TabletTeach: Opportunity Analysis for a New Educational Technology Product

Abstract

In May 2013, Jack Russo, a Chicago-based tech entrepreneur, had to choose one of four possible product concepts to use as the starting point for his new K–8 educational learning company, TabletTeach LLC. At the time, the K–12 education market in the United States was experiencing major disruption due to print-to-digital transformation, new Common Core State Standards (CCSS), new standardized tests aligned to the Common Core (rolling out in most states in the 2014–2015 school year), and increasing pressure from parents for schools to incorporate technology in their children's learning. Based on his first-hand experience and research, Russo knew there was a significant opportunity for a company that brought to market a tablet-enabled learning solution focusing on grades K–8, which made learning Common Core math and/or language arts fun for every student and engagingly simple for all teachers.

This case provides an interesting example of something typically hard to teach: transitioning from the fuzzy front end of a market opportunity analysis to a specific product opportunity. The case bounds the problem by outlining four potential product concepts, which students will then evaluate and rank using their own sets of criteria.

This case was prepared for inclusion in Sage Business Cases primarily as a basis for classroom discussion or self-study, and is not meant to illustrate either effective or ineffective management styles. Nothing herein shall be deemed to be an endorsement of any kind. This case is for scholarly, educational, or personal use only within your university, and cannot be forwarded outside the university or used for other commercial purposes.

2024 Sage Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Resources

Exhibit 1: Background on New Common Core State Standards

In 2009 the National Governors Association announced an initiative to:

… provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy. 24

At the time of the case, forty-five of the fifty states had adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), with the 2009 federal “Race to the Top” grants accelerating adoption. See the following video for an overview of the Common Core:

https://vimeo.com/51933492

Figure

Starting in the 2014–2015 school year, states were expected to move to CCSS-aligned standardized testing. As explained in the video above, the purpose was to create a level playing field for evaluating students' performance—and, by implication, that of schools, teachers, and administrators.

Exhibit 2: Digital Learning Best Practices and Observations from Mooresville Graded School District

In 2013, Jack Russo visited North Carolina's Mooresville Graded School District, which at the time was the best school district in the country, 25 according to Scholastic Administrator magazine. The occasion was an open house during which visitors were bused to different schools and could enter and observe every classroom, and, where appropriate, even talk with students and teachers. The experience became an inflection point for Russo, allowing him to see first-hand “digital learning done right.”

Mooresville was not an affluent school district, nor was it located in a technology hub. Mooresville was an example of the potential gains that could be realized when the old way of teaching children was discarded entirely and a new method was developed from the ground up. What made Mooresville special was not only that all of its students, from grades 1 through 12, had their own 11-inch MacBook Air, nor even that they used no print textbooks; what was special was that the district had integrated digital learning into the fabric of its educational system and had developed an entirely new way of educating students. The district's results proved it could work.

Russo's conclusions from his visit to Mooresville:

Observations
  • Mooresville had no print textbooks; everything was digital: learning material, assignments, homework, and in-class work.
  • Teachers in Mooresville encouraged students to explore and learn new technologies— freely admitting, as one there did, “It's impossible to keep up with all the technology changes; my students often learn something before I do.”
  • In most of the Mooresville classrooms, Russo observed teachers guiding a small group of students, while the rest of their classmates worked on their own. Inevitably, students would help one another learn—with very positive results. In a few classrooms, teachers explicitly adopted peer-based learning methods to encourage learning and improved teamwork skills.
  • The Mooresville schools taught “digital citizenship” at each grade, that is, how to use technology safely and responsibly—especially regarding Internet risks and social networking etiquette. This was an implementation detail that Russo had not considered.
  • Parents were heavily involved and were supportive throughout the process
  • Transitioning from a traditional learning model to a digital model was a five-year change management process, even for a relatively small 5,000-student district.
Insights

(These insights became foundational to Russo as his concept of “TabletTeach” emerged.)

