DIGI[cation]
The 21st century global economy has become increasingly web-based. Now, it seems, everything can be accomplished online - from paying bills and shopping to telecommuting. But something as essential as education seemed to be the exception - until now.
DIGI[cation], a surprisingly simple and easy to use learning community, dismisses the constraints of a set class time and enables teachers and students to showcase work, discuss assignments, access information and ask questions 24/7.
Because DIGI[cation] was built and fine-tuned by educators, the software does not require the complex training synonymous with last-generation educational software. DIGI[cation]'s software is free to the first 1,000 users at any U.S. accredited school and features threaded discussions, grading tools, course, community and personal calendars, an e-Portfolio where students can publish their work, RSS updates and more.
"Everything is web-based," says Jeffrey Yan, CEO of DIGI[cation]. "There's no special installation necessary for users. Based on the concept ‘simple by design,' we focus on the direct impact DIGI[cation] has in the classroom, not on building functionalities for the sake of technology."
Established in 2002, DIGI [cation] is the brainchild of Kelly Driscoll and Jeffrey Yan, two Rhode Island School of Design faculty members within the school's Art Design and Education program. The two had grown frustrated with the complexity and real-world use of traditional learning management solutions and sought to create an online classroom that was simple by design and easy to use.
For two years, Driscoll and Yan developed the software behind DIGI[cation], getting feedback from the RISD community, including their own students. In 2004, when RISD was looking for a campus-wide learning community, they chose Driscoll and Yan's technology over leading educational software providers such as Blackboard and WebCT.
After a successful run at RISD, Driscoll and Yan decided to launch DIGI[cation] commercially in the summer of 2006 and began offering the software to other universities as well as K–12 schools.
Users at more than 1,000 schools have signed up creating a healthy mix of K–12 schools and universities currently utilizing DIGI[cation] across the United States. Los Angeles' OTIS College of Art and Design is a huge fan of DIGI[cation]. In Rhode Island, RISD is sticking with the software, while high schools such as Hope High School, Smithfield High School and Beacon Charter School in Woonsocket are reaping the benefits of the effortless software.
"DIGI[cation] steers clear of superfluous features and extended training, and instead relies on an intuitive interface that can be learned in minutes," says Driscoll, president of DIGI[cation]. "Educators can create a simpler, more appealing and more cost-effective web-based solution for creating, managing, sharing and accessing educational content."
DIGI[cation]'s philosophy - ease of use, simple by design - has garnered the company many clients in the United States and has attracted the interest of the international market. But DIGI[cation], along with the company's eight employees, plans to stay in Rhode Island. "Since the DIGI[cation] founders also continue to be educators, Rhode Island is an ideal home for DIGI[cation] because of the strong ties to RISD and the state's educational community," says Yan.
And with more college students per capita than any other state, what better place than Rhode Island to test next-generation educational software?