{"id":2172,"date":"2015-02-05t21:47:10","date_gmt":"2015-02-06t04:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/?p=2172"},"modified":"2015-02-05t21:47:10","modified_gmt":"2015-02-06t04:47:10","slug":"using-values-to-create-better-online-learning-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/blog\/using-values-to-create-better-online-learning-2\/","title":{"rendered":"using values to create better online learning"},"content":{"rendered":"
if you\u2019re a regular follower of our team\u00a0page \u2014 considering how good-looking we are, i wouldn\u2019t blame you \u2014 you\u2019ll probably notice that the magoosh team has been expanding at a pretty rapid rate. as we grow, both in terms of products and people, it\u2019s helpful for us to examine our practices and define what<\/b> we do, why<\/b> we do it, and how<\/b>.<\/p>\n
today, we\u2019ll talk about magoosh content — every practice test, vocab quiz, and blog post that thousands of students rely on every day to study for exams. when it comes to content, here\u2019s how we break it down:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
create consistently excellent academic content.<\/em><\/p>\n because students all over the world depend on our product to get into the colleges and grad schools of their dreams. and because we\u2019re a group of passionate educators determined to make magoosh the best online education experience possible.<\/em><\/p>\n by using our values<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n by focusing on values, we don\u2019t limit ourselves to one philosophy of education or another. on the content team, we gather ideas and inspiration from everywhere, and we weave our values into every decision we make and every test question we write. you\u2019ll find magoosh values at every step of the content creation process, from our teaching styles to specific practices. here\u2019s how.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n as content creators we are also teachers — real people interacting with and influencing real students. that means before we dive into any kind of content creation we must first use our values to shape the way we communicate information. in the end, we should be able to look back and say three things:<\/p>\n \n1. we are great teachers<\/strong> our students enjoy learning from us because we are skilled educators who understand that motivation can be as important as knowledge and skills.<\/p>\n friendly > formal<\/em><\/p>\n accessible > exclusive<\/em><\/p>\n passion > balance<\/em><\/p>\n wow > profit<\/em><\/p>\n \n2. we do what works for students<\/strong> challenge > comfort<\/em><\/p>\n data > intuition<\/em><\/p>\n wow > profit<\/em><\/p>\n communication > efficiency<\/em><\/p>\n \n3. we are students too<\/strong> done > perfect<\/em><\/p>\n learning > knowing<\/em><\/p>\n change > status quo<\/em><\/p>\n data > intuition<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n when creating products for our students, we never make a move without some indication that it\u2019s what students want and need. we validate each decision at every step, particularly seeking out ways to conduct fast, small-scale tests whenever possible.<\/p>\n at magoosh, we follow the practice of creating \u201cminimum viable products\u201d — products that are as small and easy-to-build as possible while still being useful and valuable to our students. we then follow an iterative product development process to refine and improve our product, making it increasingly valuable to students. this cycle applies when we\u2019re doing something as substantial as a mobile app or as tiny as an email message.<\/p>\nwhy do we do it?<\/h4>\n
how do we create this maddeningly-good content?<\/h4>\n
teaching & our values<\/h2>\n
\ngreat teachers make the difference between an amazing experience and a mediocre one. our students like our teachers. much of online learning is devoid of humanity: a robotic voice; a disembodied and personality-less narrator; no fun, no joy, no encouragement, and no help. our products feature teachers and tutors who care, encourage, smile, and assist.<\/p>\nsupporting values:<\/h4>\n
\ndespite our excellent teachers, we don\u2019t rely solely on their expertise. we use data to challenge traditional notions of what works, and we make sure that everything we do actually improves student learning.<\/p>\nsupporting values:<\/h4>\n
\nwhile the magoosh team includes excellent teachers, engineers, and tutors, we don\u2019t presume we know everything. we push outside our comfort zone to learn about new tests, new materials, and new methods. we develop interesting ideas and test them scientifically. other education products are created, shipped, and finished. but we believe that our students have as much to teach us about our products as we have to teach them about their exams.<\/p>\nsupporting values:<\/h4>\n
the roadmap to content creation<\/h2>\n