  • Tablets over computers for primary-grade students. Mooresville made the decision to standardize computers as the most important hardware for all students, from grades 1 through 12. In observing younger students (grades PreK–3, especially) in general, it seemed to Russo that computers were not very effective because of the “cognitive dissonance” between the data input (mouse/keyboard) and the results observed on the screen. Tablets, on the other hand, were intuitive for primary students (PreK–3) to use.
  • Focus first on learning, not on learning how to use computer. Russo's belief was that primary-grade students should focus on learning with tablets, rather than on taking the additional time to learn how to use computers, because it was easy enough to pick up computers in fourth or fifth grade. Russo confirmed this informally with four or five technology specialists. Computers made sense where greater content creation, such as of reports and creative-writing projects, became a more important part of the curriculum.
  • Change management a major issue in any print-to-digital transformation. The five-year change management process that the relatively small Mooresville district experienced was an eye-opener for Russo. He foresaw significant challenges ahead as large school districts, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, or Miami-Dade transitioned toward digital learning. It likely would take years to implement an effective digital (or even a blended) solution in most school districts—and that the print-to-digital disruption would last years. During this time, Russo foresaw a window of opportunity to fill the gap with a supplemental learning product, perhaps sold directly to parents and/or offered to enable an after-school enrichment program.
  • Peer-based learning worked well in a progressive, “guide-on-the-side” digital-learning environment. Based on his observations, Russo saw an opportunity to develop a peer-based, collaborative learning solution that empowered students to explore and learn together by teaching each other. In his follow-up research, Russo discovered that significant academic research showed the benefits of peer- and team-based learning. 26
  • Parent involvement enabled with proper digital rollout and communication. Observing the importance of parent involvement in the success of Mooresville solidified Russo's belief that parents were an underused resource in K–12 education. Russo would consider ways to tap into parents' desire to help. Moreover, he would consider selling directly to parents, at least as a market-entry point.

Exhibit 3: Example Jobs Maps for Students, Parents, and Teachers

A SIMPLIFIED JOBS MAP FOR K–8 STUDENTS

Figure

A SIMPLIFIED JOBS MAP FOR K–8 PARENTS

Figure

A SIMPLIFIED JOBS MAP FOR K–8 TEACHERS

Figure

Exhibit 4: High-Opportunity Jobs to be Done for K–8 Learning, by Persona

HIGH-OPPORTUNITY JOBS TO BE DONE FOR K–8 STUDENTS

Persona

Job to be Done by Persona

Importance a (1–10)

Satisfaction b (1–10)

Opportunity c

Rank

Student

I want to have fun while I learn.

9

2

16

1

Student

I want to help my friends when they don't understand.

8.5

2

15

2

Student

I want to feel like I belong to a group of students.

9

3

15

2

Student

I want to learn with a small group of students I trust.

8.5

2

15

2

Student

I want to get help from students I trust when I don't understand.

8

2

14

5

Student

I want to learn stuff that is interesting to me.

8

2

14

5

Student

I want to be able to work at my own pace.

7.5

1.8

13.2

7

Student

I want to feel relaxed while I learn.

7.5

2

13

8

Student

I want to do well in school so my parents will be proud of me.

9

5

13

8

Student

I want to be taught stuff that is not too easy… if it's too easy I am bored.

8

4

12

10

Student

I want to be taught stuff that is not too hard… otherwise I feel dumb or get confused (I'm too embarrassed to ask questions in a big group).

7

2.5

11.5

11

Student

I want to be able to get help from the teacher when I don't understand.

8

4.5

11.5

11

Student

I want to learn as much as I can.

7

4

10

13

Student

I want to be friends with all the students in my class.

6

2

10

13

Student

I would want to get good grades, even if no one but me saw them.

6

3.5

8.5

15

a. Importance of that job to the persona, based on survey of students in grades 1–5 across the United States, n=378.

b. Satisfaction with existing solution(s) for the persona, based on survey of students in grades 1–5 across the United States, n=378.

c. Opportunity = (Importance) + MAX(Importance – Satisfaction,0).

HIGH-OPPORTUNITY JOBS TO BE DONE FOR K–8 PARENTS

Persona

Job to be Done by Persona

Importance a (1–10)

Satisfaction b (1–10)

Opportunity c

Rank

Parent

I want to feel confident that my child is fully prepared to take the new national tests that are aligned to the new Common Core State Standards when they roll out in the 2014–2015 school year.**

9

2

16

1

Parent

I want my child's curiosity to be encouraged in learning at school.

8

1

15

2

Parent

I want to know where my child needs help and where s/he is doing well.

8.5

2

15

2

Parent

I want my child to learn teamwork at school.

8.5

2.5

14.5

4

Parent

I want my child to be confident using technology as part of learning.

8

1.5

14.5

4

Parent

I do not want my child to be rushed through material that s/he does not understand.

8

1.9

14.1

6

Parent

I want my child to feel comfortable at, and enjoy, school.

8

2

14

7

Parent

I want my child to be able to learn on her/his own.

8

3

13

8

Parent

I do not want my child to be bored working on material that s/he has already mastered.

7.5

2

13

8

Parent

I want my child to pay attention and be engaged when at school.

8

3

13

8

Parent

I want my child to be confident socially.

8

3.6

12.4

11

Parent

I want my child to understand the basics: reading, writing, and arithmetic.

7

3

11

12

Parent

I want my child to get straight A's in school.

7

4

10

13

Parent

I want my child to be the best student in the class and recognized as such.

