRA GT Emory!

9. Community of learners!
No boundaries!
From 3rd graders"
to college students"
to professionals!
Anytime!
Anywhere!

10. Community of learners!
Multi-student!
study sessions!
“Make the world"
your study group”!

11. Community of learners!
“Gamification”!
Need math teachers?!

12. 9 months of OpenStudy!
OCW! OER! Community!
•
MIT OCW! • CDC (TRAIN)! • 50,000 users!
•
Open Yale Courses! • SmartHistory (MOMA)! • 600,000 views/month!
•
OpenMichigan! • Purple Math! • 18 minutes/session!
•
UC Irvine! • Tutorial.Math.Lamar.edu! • 20,000 questions/month!
•
Notre Dame! • FreeMathHelp! • 70% answered in 5 min!
•
NYU! • HelpWithFractions!
•
•
Emory! • BiologyCorner!
•
10,000 math students!
•
Georgia State U! • CellsAlive!
•
1,000 achievements!
•
Korea University! • Physics 1728.com! 350 math superheroes"
•
NCTU! • HyperPhysics! with over 75 medals!
•
Tufts! • CalculatorSoup! • STEM groups!
•
TU Delft! • Videolectures.net! • Math!
•
Tokyo University! • Connexions! • Biology!
•
Process.Arts! • DavidDarling Info! • Physics!
•
African Virtual University! • HippoCampus! • Chemistry!
•
Distance Education Univ. • Prof. Damodaran! • Engineering!
Costa Rica! • Technology!
•
Monterey Inst. Technology! • Computer Science!
•
Purdue Online Writing Center!

13. Student feedback!
“Addictive”!
“Revolution”!

14. Student feedback!
“Awesome”!
Study help!
Peer support!

15. Student feedback!
“Love it”!
“Explanations, "
not answers”!

16. Open Social Learning!
Self Learners!
Traditional!
Home !
Community! Schoolers!
Colleges!
Open! Communities of Learning! Peer-to-Peer!

17. Open Social Learning!
Open! Communities of Learning! Peer-to-Peer!
“Massively It is not accidental that social Let students teach
multiplayer networks are so well adapted to each other, earning
online learning” education. [The] value is in the social capital via a
—students human connections it creates while system of game-like
everywhere, relieving the drudgery of studying rewards. !
connected, alone. — Rich DeMillo, C21U!
learning
together!

18. Vision: A national Study Corps!
A national “guild” of students "
interacting, helping, collaborating, studying together.!
“Addicted” to studying…"
and “loving” it. !

19. Contact!
linkedin.com/in/ashwinram! ashwinram@me.com!