classGroom - Global Classrooms

classGroom gives teachers tools that improve students participation in classrooms involving local and remote students without requiring extra pedagogical work.

classGroom uses AR@School Augmented Reality (AR) technologies to deliver a best in class CRS (Classroom Response System). Students use very low cost A4 cardboards folded in tent mode and printed with AR marker codes on the front sides.

Teachers use their smartphones' camera to get feedback from students orienting their multipurpose cardboard (can even serve as driving wheels in educational games!). Students in the classroom get full feedback from the system on the data show.

Remote students attend the same classes through computers with cameras and low-bandwidth internet, seeing on-screen the same full information as their classroom colleagues and participating with similar AR cardboards.

classGroom allows remote and local students to participate as equals in classroom activities. Initially, an AI platform matches available classroom places with remote students applications.

We are solving the lack of resources, namely human resources, to minister quality classes to more than 100 millions students, most of them girls or young women.

In Kinshasa, D. R. of Congo, even private schools have a hard time in
hiring teachers. In rural areas the situation is worse for there are simply no schools or no qualified teachers.

Refugee camps is another place where lack of quality education, sometimes of any type of education, affects millions of school age children. More than 70 displaced people existed in 2019 (https://www.unhcr.org/figures-at-a-glance.html) and the situation is getting worse. It would be possible, namely through NGOs, to set up special places for school classes with a computer, a TV screen and some kind of internet connection. Almost impossible is to find the teachers needed to provide quality education.

Finally, there are cultures who offer stiff opposition to girls education even when their families are in favor. Going to schools, when the school accepts girls, may be a dangerous endeavor so the only safe place to study is at home or at trusted places of relatives or in the neighborhood.

Many girls want to study but quality education is out of reach.

Liziba girls only high-school in Kinshasa is very well organized and can offer quality education to their students. Many high-schools in France, namely in rural areas, have classes having 15 or less students.

With classGroom, classes in Kinhsasa and in France may offer places to students who have no  access to schools or to teachers. Using our AR@School classroom response system together with our Classes3D remote connections, classes may include distant students requiring no extra work from teachers. Classes will be enriched by different cultures and many students, namely girls, will finally get access to quality education.

Internet access is still a problem even in rural areas of developed countries.

But internet is starting to become available and affordable even in R.D. of Congo, one of worlds' poorest countries (last August we set up a permanent link between two faraway buildings of Monkole Hospital in Kinshasa with 4G fast internet at a $200 monthly cost).

Low orbit satellite constellations like Starlink will also make high speed internet available all over the world and at a lower cost and lower latency than current geostationary satellite internet offerings.

Using AI, classGroom will match classes offering free places with remote students applying.

The solution can change dramatically the students who benefit from it.

For remote students, namely girls, to have access to quality education is life changing and opening up a whole new set of possibilities for them and their present and future families. To be in contact with other cultures and mindsets also contribute to develop a range of soft skills and understanding of global issues that will impact their lives and even humanity's future.

This latter impact is also true for the students present in the hosting classrooms. Even more true, for it enables them to contact different realities that will shape their characters forever.

Finally, the understanding and friendships that will arise among all these global students can be the greatest added bonus of the classGroom solution. In fact, it is commonly accepted that the most successful program of the European Union, during its more than 60 years of existence, is the ERASMUS program that foster students' mobility across borders.

We like to view classGroom as a world wide affordable ERASMUS program.

We address the lack of access to quality education of 135 million youngsters. Of these, girls and young women are the worst affected due to cultural and security issues.

As internet access solutions based in 4G/5G (including Starlink's satellites) gain global coverage, perhaps the greatest opportunity it opens up is in making quality education available to all.

classGroom addresses the most difficult problem: access to qualified teachers. Seamlessly including remote students in traditional classes
with the AR@School classroom response and collaboration system, many girls become part of fully organized learning ecosystems acquiring knowledge, soft skills, self-esteem and feeling of world belonging.

The classGroom innovation comes in two steps.

The first innovation is the one AR@School delivers with the best possible Classroom Response System at the lowest possible cost, a few cents per student for the AR markers and the smartphones teachers already have.

The second innovation, Classes3D, scales the AR@School concept to remote students using its video-conferencing technology. If in the classroom the teacher has to point a camera to the students to get their feedback, on a video conference setting students already have a camera pointing at them so, in a way, it becomes easier to acknowledge their participation.

The two innovation steps are meaningful and disruptive because they already ease teachers work not having to learn new skills or accomplish extra tasks to include remote students.

Our AR@School student feedback and collaboration tools demand that teachers learn how to take advantage of the increase in classroom interactions, but they do it for the benefit of their class dynamics and their students' learning process. In the long run, it will diminish teachers' work while increasing the data collected from each student.

Our Classes3D video-conferencing system expands all that classroom activity to seamlessly include remote students. These can be their classroom students that for a certain reason can not go to school so they connect from home or, for example, from an hospital. When the 100% remote students intervene as any other classroom student, they don't increase teachers work or disrupt classes flow, and the great innovation of our solution happens.

There are two core technologies that power our solution:

Marker based Augmented Reality (AR) that enables many use cases of student interaction and collaboration, inside and outside the classroom.

