Talent Development
PRnewswire | July 13, 2023
UWorld, a worldwide leader in online learning tools for high-stakes exams, today announced the launch of its U.K. Medical Licensing Assessment® (UKMLA®) test preparation resources. Aligned to the MLA Examination Blueprint, UWorld's new UKMLA AKT QBank provides educators and students with over a thousand clinically relevant questions developed by practicing doctors to complement existing medical curriculum.
The UKMLA will be a new requirement for all medical students graduating in the academic year 2024-2025, replacing the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) exam. The exam will assess the fundamental knowledge, abilities, and behaviors required to practice safely as a doctor in the U.K. International Medical Graduate (IMG) students that wish to practice medicine in the U.K. will be required to take the MLA starting in January 2024 and U.K. medical students will be required to sit for the MLA starting with the 2024-2025 academic year.
Designed to help students build effective study habits and improve test-taking endurance, UWorld offers practice questions that help prepare them for their high-stakes exams. UKMLA Study tools include vivid, context-specific illustrations and animations that deepen understanding of critical concepts. For each answer choice, UWorld provides concise, detailed rationales that describe the clinical reasoning behind correct and incorrect answers. Personalized performance reports and customizable flashcards ensure students recognize areas of weakness to help create efficient study sessions that maximize impact.
For educators, UWorld provides tools that can be customized to supplement their medical curriculum. Formative and summative assessments can be built using UWorld's 1,500+ question bank. These questions are also easily integrated into presentation format for classroom learning. UWorld's gradebook and reporting tools for teachers provides valuable insight into classroom performance to easily identify knowledge gaps to ensure early-stage remediation and support. Additionally, students are able to continue learning on their own with access to the self-study student AKT QBank.
"We are thrilled to offer U.K. medical students and educators our award-winning tools to help them succeed on the UKMLA," said Chandra S. Pemmasani, M.D., Founder and CEO of UWorld. "The expansion to the U.K. market is a natural next step after supporting more than 90% of all U.S. medical students in their preparation for the USMLE for more than 15 years. We are proud to offer content that is meticulously developed by subject matter experts, which underscores our commitment to providing resources of exceptional quality."
UWorld aims to make difficult topics easy to understand so that learners at all levels are empowered to succeed in the testing room and to accomplish their career goals.
About UWorld
UWorld is the worldwide leader in online learning to prepare for high-stakes exams. Since 2003, UWorld has helped millions of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students prepare for their exams. At the core of UWorld's mission is an obsession with quality so that students receive only the best in learning resources. Whether students are preparing for the, ACT®, SAT®, College Board®, AP®, CFA®, CPA, MBE®, MCAT®, NAPLEX®/MPJE®/CPJE, NCLEX®, PANCE/PANRE, COMLEX®, USMLE®, ABIM®, or ABFM®, UWorld ensures success by using active learning methods. With challenging practice questions that mirror the real tests and unrivaled explanations, students can efficiently and effectively prepare for every topic on their exams.
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Online Education
PRnewswire | July 28, 2023
Instructure and Khan Academy announced a partnership that brings together Instructure's market-leading learning management system, Canvas, the anchor of the Instructure Learning Platform, and Khan Academy's AI-powered student tutor and teaching assistant, Khanmigo. This integrated solution will put the transformative power of generative AI into the hands of students and educators using the Canvas learning environment.
Generative AI represents an opportunity to enhance the role of technology in supporting educators and creating efficiencies in their day-to-day instruction. This new solution will harness this transformative moment by enabling educators with an integrated Khanmigo experience that supports human-driven, technology-enhanced essay feedback and grading, lesson planning and rubric creation. This solution is a large step forward in delivering personalization for each student while allowing busy educators to scale their excellence and impact in ways unimaginable a few short months ago.
For students, the use of generative AI presents significant opportunities and challenges. In a world filled with intelligent agents and easily-accessed answers, the need for tools that guide, enhance and support active learning is critical. Initially focusing on student writing, Instructure and Khan Academy aim to support students and their learning through Khanmigo's tutoring capabilities. By helping students use generative AI ethically, equitably, and with integrity, demonstrating an authentic work product becomes easy and clear.
"Generative AI, and tools like ChatGPT, have been a part of every conversation I have had this year with leaders, learners and instructors across our global education community," said Instructure CEO Steve Daly. "This partnership with Khan Academy and its deep expertise in generative AI will deliver a powerful solution for one of the world's largest education communities – delivering an intentional, secure and equitable experience that promotes impactful learning experiences for all."
Instructure's Learn Platform independent research team, along with Khan Academy's educational research team, will jointly design research for early adopters, to measure the impact of these tools on student outcomes - delivering insight into the efficacy of the tools and the utilization of AI to assist teachers and students in achieving their learning outcomes.
