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Create A Better Reading Education for Academic Success
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My personal volunteer experience inspires us to focus on the rural Chinese education .
MOTIVATION
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There are 40.5 million “left-behind” children in China, who remain in their home rural regions of China while their parents have left for work in urban areas.
Based on our interview in 4 different schools, 95%+ of the students do not have direct access to the Internet.
A large Chinese K-5 youth population faces multifaceted challenges.
CONTEXT
Background
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Not only children, but also the elementary school teachers faced challenges from the 2019 education reform.
1. Higher grade proportion on reading comprehension
2. Reading exam questions are more interpretative and flexible
3. Chinese textbooks are standardized nationwide
Fill in the form with a character that you have read from literature books or TV shows. Three columns are Character name, Origin (sources), and why you like the character.
1. The Minister of Education website
2. The photo shows a Fifth grade Chinese exam question in Henan Province
CONTEXT
Background
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We identified three key problems through the double diamond design thinking process.
1. Teachers do not see the benefit of students’ existing reading interest reflecting on their Chinese exam performance.
2. Teachers do not know how to nurture students’ independent reading comprehension skill.
3. Students cannot answer the more interpretative new Chinese exam questions well, leading to a lower exam grade.
See more about our design thinking process in the appendix.
RESEARCH
Findings
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YoungRead supports
teachers in transforming�students' reading interest
into academic success.
SOLUTION
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YoungRead matches the books in their library collection that align with the curriculum goals.
Interview
"We need to extend from the textbook. Chinese class needs to learn extra-curricular knowledge now¹."
"I look for reading resources with specific themes: The themes include respecting the old and loving the young, thanking parents, learning the truth and moral concept of being a human being²."
1,2,. Interview quotes from elementary teachers in Gansu province
BOOK
MATCHING
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Teachers can learn and implement engaging reading activities to improve students’ learning experience.
Interview
"Schools and teachers intend to make reading as assignments, but worry students would lost interests, so they want more training on reading methods."¹
1. Interview quotes from elementary teachers in Hunan province
READING ACTIVITIES
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Teachers can use the platform for students to write about and reflect critically on their reading.
"Exam grade differences among schools are not so big, but there are differences between students' qualities in different schools."³
Interview
1,2,3. Interview quotes from elementary teachers in Hunan province
"Exam questions used to be more recitation, but now are more contextual and interpretative."¹
"Students read a lot but don't think deeply."²
STUDENT FEEDBACK
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Let’s hear Yaya’s story.
OVERVIEW
Yaya
The Adventure of Tom Sawyer
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YoungRead has a great potential in the Chinese education market.
China's education market has revenues of approximately US $ 300 billion in 2018.
There are 180 million “underserved” children—accounting for 75% of the total child population.
YoungRead does not have any direct competitors, sitting at the intersection of
4 product categories:
Market research
1. L.E.K. ‘s China Spotlight of EdTech Report, 2019
2. Underserved population is children who do not have access to resources or support. Most of them come from low-income family, are younger children, or live in less-developed areas.
OPPORTUNITY
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YoungRead will be marketed to schools so that it will be free for end-users.
PRICING
For student | Free |
For teacher | Free |
For school | $500 ≈ ¥3500 installation $ 150 ≈ ¥1000 annual subscription |
Market strategy
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Cumulative Cost | ~ $ 6K ≈ ¥42K | ~ $ 30K ≈ ¥210K | ~ $ 75K ≈ ¥525K |
Total Schools | 0 | 5 | 15 |
| 0 | 1 | 2 |
Early-stage implementation will focus on establishing a solid platform.
Year
Market research
STAGE 1
NOW - 2022
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Chinese EdTech field receives high attention from both government and leading tech companies.
STAGE 1
NOW - 2024
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IF YoungRead is implemented in a school,�THEN the expected outcomes are that:
Library book checkout records
Students’ reading comprehension score
Students’ writing scores
Better teaching pedagogy
The impact of YoungRead will be measured at each school.
