Edify Software Consulting

CourseKata, led by Dr. Jim Stigler at UCLA, aims to bridge the gap between educational research and classroom implementation through the Better Book Project.

Problem:

There is a disconnect between educational research and its application in classrooms, often hindered by logistical challenges.

Vision:

The CourseKata team envisioned a dynamic online textbook for statistics courses, adaptable for different student groups for continuous learning improvement.

Why Edify:

Unable to find an off-the-shelf solution, CourseKata chose Edify for their customized approach, forming a partnership in 2018.

Discovery:

Edify guided UCLA’s team through the unfamiliar software development process and integrated various software services into a cohesive solution. Daily Q&A sessions clarified goals and requirements.

Design:

Edify developed a platform that integrates multiple services, ensures compatibility with various LMS platforms, and enables control and experimental groups for research.

Success:

Launched in January 2019, 25 instructors at seven institutions use the Better Book Project. Initially focused on statistics, it aims to expand to other disciplines and has garnered additional funding.

Process:

CourseKata praised Edify’s flexible "pay as you go" contract and responsive collaboration. Edify continues to support and enhance the project, adapting it to different universities and technologies.

Conclusion:

The partnership with CourseKata has been instrumental in Edify’s development, enabling them to create successful educational technology solutions used globally.

Client: Macmillan Science and Education, part of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, develops global education solutions in ELT, School Curriculum, and Higher Education.

Challenge: Macmillan needed to innovate its textbook business to compete with used books and pirated materials. They aimed to create an app for professors to customize online textbooks from curated chapters, dynamically priced based on content used.

Solution: Build DynamicBooks, a software tool with a user-friendly CMS for textbook customization and a socially-oriented e-reader for students. Edify used CommonLibrary LCMS for storage, versioning, and concurrency control. Edify provided full technical solutions, including development, software architecture, quality assurance, and deployment.

Technical Challenges:

1. Content Format: Customizable for rendering and generating printed and online books, with flexibility for changes.
2. Performance: Handle heavy processing by a small set of users and content consumption by over 14,000 users. Architecture needed to scale for seasonal traffic peaks.

Result: DynamicBooks, called the “Wikipedia Of Textbooks” by Business Insider, let instructors customize digital textbooks, offering a cheaper alternative to print versions. "Psychology" was available for $48.76 in DynamicBooks, compared to $122.73 for the print version on Barnes & Noble’s website. The New York Times featured an article on this tool, praising its innovative approach.

Why Edify? Edify's edtech software development experience ensures effective, flexible solutions tailored to clients' processes and infrastructure for minimum cost and maximum efficiency. Our team excels in educational systems, offering strategic solutions aligned with clients' needs.

References:

1. The New York Times article on DynamicBooks (https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/22/business/media/22textbook.html?em&_r=0)

Client: HotChalk, was a leader in higher education services, partners with universities to offer turnkey online degree programs, enhancing student retention and graduation rates globally.

Challenge: Develop an integrated technology suite for HotChalk's online learning services, including platforms for students, faculty, instructional designers, and real-time analytics for university leadership.

Solution: Edify and HotChalk created HotChalk Ember, a three-part application suite:

1. HotChalk Ember LMS: Based on Canvas LMS, with improved discussion boards, course sectioning, assessment, and system integration.

2. HotChalk Ember CMS: Based on Edify's LCMS, enabling course creation with content versioning and migration tools.

3. HotChalk Ember Data Analytics: A web-based tool providing performance insights via an online UI, email notifications, and data exports.

Technology: The Ember suite uses:

• LMS: Ruby on Rails server with EmberJS front-end, communicating via a RESTful API.
• CMS and Data Analytics: Java/Groovy back-end with Javascript UIs on the Ember framework.

Result: The HotChalk Ember suite's user base is rapidly growing, with thousands of users and new university partners. Learning analytics enable real-time decisions for student success. HotChalk partners receive high ratings (4.2/5), 92% adjunct faculty retention, and 52% applicant enrollment. Data mining with the Data Analytics tool optimizes processes.

Why Edify: Edify's extensive experience in software development for EdTech ensures cost-effective, efficient solutions. Our expertise in educational and content management systems, combined with a strategic approach, contributed to HotChalk's success.

Lumerit Education reimagines higher education and corporate learning through student-centric systems and services. They address college degree completion and affordability using a flexible proprietary technology platform. Their course content library allows students to complete credits and transfer them to partner institutions. Their Learning Solution division helps small and medium-sized colleges compete in the digital era.

Challenge: Develop a tool to transform and align curricula, ensuring compatibility with Canvas, Blackboard, and Moodle. Create a tool to enable interoperability across Lumerit’s systems.

Solution: Edify built a tool to import Lumerit’s course content from their proprietary LMS to other LMS platforms in two major milestones:

1. Develop Understanding: Understand the proprietary LMS's course structure and build a tool to export course content as IMS Common Cartridge packages.
2. Common Library Integration: Develop a tool to import the Common Cartridge into Common Library, Edify's open-source learning content management system, and integrate it via LTI back to the LMS.

Technologies Used:

• Lumerit's LMS: PHP, MySQL
• Common Cartridge Scripts: Groovy
• Common Library: Java, Groovy, Node.js, MongoDB, Redis, Elasticsearch, Amazon S3, OrientDB

The Result
The tool Edify built helped Lumerit be more flexible with its course content and reach a wider market. Decoupling their course material from their proprietary LMS allowed Lumerit to partner with more institutions and employers using different LMS platforms. Common Library improved searching features,  and enhanced content management flexibility. 

Why Edify?
Edify partnered with Lumerit’s development team to scope project requirements. They customized a development team, integrated into Lumerit’s development process. This initial project led to a long-term relationship, with Edify continuing to support Lumerit’s projects, providing experienced teams, regular communication, and collaborative work.