KQED Learn Platform | Marker Seven

KQED Learn Platform

Promoting Media Literacy in Schools

Developing a learning platform to help students critically evaluate the media they consume was a core initiative for Northern California’s largest public media outlet

One of America’s biggest public media outlets, KQED recognized a major challenge for today’s youth: the ability to comprehend and analyze the media they’re exposed to. KQED engaged with Marker Seven to create a digital solution in the form of an online learning platform that takes classroom curriculum and integrates it into a online environment. The result is a digital platform that is familiar and fun for students, while still providing a focused educational experience.

The complexity of the project dictated a highly customized solution that allows 21st century classrooms to engage, make and share, collaborate, and connect in a real-world setting with other classes and schools in the Bay Area who also participate in the program. At the heart of the project is helping the next generation of media authors to better understand and interact with the world around them.

Marker Seven Services

Insight & Planning
Analytics
Project Management Planning
Technical Planning
Development Planning
Design Planning
Problem definition

Experience & User Interface
Experience design
Visual Design
User Experience Design
Information Architecture
Technical design

Digital Products
Custom Applications
Web-based publishing platform

Our Work

A Highly Strategic Design

From the outset, we knew an out of the box application design wasn’t going to maximize engagement with a savvy high school audience. To help us find an edge, we started the visual design process with a moodboard exercise. Before we drew the first pixel, the moodboards helped us to discover and develop an aesthetic approach the KQED team knew would connect with students. The results led us to a solid visual direction: bold, colorful, and high contrast – with just a bit of a hand-crafted ‘maker’ feel since the participants are creating their own content.

With that guidance, we identified and leveraged an intensely bright color palette already in use within KQED, chose typography that feels a bit old-school and newsy, and used sketched iconography to complete the aesthetic.

Data-driven Iterations

It was a key mandate to capture detailed usage data so KQED can learn how the Learn product is being used. To that end, each user is designated with a variety of attributes, and every interaction with the product by students and teachers are recorded. This enables KQED to deeply analyze data such as geography, schools, teachers, classes, or students – as well as identify usage patterns and trends.

To get the specialized level of analytic granularity necessary, KQED partnered with SRI Analytics, Inc. We collaborated closely with SRI to ensure they receive the exact type of data and formatting KQED requires. Ultimately, the data will help improve and expand future iterations of the site.

Crafting the Right Tool for the Job

We assessed multiple technology options before settling on a custom built application using the Laravel framework. The Learn platform is a one-of-a-kind product that is neither a Content Management System (CMS), Social media platform nor a Learning Management System (LMS). We ruled out existing solutions such as Drupal, BuddyPress and Moodle. While we would be able to leverage much of these platforms as a foundation, the costs for customization would outweigh the benefits gained. Ultimately we were able to save KQED time and money with a custom implementation.

Creating a Blended Learning Experience

The concepts of media literacy is now a part of the Common Core Standards in all schools. A main goal for Learn, was for it to be a flexible digital destination which will allow Teachers to explore media literacy with their class no matter the subject or grade. We were able to do just that by translating KQED’s core pedagogy: Question, Investigation, Make & Share, Reflect, into a guided user experience that teachers could use as part of a blended learning approach.