Success Metrics
STAGE 2
2021 - 2024
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The metrics used to evaluate design success will be used to secure a contract with Ministry of Education.
Government contract
The official website for Chinese Education Equipment Purchase
STAGE 2
2023 - 2026
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Middle-stage will leverage Ministry of Education authority for scaling.
Year
Cumulative Cost | ~ $ 75K ≈ ¥525K | ~ $ 140K ≈ ¥990K | ~ $ 235K ≈ ¥1650K | ~ $ 375K ≈ ¥2650K | ~ $ 540K ≈ ¥3800K |
Cumulative Revenue | ~ $ 0K ≈ ¥ 0K | ~ $ 21K ≈ ¥ 150K | ~ $ 71K ≈ ¥ 500K | ~ $ 200K ≈ ¥1400K | ~ $ 560K ≈ ¥4000K |
Total Schools | 15 | 40 | 100 | 250 | 700 |
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Growth forecast
STAGE 3
NOW - 2026
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YoungRead aims for broader scale impact.
At year 6, we hope YoungRead will have reached:
700 schools
~175,000 students
~10,500 teachers
1. Numbers are calculated based on UNESCO. 2019. China's Small Rural Schools: Challenges and Responses and OECD. 2016. Education in China: A Snapshot.
Impact
STAGE 3
NOW - 2026
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We all care about education quality & equity in China.
TEAM
DreamCorp Volunteer
Product Manager
School of Information
Creative Writer
Education Researcher
School of Information
Teacher
Learning Exp Designer
School of Education
Engineer
Design Methodologist
College of Engineering
Sophie Niu
Zixi Li
Botao Lu
Jennifer Huang
Vincent Qiu
Journalist
UX/UI Designer
School of Information
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We are supported by multidisciplinary experts.
MENTORS
International Development Researcher
Applied Computer Scientist
Director of the Interactive Communications & Simulations (ICS) Group
Clinical Assistant Professor
Kentaro Toyama
Christopher
Brooks
Jeffrey Stanzler
Kristin Fontichiaro
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coinflippers-educ@umich.edu
Contact Us
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Appendix - Table of Contents
APPENDIX
Problem
Identification
Problem
Decomposition
Solution
Creation
Solution
Refinement
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APPENDIX
Appendix A -- Design Progress Overview.
We followed the design thinking process to understand and discover the problem. Design thinking is a proven innovation methodology that leads to better product as it focuses on solving the root problem with creatives solutions.
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APPENDIX
Appendix B -- Interview.
We conducted hour-long interviews with four Dream Corps administrators and volunteers as well as seven teachers at Dream Corps’ partnered rural elementary schools. In the interviews, we asked questions about the scale and process of teachers' instruction, the use of technology and multimedia systems in the schools, students' learning methods and motivations, and volunteer activities and impact.
To view the interview protocol in Chinese and English: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14IKkD-fQxCJ_7hztuJtYQCLce01x1NGroN1nKOOZ3DE/edit?usp=sharing
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APPENDIX
Appendix C -- Affinity Wall.
Following each interview, to improve the neutrality of analysis, the notetaker would pair up with a teammate who did not participate in the interview. The notetaker shared their interview takeaways, the other teammate would record individual key points on sticky notes. After following this process for the eleven interviews, the entire team regrouped to sort and categorize the sticky notes into an affinity diagram (grouping notes with similar themes).
From the affinity diagram, we identified larger themes such as our various stakeholders’ needs, goals, constraints, motivations, and frustrations.
To view the collaborative board: https://miro.com/app/board/o9J_kuTh4Lw=/
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APPENDIX
Appendix C -- Affinity Wall.
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APPENDIX
Appendix D -- Proposition Definition.
Proposition definition is an exercise generating proposals for how things could be, exploring contexts to develop new ideas and uses, and discovering issues and hidden nuances.
Proposition：
It’s an educational intervention that is innovative and easy to adapt which increases students’ learning motivation, curiosity and creativity.
