EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
Businesswire | April 17, 2023
HiLink, the education software provider transforming virtual learning, today unveiled AI Lesson Planner, its new edtech product purpose-built to revolutionize the way remote educators design and deliver lessons to students across the world.
As the majority of instructors today still require multiple tools to effectively manage their lesson planning (i.e., through designated planning software, digital content creation tools, and Learning Management Systems), HiLink's AI Lesson Planner unites all of these capabilities into one intuitive platform. Powered by the rich and instantaneous intelligence of ChatGPT, instructors can input topics, audiences, and keywords into the interface, and with a single click, curate an unlimited number of comprehensive lesson plans and high-quality virtual learning experiences that directly cater to and advance students forward.
HiLink’s AI Lesson planner goes beyond static content and instead incorporates engaging activities proven to enrich the learning experience - including video, dynamic material, and other captivating multimedia. Through its integration into HiLink’s premier digital learning hub, Virtual Classroom, teachers now have a robust set of features at their fingertips built to enable student collaboration and engagement, including whiteboards, media players, and more. In turn, this drives:
• Efficient workflows: Embedding classroom functionality directly within the lesson plan creates more engaging lessons and eliminates friction during the ideation, planning, and teaching stages
• Impactful personalization: Every student is unique, and HiLink’s AI Lesson Planner crafts personalized lesson plans to address individual needs, ensuring every student receives the support and attention required for their academic success
• Productive learning environments: For educators, AI reduces time and costs. The ability to reference lesson plans during class helps instructors stay on track without disruption. In addition, the tool collects all student data to easily measure individual and collective performance metrics. For students, this establishes clearer learning objectives for each session, engaging content, and ultimately improves learning outcomes
"Our goal is to provide innovative solutions that unlock the highest potential for educators while creating delightful learning experiences for students,” said Kelvin Wu, founder & CEO of HiLink. “We believe that the future of AI in the education industry is not only inevitable, but when used effectively will successfully supercharge the way instructors - including traditional teachers and tutors alike - are able to inform and inspire young minds in a virtual setting. We’re committed to transforming education by helping people teach and learn better online, and this groundbreaking AI Lesson Planner is just the beginning of what we have planned for our customers and the industry regarding artificial intelligence moving forward.”
About HiLink
HiLink is building a better way to teach and learn online through the power of technology. Its all-in-one video conferencing, collaboration software, and AI-enabled solutions empower educators to create the most engaging and impactful learning experiences for students across the globe.
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TALENT DEVELOPMENT
Businesswire | April 27, 2023
Summer, the certified B Corp committed to addressing the national student debt crisis, announced that it has raised $6M in new capital, with $18M raised in funding to date. General Catalyst, QED Investors, Flourish Ventures, Greycroft, Story Ventures, Gaingels, Calm VC, Partnership Fund for NYC, Fenway Summer, BDMI, and Avidbank participated in the financing.
The company also announced it has surpassed $1 billion in total projected savings for borrowers, and it has hired Leigh Gross as Chief Revenue Officer to lead partnerships with recordkeepers and other financial institutions interested in Summer Secure, the company’s automated solution for SECURE 2.0 retirement matching.
Student loan debt in the United States now stands at $1.75 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve, exceeding credit card and auto debt. It is often the first meaningful debt that young people incur, and can lead to a domino effect on their financial life–making it harder to save for retirement or buy a home years after graduating. Summer works with leading financial institutions, employers, and unions to provide a high impact, comprehensive digital solution that helps individuals plan for college costs, reduce the burden of student loan debt, and optimize retirement savings. To date, the company has delivered more than $1 billion in total projected savings for borrowers across the United States, offering assistance on every leg of the personal finance journey.
“We’re thrilled to announce this new funding, especially at a time when the need for better college planning and student loan solutions has never been more acute,” said CEO and co-founder Will Sealy. “As student loan forgiveness hangs in the balance and payments are set to resume for the first time in years, we’re excited to share our solution with more people to enable them to unlock financial freedom.”
Summer’s funding comes at an exciting time for the business as it continues to expand partnerships with retirement recordkeepers and payroll providers on the heels of its partnership with Fidelity Investments in 2022. Due to the recent passage of the SECURE 2.0 Act, many institutions are turning to Summer to support their employer clients with student loan retirement matching, leveraging Summer’s digital API suite and its expertise with operationalizing complex student loan policies into high-adoption solutions.
