Portfolio
Case Study
Kids&Us - MyWay App
At Kids&Us, I had the opportunity to play a key role during a pivotal shift in the company’s approach to digital course design. The organisation was transitioning from a reliance on external developers to building a stronger in-house team and modernising its processes to better meet the needs of learners and educators. My contributions focused on instructional design, gamification, and AI-powered assessments, all aimed at creating more engaging and scalable language learning solutions.
Objective: To transition Kids&Us from dependence on external developers to a self-sufficient internal team capable of designing, coding, and innovating digital course content. This involved improving existing tools, developing new capabilities, and creating engaging, scalable, and technology-driven solutions that aligned with instructional design best practices.
Challenges:
- Lack of Internal Understanding: The proprietary tool used for activity design operated as a black box, leaving the internal team unable to fully understand or utilise its capabilities.
- Outdated Features: The tool lacked modern functionality to support gamification, instructional best practices, and the evolving needs of learners.
- Limited Engagement: The existing course lacked interactive and gamified elements that could enhance learner retention and engagement.
- Inefficient Assessments: Speaking assessments relied on manual processes, making them time-consuming, inconsistent, and difficult to scale.
Solutions:
Empowering the Internal Team:
Working closely with external developers I managed to clarifiy the properties of the proprietary tool and transfer critical knowledge to the internal team. By enabling the team to understand and use the tool, I paved the way for greater in-house innovation and independence.Modernising Tools:
I recommended and implemented key updates to the proprietary tool, aligning it with instructional design best practices and adding features to support gamified and interactive activities.Gamified Course Design:
I designed, coded, and developed the gamified section of the course, blending traditional language content with video game-inspired elements to create a more immersive and engaging learning experience. I also managed the upgrade of existing activities to integrate these new gamification features.AI-Powered Speaking Assessments:
I helped to develop and contribute to an AI-powered speaking assessment system, including the creation of a comprehensive student response database. This system enabled real-time grading and personalised feedback, making assessments more scalable and consistent.
Results and Impact:
- Increased Efficiency: The internal team gained full control over the activity design process, reducing reliance on external developers and fostering long-term innovation.
- Enhanced Engagement: The gamified course section significantly improved user retention and engagement by offering a more dynamic and interactive learning experience.
- Modernised Assessments: The AI-powered speaking assessment system streamlined the grading process, improving scalability while delivering high-quality, real-time feedback to learners.
- Innovative Tools: The updates and new features enabled the creation of activities that were not only engaging but also aligned with instructional design best practices.
Conclusion: My time at Kids&Us was defined by fostering meaningful change at the intersection of education and technology. By addressing key challenges, introducing innovative solutions, and driving impactful outcomes, I contributed to a transformative period for the organisation’s digital learning initiatives.
Whether empowering internal teams, enhancing learner engagement through gamification, or leveraging AI to modernize assessment systems, my work consistently aligned with the company’s mission to revolutionise language education for young learners. This experience solidified my passion for creating scalable, cutting-edge EdTech solutions that make a lasting difference for learners and educators alike.