"Every educator we talk to is seeking ways to address students using ChatGPT to write school essays and do homework," said Sal Khan, founder and CEO of Khan Academy. "How can classrooms use AI tools, while ensuring students develop critical thinking skills? We're teaming up with Instructure to solve this. We're using AI to show teachers not just the final essay, but how the student got there. So students will be supported in developing critical writing and thinking skills, while getting the benefit of AI designed for education. Khanmigo can also help with rubric creation and grading, saving teachers time. Students won't get answers, but they will get appropriate levels of support."
Instructure and Khan Academy will bring Canvas and Khanmigo together for a cohort of K-12 and Higher Ed design partners and early adopters during the 2024-2025 school year. Institutions interested in piloting this solution can sign up in the Emerging AI Marketplace.
ABOUT INSTRUCTURE
Instructure is an education technology company dedicated to elevating student success, amplifying the power of teaching, and inspiring everyone to learn together. Today the Instructure Learning Platform, comprised of its flagship product Canvas LMS and several products serving K-12 and higher education, supports tens of millions of educators and learners in over 100 countries worldwide. Learn more at www.instructure.com.
ABOUT KHAN ACADEMY
Khan Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Our platforms include more than 70,000 practice problems, videos and articles that cover a range of preK-14 subjects. Khan Academy's mastery-based learning system allows students to learn key concepts at a pace that's right for them before moving on to more challenging content. Our award-winning free app for young children ages two to eight is Khan Academy Kids. We partner with more than 500 schools and districts across the country that serve students who are historically under-resourced. Districts use Khan Academy Districts and MAP Accelerator to help teachers differentiate instruction. Worldwide, more than 140 million registered learners have used Khan Academy in 190 countries and 51 languages.
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Talent Development
PRnewswire | August 09, 2023
The Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF) is delighted to announce its collaboration with Hatch Early Learning, a leading provider of educational technology solutions. This strategic partnership aims to advance the mission of BBCF and bring transformative educational opportunities to the Black Belt Head Start program in underserved communities.
BBCF is a non-profit organization committed to creating positive change in the Black Belt region of Alabama. Their mission is to improve the quality of life and foster opportunities for growth and development for the residents of the Black Belt community. In 2017, BBCF began administrating six separate Head Start schools in four counties of the Alabama Black Belt (Choctaw, Dallas, Marengo, and Wilcox).
The Black Belt Head Start program has recently implemented broadband access in their facilities as part of their ongoing commitment to enhancing education. This significant step will bridge the digital divide and provide students and teachers with unprecedented access to resources and information.
To complement this broadband initiative, the Black Belt Head Start program has invested in twenty cutting-edge IgniteTables from Hatch Early Learning. The IgniteTable is an innovative educational tool designed to engage young learners through interactive and immersive experiences. BBCF Head Start schools will be the first schools in Alabama to adopt this new learning tool.
The introduction of the IgniteTables, combined with the implementation of broadband, is expected to be game-changing for the students and educators in the Black Belt community. Students will be better equipped to develop critical skills and knowledge essential for their future success with enhanced access to educational content and interactive learning materials.
"Hatch Early Learning is thrilled to be partnering with the Black Belt Community Foundation to support their mission of providing quality education and opportunities in underserved communities," said Sam Bonfante, President of Hatch Early Learning. "We believe that every child deserves access to a high-quality education, and through this collaboration, we are proud to contribute to the positive impact on the lives of young learners in the Black Belt community."
According to BBCF President, Felecia Lucky, "Head Start focuses on the whole child with an emphasis on education, health, nutrition, and social-emotional well-being, while preparing them to enter elementary school. In addition, we provide family support and promote family involvement. Being able to equip our schools with the latest, state of the art learning tools helps us to ensure that our Head Start students have every advantage we can make available for them. Being the first schools in Alabama to adopt this technology is doubly exciting!"
Taquila Monroe, Director of the Black Belt Community Foundation Head Start Program, expressed her enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, "This collaboration with Hatch Early Learning represents a major milestone for our community. The introduction of broadband and the implementation of the IgniteTable solution will revolutionize the way our students learn and provide our educators with powerful tools to inspire and engage young minds. We are grateful for Hatch's support in advancing our educational initiatives and making a lasting difference in the lives of our children."
To mark the beginning of this transformative partnership, Hatch Early Learning will be coordinating a press event on August 11th in Selma, AL, in collaboration with the Black Belt Community Foundation. The event will include on-site training sessions and provide an opportunity for guests to meet with Sam Bonfante, the President of Hatch Early Learning, Taquila Monroe, the Director of the Black Belt Community Foundation Head Start program, and leaders of the Black Belt Community Foundation board of directors.
This momentous occasion signifies a step forward in educational innovation, equipping young minds in underserved communities with the tools they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world.
About Hatch Early Learning
Hatch Early Learning is a leading provider of educational technology solutions designed to foster interactive and engaging learning experiences for young children. With a commitment to transforming education, Hatch offers a range of innovative products tailored to enhance early childhood education.
About Black Belt Community Foundation
The Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Alabama's Black Belt region. BBCF provides support to community efforts in education, health and wellness, economic development, and cultural heritage preservation.
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