Paragon9 is proud to announce our collaboration efforts with South Mountain Community College to participate in the Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC). NGLC is partnering with the Bill and Linda Gates Foundation, EDUCAUSE and many others in an effort to improve course completion, persistence, and college completion through sustainable, broad‐scale technology‐enabled products or service‐based solutions.  

NGLC is a unique collaboration among philanthropists, educators, innovators, and technologists focused on scaling today's most creative and innovative IT solutions to improve college readiness and completion, particularly for low-income young adults. In addition to providing grants, NGLC seeks to spark dialogue and community building through a social network and community engagement designed to catalyze new ideas, foster solutions, and form unique collaborations that span institutions and disciplines.

Paragon9 is proposing to develop a custom Social and Mobile Web 2.0 Technology solution that will take the existing iStartSmart and Blackboard concepts to the next level. The Social and Mobile Web 2.0 Technology concept is similar to an approach by Lisa Fraser’s that focuses on preparing our students for a lifelong career journey when we help them develop these essential skills. Students often perceive that they do their schoolwork “for the college” and to get good grades, rather than for their own long term benefit. Changing that perception helps students see the relevance of their studies and motivates them to be successful. There’s a huge difference between doing schoolwork to meet college requirements, and approaching college as professional development for career success and future employment.

Institutions and technology experts need to identify and address the positive emotional hook that gets students to want to look at high performance learning. This approach helps students connect to something that they really want.  Studies indicate that first generation college students including low income students who need to work to support themselves, often have persistence problems. By offering solutions that can fit into their schedule allows students to be part of an engaging learning environment.

Adapting this concept will help us develop a unique Social and Mobile Web 2.0 Technology solution that will advance the best uses of technology and help improve college readiness and completion.