Browser based communication technology like WebRTC who allows digital data to be safely exchanged among browsers together with fully encrypted video and audio streams. Being fully peer to peer, they have the added advantage of costing nothing to the platform provider. This enables business models based on the in-class use and subscription of AR@School tools and no extra costs for multiple hours of remote students participation.

There are also other important technologies like:

Using best in class object oriented (OO) software engineering in our UMNIVERSE platform based in the best available Platform as a Service (PaaS) true cloud. This allows us to quickly develop new features and even new apps taking advantage of UMNIVERSE technologies like AR.

Using Artificial Intelligence to improve matchmaking outcomes between classes that offer remote student's slots and students who apply individually or in small groups to be remote students. Data is gathered from successes and failures of past global classrooms matches. We feed our TensorFlow neuronal network with fields as time zone, language, age and gender.

We use Progressive Web Apps (PWA) instead of native apps.

Our main technological advantage is the integration of all the above technologies using our advanced platform (umniverse.com).

Having many years of experience in education we know that technology has to serve pedagogy, not the other way round.

Our Marker based Augmented Reality technology is already in use in 3 buildings: TagusValley (portuguese Science and Technology park), Monkole Hospital (D.R. od Congo) and LISPOLIS (portuguese Science and Technology park).

This video was recorded at TagusValley (early use in our UMNIVERSE platform) and shows the power and flexibility of our AR markers: https://youtu.be/leEQoUDzf9Q

Some pictures of the first time AR@School was used in a real classroom (early prototype): https://photos.app.goo.gl/NvZ43dmPX20Wt3f52

This video was made from pictures while showcasing AR@School in a university settings (Açores, Portugal): https://youtu.be/lVI7hm6kR4A

The communication
technology we developed based on WebRTC is already in more than 100
of our WebApps (www.nogo.link). Here is a Classes3D
video presentation with an example of our advanced 3D video
conference system  for classes:
https://youtu.be/9FrY_kiRTnA

What we will implement is a pilot project that brings the two shown technologies and services together:AR@School + Classes3D

AR@School: in class dynamics with students instant feedback, collaboration tools and gamification.

Classes3D: low bandwidth audio and video communication with data sharing in 2D or 3D settings.

INPUT: pedagogical and communication platform to remotely integrate students that have no access to quality education into traditional classrooms without increasing teachers work or delaying the learning process.

Activity A: Implement AR@School in a classroom.
Immediate output: instant feedback of students learning process. Organizing students in groups based on each one's learning journey.
Short term outcomes: each student learning path is respected.
Medium term outcomes: development of soft skills.
Long term outcomes: inter-relational skills.

Activity B: Implement remote communication tools in a classroom for students that can not be present in class.
Immediate output: Students at home or hospital can participate in classroom activities.
Short term outcomes: students don't feel isolated or left behind.
Medium term outcomes: less classroom disruption when students are back.
Long term outcomes: less school dropout.

Activity C: Implement classGroom's global classroom concept.
Immediate output: Remote students have access to quality education.
Short term outcomes: More interactivity and diversified collaboration.
Medium term outcomes: Cultural enrichment of both local and remote students.
Long term outcomes: Students, namely girls, who get access to education will have a real opportunity for positive life-changing. All students gain a new perspective of other cultures and what humanity is all about.

IMPACT: students who's families are displaced or that live in poor or war ravaged regions have access to quality education that will allow them to change their own lives, their families' lives and their communities.

Sources:

What is a Classroom Response System?

Building Student Understanding Across Racial Differences

ERASMUS impact study (download PDF)

Current number of people served (only AR@School):

2 teachers/lecturers

17 students in professional high-school (AR@School).

30 students in higher education (AR@School).

People served in 1 year (if the project receives support):

5 teachers

100 students in high-school classrooms.

20 students in remote settings.

People served in 5 years (mildly optimistic):

500 teachers

10000 students in high-school classrooms.

2000 students in remote settings.

People served in 5 years (highly optimistic):

10000 teachers

200000 students in high-school classrooms.

40000 students in remote settings.

The highly optimistic view has to do with the support the project receives essentially in getting the word out for all the resources are made available on the internet (SaaS business model).

It also considers that technologies like Starlink's internet access will enable to deliver internet almost everywhere on the planet.

More important that how widespread our technology becomes and how many lives it meaningfully touches, it is the concept that should become widespread: having global classrooms with all the life changing advantages that come with it both for remote students and their presencial colleagues.

The goal within the first year is to validate the Global Classroom concept of classsGroom joining our AR@School and Classed3D technologies together.

The goal in the 4 years following the first year will be to scale the classGroom solution:

   - Scale in terms of platform technology (most is already accomplished).   -

   - Scale in terms of the communication infrastructure (facilitated by peer to peer WebRTC).

   - Scale in terms of teachers training (videos, pedagogical use cases, fora).

   - Scale in terms of platform access namely for remote students.

   - Scale in terms of delivering the A4 cardboards with Augmented Reality markers printed in both tent mode front faces.

   - Scale in terms of funding and acquiring/delivering computers and TVs to remote regions and to refugee camps.

