Nearpod Expands Into Higher Education
edsurge | October 10, 2019
In the K-12 education market, Nearpod boasts a far reach, claiming its tools are used by about 7 million students in 60 percent of U.S. K-12 districts. Now it has set its sights higher—literally—by looking at colleges and universities. Originally designed for the K-12 market, Nearpod’s interactive lesson and assessment tools have unintentionally attracted some 200 higher-ed institutions that are already paying for the product, according to Felipe Sommer, the company’s co-founder and chief operating officer. Still, these users account for just a fraction of its overall user base, of whom up to 90 percent are in K-12, by his estimate. Today, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based company is launching a new offering to grow its higher-ed footprint. Dubbed simply “Nearpod for Higher Education,” the product lets faculty and instructors upload lessons and presentations, add interactive features and assessments, create polls and quizzes, and then beam them directly to students’ devices. Students can follow at their own pace and deliver responses back to the instructor.