Talent Development
PRnewswire | July 27, 2023
StraighterLine, a creator of affordable, flexible and career-aligned postsecondary courses and credentials that serves over 150,000 learners per year, announced today the appointment of Allison Lesser as vice president of digital marketing. With a track record of successfully leading branding and digital and omni-channel marketing for education, consumer and media brands for more than 20 years, Lesser joins the company after spending more than a decade in branding, digital marketing and user experience leadership roles at education technology companies.
"Allison's extensive experience in education technology and her passion for making education and training more accessible align perfectly with StraighterLine's vision," said Heather Combs, CEO of StraighterLine. "We are thrilled to have her join our team and lead our digital marketing efforts. Her expertise and leadership will drive our mission forward and help us reach even more learners around the world."
In her new role, Lesser will oversee digital marketing strategies and initiatives to support the company's growing platform of courses and new product innovations. She will be responsible for shaping the technical vision and strategy for the StraighterLine platform, driving product innovation and enhancing the overall learning experience for students.
Lesser most recently worked for The Teaching Company, known for its content brands The Great Courses and Wondrium. There, led the acquisition marketing team for Wondrium's video streaming product of nonfiction content and successfully hired, trained and mentored a team of marketers. During the pandemic, her team increased spend by more than 70% in a short time frame while keeping the cost per acquisition within business goals. Her dedication and commitment to delivering strong results in a fast-paced and evolving environment exemplify her leadership skills.
Earlier in her career, Lesser held various leadership roles in the education and digital marketing sectors. She began her journey in education technology in 2011 as the director of product marketing for online education developer K12, where she worked closely with market research and developed positioning for educational products. She also served as the director of digital marketing for Envision, the pioneering developer of career exploration and leadership development experiences for K-12 students. She began her career working in the global headquarters of AOL, where she spent ten years focused on consumer experience and driving product, marketing and content teams to make decisions based on consumer data.
Aside from her professional achievements, Lesser is actively involved in volunteer work and regularly participates in races that support various causes and sponsors two children from Tanzania through Compassion International, providing them with letters of encouragement. She also volunteers at Potowmack Elementary in Sterling, Virginia, where she works closely with the school liaison and social worker to identify ways to help families in need. A resident of Northern Virginia, Lesser has been happily married to her husband, Chris Lesser, for 20 years and is a proud mother of two teenage children.
About StraighterLine:
StraighterLine is the leading provider of high-quality, affordable, online courses that help learners earn college credit and meet their professional goals. Each year, 150,000 learners take one of StraighterLine's 250+ courses to upskill into new careers or earn credit from over 2,000 colleges and universities worldwide. StraighterLine works with institutions and corporate partners to provide their students and employees with flexible education options that allow them to work and learn at their own pace.
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Education Technology
PRnewswire | August 16, 2023
TutorMe, a one-to-one, online tutoring solution from leading digital learning company GoGuardian, today announced it has been selected by the State of New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) as a qualified vendor for their new high-impact tutoring program. The Learning Acceleration: High-Impact Tutoring initiative, launching for the 2023-24 academic school year, will provide targeted funding to local education agencies (LEAs) for high-dosage, intensive tutoring for students, with a priority of students in grades three and four. The NJDOE is supporting LEAs' efforts to respond to students' increased academic needs and the necessity to accelerate learning by launching a state-supported tutoring initiative.
To apply for the program, school districts must use the Electronic Web-Enabled Grant System (EWEG) online application system on the NJDOE's Homeroom web page. Grant applications must be submitted by Sept. 20, 2023. Districts that receive the grant will then be given a list of pre-approved tutoring providers, including TutorMe, which will be available to support the tutoring services offered through the grant program.
"High-dosage tutoring is proven to be an incredibly effective educational strategy for improving student learning outcomes, and we commend the State of New Jersey for implementing this critical grant program," said Luke Harris, Chief Revenue Officer at GoGuardian. "TutorMe is proud to be a part of this initiative that will not only support students, but also deliver added in-classroom support to teachers working diligently to provide personalized learning experiences."