3

3

3

14

Parent

I want my child to sit and learn facts in the “traditional” mode.

2

2

2

15

a. Importance of that job to the persona, based on survey of students in grades 1–5 across the United States, n=378.

b. Satisfaction with existing solution(s) for the persona, based on survey of students in grades 1–5 across the United States, n=378.

c. Opportunity = (Importance) + MAX(Importance – Satisfaction,0).

HIGH-OPPORTUNITY JOBS TO BE DONE FOR K–8 TEACHERS

Persona

Job to be Done by Persona

Importance a (1–10)

Satisfaction b (1–10)

Opportunity c

Rank

Teacher

I want more time in my day; I am being asked to do too much.

10

1

19

1

Teacher

I want to have time to give students the 1:1 (or 1:few) attention they deserve.

9

1

17

2

Teacher

I want to make sure that my students are each learning at the right pace for him/her.

9

2

16

3

Teacher

I want to be able to know how each student is performing vs. the new CCSS, so I can provide targeted help for each student.

9

2

16

3

Teacher

I want an easy way to create engaging and effective lesson material for the new CCSS.

9

2.5

15.5

5

Teacher

I want to be able to provide differentiated learning to my students.

9

3

15

6

Teacher

I want to be able to know when a student is not “getting” a particular topic so that student can get extra help.

8.5

2

15

6

Teacher

I want to be able to give students multiple ways of learning a topic because different methods work for different children.

8

1

15

6

Teacher

I want to be able to quickly find quality educational resources that are CCSS-aligned. [”Quality” defined by teacher-created/-curated, student-reviewed and/or teacher-reviewed.]

8.5

3

14

9

Teacher

I do not want to have to learn new software to do my job.

9

5

13

10

Teacher

I want my students to spend more time learning (including formative assessments by me, their teacher) and spend less time in formal testing.

7.5

2.5

12.5

11

Teacher

I do not want my job performance rating to suffer because of the new CCSS tests. [Teachers' performance rating currently is not based upon student performance.]

8

4

12

12

Teacher

I want my students to feel comfortable asking questions, exploring and making mistakes.

8

4

12

12

Teacher

l want to help parents be more effectively involved in their child's education (by letting them know what material to use, where their child needs remediation or advanced enrichment).

7.5

4

11

14

Teacher

I want my students to be more engaged by fostering their natural curiosity while still preparing for new CCSS.

7

3

11

14

a. Importance of that job to the persona, based on survey of students in grades 1–5 across the United States, n=378.

b. Satisfaction with existing solution(s) for the persona, based on survey of students in grades 1–5 across the United States, n=378.

c. Opportunity = (Importance) + MAX(Importance – Satisfaction,0).

Note: This is a subset of a 50-question survey, which was based on significant ethnographic research.

Source: Anthony W. Ulwick, “Turn Customer Input Into Innovation,” Harvard Business Review, January 2002.

Exhibit 5: Opportunity Hypothesis Template

Russo viewed opportunity analysis (also known as business case development or market analysis) as an important part of the “fuzzy front end” of the process. Done well, it would define a good starting point for the “customer development” 27 process and the accompanying requirements and prototype development processes.

The opportunity hypothesis would not be more than two pages (or two slides).

Opportunity Hypothesis

One-line statement describing the critical problem that needed to be solved; stating whose problem it was and why it mattered; and detailing the potential revenue opportunity.

Customer Problem

Three-to-five-sentence paragraph summarizing the problem solved and explaining why it was a critical problem for the target customers.

Proposed Solution Concept

Very high-level product concept to be explored in the customer discovery process and in the product development process. Customer discovery and product development would happen at the same time.

Hypotheses

The core hypotheses, or assumptions, underlying the idea. These hypotheses would be pressure-tested in customer discovery and product development. Ideally, one or more metrics would be associated with each hypothesis and clearly defined success criteria would be established for each metric. If any of these proved to be false, the entire opportunity should be evaluated critically. For example:

  • H1: Common Core State Standards were going to accelerate adoption of new curriculum content—specifically, new digital content. Metrics included speed and penetration of Common Core adoption of associated content, from both a volume and a dollar perspective.
  • H2: Tablets were the best way for PreK–5 students to learn and were equally effective for grades 6 through 8. Metrics include student engagement and learning, via A/B testing (tablet vs. alternatives).
  • H3…
  • H4…

This case was prepared for inclusion in Sage Business Cases primarily as a basis for classroom discussion or self-study, and is not meant to illustrate either effective or ineffective management styles. Nothing herein shall be deemed to be an endorsement of any kind. This case is for scholarly, educational, or personal use only within your university, and cannot be forwarded outside the university or used for other commercial purposes.

2024 Sage Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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