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Appendix D -- Proposition Definition.
APPENDIX
Issue Definition
Engage the issue of the gap between performance evaluation and students’ interest, raising teachers’ awareness about the limitation of required textbook and the importance of extracurricular resources, which is shaped by social expectation, educational structure and policy, and geographic differences.
This matters because decrease teaching pressure on exam can foster student’s self-development.
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APPENDIX
Appendix D -- Proposition Definition.
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APPENDIX
Appendix D -- Proposition Definition.
Organization/ Social Relation
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APPENDIX
Appendix E -- Bodystorming.
We utilized bodystorming design technique to discover design opportunities in the current process based on our research.
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APPENDIX
Appendix F -- Survey.
9 Questions & 17 Responses
Assumptions:
Key takeaway:
To view the survey: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ETI-Oq-7I9nXvW9Ao5Y7qKJEaRM9wVaL/view?usp=sharing
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APPENDIX
Appendix G -- SCAMPER Problem Statement Brainstorming.
SCAMPER was first introduced by Bob Eberle to address targeted questions that help solve problems or ignite creativity during brainstorming meetings. The name SCAMPER is acronym for seven techniques; (S) substitute, (C) combine, (A) adapt, (M) modify, (P) put to another use, (E) eliminate and (R) reverse.
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APPENDIX
Appendix G -- SCAMPER Problem Statement Brainstorming.
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APPENDIX
Appendix H -- Literature Review.
To view the literature research: 01 Literature Review
Our research focuses on:
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APPENDIX
Appendix I -- Ideation/ Storyboard.
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APPENDIX
Appendix I -- Ideation/ Storyboard.
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APPENDIX
Appendix I -- Ideation/ Storyboard.
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APPENDIX
Appendix J -- Solution Rubrics.
Based on our formative research and discussion, we believe that the ideal solution should (from most to least important)
1) have a direct impact on students’ learning,
2) alleviate teachers’ instructional burden and provide alignment with exam needs, 3) be cheap and simple to develop and implement,
4) require minimal-to-moderate technology setup and Dream Corps support,
5) be targeted to students’ grade level,
6) be translatable to other schools, and
7) involve students’ families in their learning.
Click to view the full rubrics: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1V70YfUNfHmzeq8yZatEODoK7p6-rRLnIfE1iWqlKzoE/edit?usp=sharing
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APPENDIX
Appendix J -- Solution Rubrics.
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APPENDIX
Appendix K -- Prototype.
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APPENDIX
Market Sector Identification
Appendix L -- Market Research.
Library Systems
Social Catalogs
Study Assistants
Teaching Resource
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APPENDIX
Appendix L1- Competitor Feature Comparison
YoungRead features are innovative and coming from various indirect competitor analysis.
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APPENDIX
Appendix L2--Library system report.
The library technology field continues to see modest growth overall, though that growth is unevenly distributed among companies. Large companies with expanding portfolios of products and services are giving new shape to the landscape. Massive companies such as Follett, ProQuest/Ex Libris, and EBSCO represent formidable competition for any challenger in their markets. SirsiDynix and Innovative Interfaces continue to retain and attract diverse libraries to their evolving integrated library system (ILS)–centric product portfolios.
It's a complex industry, with different business and technology trends running simultaneously, often along divergent paths. Economic prospects are low risk, with adequate room for new business opportunities. Almost all libraries that fall within the ranks of eligible customers have at least some level of automation infrastructure in place.
APPENDIX
Appendix L3--Cost and Revenue Projection.
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Appendix M -- Sustainability Plan.
APPENDIX
Revenue Sources:
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APPENDIX
Question: Is this a website that includes the library system or is this working with existing library systems?
It works with existing library systems. We are an innovative product which will cooperate with the schools. We will make index to integrate it into classroom teaching based on the books that the schools have!
Appendix N -- Question.
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APPENDIX
Appendix L -- Weekly Team Meeting.