In a recent survey, 91% of employees with student debt said they would save more money for retirement if their employer offered a student loan repayment program. By ensuring that an employee’s student loan payments count toward the retirement match provided by their employer, Summer’s workplace solution can relieve student loan borrowers from having to make an impossible decision between paying down their debt or saving for retirement.
Summer was founded in 2017 by Sealy, a former Policy Analyst and Assistant to Sen. Elizabeth Warren and a veteran of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Chief Product Officer Paul Joo, with previous experience at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Boston Consulting Group, and Chief Product Officer Vincent Tran, who previously led product at Pave and Orchard and was an investor at the Partnership Fund for NYC.
Summer’s recent partnership milestones include a student loan benefit launched with Intuit’s personal finance subsidiary, Credit Karma, and an expanded partnership with the American Federation of Teachers to support their 1.7 million teachers, government employees, and healthcare workers. Summer will use the new funding to expand the platform to help even more borrowers with a holistic approach to financial well-being.
About Summer
Summer partners with financial institutions and employers to empower their populations to reduce education costs and student debt through proven technologies, policy expertise and human support. Founded in 2017 by industry experts, Summer’s mission is to alleviate student loan debt for 46 million borrowers by providing leading solutions for college cost planning, automated enrollment for loan assistance plans, tuition assistance, student loan contributions and retirement matching, and emergency savings. Summer is a certified B Corporation.
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CORPORATE LEARNING SYSTEMS
PRnewswire | May 03, 2023
Tennessee high school students can now learn essential soft skills to boost their chances for career success, thanks to WIN Learning and Jobs for America's Graduates Tennessee (JAGTN).WIN Learning is a national leading developer of career readiness solutions, and it is partnering with JAGTN, a non-profit organization helping students graduate, to strengthen the future workforce with soft skills training.
WIN Learning is proud to partner with JAGTN to offer students in the 2022-2023 school year the opportunity to earn the National Work Readiness Essential Soft Skills Credential. JAGTN is classified as a College, Career and Technical Education (CCTE) course through the Tennessee Department of Education.
"WIN's mission has always been to ensure that learners have the necessary skills to succeed in life and in their careers," said founder and CEO Teresa Chasteen-Dunn. "We are excited about this opportunity to help Tennessee students build their soft skills and set themselves up for future success."
Students will work through the WIN Essential Soft Skills courseware, which comprises blended online and offline solutions helping learners develop and demonstrate attitudinal and behavioral skills essential to success in the workplace and school. The WIN Essential Soft Skills Courseware consists of four modules: Communicating Effectively, Conveying Professionalism, Promoting Teamwork and Collaboration, and Thinking Critically and Solving Problems. These competencies are a key component of WIN's comprehensive approach to preparing students for success and providing future employers with workplace-ready candidates.
At the end of the class, students will take WIN Learning's National Work Readiness Essential Soft Skills Assessment, a career-contextualized assessment that goes beyond the concept knowledge evaluated by the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) tests and other academic end-of-course and college entrance exams. The WIN assessment measures students' ability to apply the foundational workplace skills required across all occupations and industries. The National Work Readiness Essential Soft Skills Credential correlates to the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET Content Model Framework, the nation's leading source of occupational data, and is endorsed by the National Work Ready Council, a national nonprofit workforce development, training, and advocacy organization.
About WIN Learning
Since 1996, WIN has become the leading provider of career readiness solutions to help business, industry, workforce and districts prepare pathways for students' and job seekers' futures, whether they are college, trade school, military or workplace bound. WIN's e-learning solutions include academic and employability skills courseware, assessments, and nationally recognized credentials endorsed by the National Work Readiness Council .To date, more than 10 million students worldwide have participated in the specialized career-driven courseware and education intervention initiatives as well as career readiness certification programs.
About JAGTN
Since 1981, JAGTN's mission is to identify students who face barriers to graduation, guiding each one toward post-secondary education, a meaningful career, and a productive adulthood, with a purpose to improve young lives forever. JAGTN serves 31 schools across 20 Tennessee counties.
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