The NJDOE is the latest state education agency to partner with TutorMe for state-wide tutoring initiatives. In 2022 the Texas Education Agency included TutorMe as an approved provider for their Vetted Texas Tutoring Corps Program.
TutorMe, which has completed more than one million live tutoring sessions, offers high-impact, personalized tutoring for learners across the country. TutorMe's platform allows students to connect with a tutor to collaborate in real-time during live sessions, with the option to engage face-to-face in a safe digital environment.
About TutorMe
TutorMe's platform is further enhanced by the company's unique RAISE Approach, which translates the learning methodologies in TutorMe's evidence-based logic model into a framework for tutors to support student engagement. The RAISE Approach is centered on the guiding principles of asking questions and providing feedback, followed by rapport-building, assessment of prior knowledge, individualized instruction, structured practice, and encouragement. This approach results in more engaged students, leading to positive learning outcomes.
About GoGuardian
GoGuardian aims to help all learners feel ready and inspired to solve the world's greatest challenges by combining the best in learning and science technology across every part of the learning journey. Our award-winning system of educational tools, which includes Giant Steps, Pear Deck, and GoGuardian Teacher for learning engagement; Edulastic for formative assessments; TutorMe for virtual on-demand tutoring; and GoGuardian Admin and Beacon to support student safety, is purpose-built for K-12 and trusted by school leaders to promote effective teaching and equitable engagement while empowering educators to help keep students safe.
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Corporate Education and Training, Online Education
prnewswire | August 23, 2023
Course Hero, the learning platform used by over 150,000 educators, today announced the launch of AI Academy, a first-of-its-kind teacher training program empowering educators to respond to the various opportunities and challenges that AI presents.
"Artificial intelligence has significantly disrupted the classroom in recent months, leaving educators with little guidance and even less training, while institutions work to catch up with the technological advancements," said Sean Michael Morris, Vice President of Academics at Course Hero. "We designed and built this course based on feedback from our community of educators, who are astute learners themselves and relentless in their pursuit of creating impactful learning for their students."
The four-week program, AI Academy, will help faculty gain the critical tools and skills needed to teach in the age of AI and will prepare them to use the technology as an effective teaching and learning resource. Participants will learn new ways to create assessments and assignments, understand how AI impacts academic integrity, and use it to teach digital literacy to their students. Educators who complete the four-week-long program, will receive a Certification in Teaching with AI, along with 10 continuing education units. Those who are interested in the program can register here: https://education.coursehero.com/ai-academy/.
In a recent survey from The Crimson, many faculty respondents revealed in open-ended responses that they did not know how to proceed in plans to adapt their teaching, research, and scholarship in the age of AI. In another recent survey of 1,000 faculty, commissioned by Course Hero, younger faculty (Gen Z and Millennials) respondents were more likely to say the pace of adoption is too fast, while half of all Baby Boomer respondents said they were not aware of their institutions' pace of change regarding the adoption of generative AI.
"While used thoughtlessly, AI can shortchange learning, but there are also enormous opportunities to empower students if faculty members are intentional and thoughtful in introducing AI to the classroom," said Edward Tian, Founder of GPTZero and speaker at Course Hero's 2023 Education Summit, where some of the most well-attended sessions were focused on the role of AI in the classroom. "Every educator should take this opportunity to equip themselves with the tools they need to succeed as the classroom continues to evolve."
About Course Hero
Course Hero is on a mission to help students graduate confident and prepared. The online learning platform now offers more than 100 million course-specific study resources created by and for students and educators, as well as 24/7 tutor help. More than 150,000 faculty across the U.S. and Canada use Course Hero to share their resources with the community, collaborate with other faculty, and hone new strategies for instruction. Every day, students, educators and tutors on Course Hero help more than 30 million students make every study hour count.
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