I’m not a mom yet, but I wonder how my future kids will be able to leverage the cloud for their education as I’ve been able to do for my career.  We’re in the midst of a massive transition for the workforce and education system, both of which can benefit greatly from the technological advances we’ve seen in recent years.  The presence of software has enabled the enterprise sector to scale numerous services, from marketing to retail, payroll to IT administration.  So how does one scale education as a service?

Between the rising cost of education and the growing demand for more personalized strategies to address the varied needs of students, the education sector has a lot to gain from recent technological advancements.  Sallie Severns knows that better than most, having worked at a prominent web search company for several years before starting a mobile, collaborative education tool inspired by her own child’s frustrations researching educational material on the web.

Answer Underground, founded by Severns, is a mobile app designed for students, teachers and parents to come together on school subjects, providing verified answers and additional resources to supplement what goes on in the classroom.  We hear from Severns in today’s CEO Series on the logistics of scaling education as a service, the power of mobile collaboration and the most promising way her kids are currently able to leverage technology for the betterment of their own education.

How can you scale education as a service?

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There are two ways to scale anything and I don’t think education is any different: more manpower or more efficient use of manpower. Historically, the only option available to education was more manpower. The more students you have, the more teachers you need. I believe technology is converging in such a way within education that we have limitless tools at our disposal with which to more efficiently use the resources that we have. A single teacher can now offer their course to thousands of students. A service such as Answer Underground can help students get the customized help that they need by flattening and disintegrating traditional hierarchies. Education is one of the greatest needs of our society from 3 and 4 year olds to college students to on-the-job training to re-employment training and it is vital that students of all ages be able to find the help that they need. The ability to scale as a service is not just a nicety, it’s essential.

What are the benefits of being able to learn faster through collaboration?

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Research supports collaborative learning. Studying in groups has been shown to improve student engagement and retention of classroom material. Studies also show that when a student doesn’t know the answer, collaborating with their peers for problem solving has been shown to increase learning and correct answers to their questions. A high factor in successful student collaboration is providing students with non-threatening mediums where there is no exclusive control over who talks. If students are allowed to volunteer information or ask their peers questions, they are more successful academically. Additionally, technology provides students and teachers with a 21st-century library at their fingertips, which allows everyone to learn and access faster. Students are able to find what they need in seconds and share it more easily. It gives access to anytime, anywhere learning.

You offer a consumer service through the cloud, using tactics once confined to the enterprise sector.  How has the consumerization of IT and data molded your business model?

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The ability of the consumer to utilize and access data on-demand is the reason Answer Underground has a business model. The same could be said of services such as Dropbox, Evernote, and any number of consumer-driven, cloud-based applications. Further, the Internet’s desire to be open and accessible will proliferate this trend rending local storage (including databases, encyclopedias, etc) obsolete if it hasn’t already. Answer Underground will thrive moving forward as it is readily positioned to leverage these opportunities, putting the power into the hands of the consumer.

SALLIE SEVERNS

MOBILE EDUCATOR

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The most promising way your kids are currently able to leverage technology for their educational purposes?

My kids use apps for just about everything they do. How my son and daughter interact and learn is radically different from my own experience growing up.  It’s exciting to watch their development and how quickly they are able to get to the solution as a result of using technology. My 14 year old created a Bible iPhone app for a school project last year.

What was your strangest college course?

I wouldn’t categorize as strange, but definitely not in my requirements to graduate! I spent a year living abroad in Tel-Aviv, Israel and Paris, France. I took a semester of Hebrew and French. International travel really opened up my mind to possibility and how much we can learn from other cultures. It was a wonderful time in my life.

First mobile app you open in the morning?

Answer Underground, of course!