   - Scale in terms of funding the access to low-latency internet.

Managing the coordination and logistics (essentially delivering AR printed cardboards) of the project will be the main challenge in the next 5 years.

The major technological hurdles are already tested and scalable.

For the next year's goals, everything is already under control both in Portugal as in R.D. of Congo. Getting some unbiased evaluation of the proof of concept of the project will be an important milestone/barrier to overcome so that future institutional supporters may have strong scientific evidence of the feasibility and expected impact of the classGroom project.

Internet access availability and affordability is still the great unknown in the long run.

To overcome the stated barriers we will:

Seek support from the NGOs that are on the ground in what logistics is concerned.

Bring external mentors/evaluators to frame the project into the parameters that are expected, to keep the team on course and to give a final assessment of the achievements and potential of the classGroom concept.

High-Dimension is a for profit organization mainly working in the  health sector. Its new health offerings (hospital21.com) are based on the same platform used in this classGroom project. Educational activities will integrate HIgh-Dimension's future spin-off as soon as it makes sense (having enough scale and deployment support).

The institutions we collaborate with are non-profit by statute or by public social financial dependence).

   Escola Profissional Val do Rio (vocational school, Lisbon - Portugal).

   Lycée Liziba (girls school of AFEDI - association sans but lucratif, Kinshasa - RDC).

   Universidade dos Açores (Social Work Coordination) , São Miguel - Portugal

Full time staff:

Francisco Reis (High Dimension consultant and UMNIVERSE platform CTO)

Collaborators

Assina Kahamba (Lycée Liziba)

Pedro Rebelo (Escola Profissional Val do Rio)

Eduardo Marques (Universidade dos Açores)

Consultants

Paula Santos (Agrupamento de Escolas Lapiás).

The project leader, Francisco Reis based in Portugal, has been a lecturer at higher education and K12 levels so has been in touch with classroom dynamics and challenges. Having a PhD in Object Oriented Technology (France) developed the platform UMNIVERSE which enables a quick, reliable and secure development of advanced applications.

Long time productive collaboration of Francisco Reis with Assina Kahamba, a software engineer with a master in management (Italy) based in Kinshasa guarantees the perfect bridge to test the solution in a Congolese girls school, Lycée Liziba (http://lyceeliziba.org/).

First pilot project of AR@School (base solution for classGroom) was successfully implemented in a Portuguese school, Escola Profissional Val do Rio (https://www.valdorio.net/), where Pedro Rebelo is the technical director. It is the natural setting to test classGroom and take advantage of the existing teacher training on the tool that is now being expanded to include remote students using Classes3D technologies.

For the initial classGroom  pilots the system will rely on students from the traditional classrooms that have to stay at home, essentially because of health or transportation issues. Later we expect to try it in refugee camps, where internet can be made available through NGO, before scaling it to regional and country wide offerings and deployment.

Escola Profissional Val do Rio is a vocational school where our AR@School project was first tested and perfected. Being a technical school, it is uniquely suited to solve any technical issues that may arise when accepting remote students from Portuguese speaking countries like Angola and Mozambique. This pilot will focus on addressing early software bugs and issues.

Lycée Liziba is a non for profit girls school in Kinshasa having Assina Kahamba as director, a software engineer with management studies. will be the perfect bridge to test an early classGroom pilot. It will focus on reaching out to potential remote students in rural areas. Learning how to reach out to authorities and ONG that are in contact with youngsters, namely girls, that do not have access to quality education will be the main goal.  Scaling the classGroom project will be essentially a human relationship challenge. Organizing contacts, feeding the matchmaking platform with relevant data and the follow up of active global classrooms is crucial to a successful project with the largest positive impact.

   Universidade dos Açores, namely its Social Service Department, has been a supporter of the AR@School project and can contribute to a future enhancement of the classGroom concepts to higher education so that namely young women who have the K12 preparation may pursue its studies. There is currently a collaboration in the To Walk Me project that fights against elderly people isolation using the same UMNIVERSE platform and facing some common challenges as this classGroom project.

Our initial business model is quite straightforward.

Traditional schools pay for a subscription of AR@School (see prices at AR@Schooll subscriptions) benefiting of a whole new and better classroom learning dynamics. They can extend their classroom tools to include remote students at no extra cost simply by registering in the classGroom matchmaking AI powered platform.

Parents, authorities or ONG enlist youngsters individually or as belonging to a group (maybe due to limited resources where computers must be shared) to become part of AR@School global classrooms (classGroom).

No payments are due from remote students or from traditional schools that are willing to extend their classes for classGroom intends to be a value added service with very low cost for us to implement and run and that, we believe, will further enhance the appeal of the AR@School system to potential clients (buy a Classroom Response System and become a Global Classroom!).

The basic business model can be extended to incorporate new possibilities that may arise from the pilots (its core philosophy will nevertheless remain the same, supporting quality education for all while enhancing global bonds).

High dimension's path to profitability is solidly focused in health related services where we have the most advanced solution in what patient experience and indoor navigation for large hospitals is concerned.

Our developments in education services intend to be pro bono and completely self sustained through the business model stated before. Its growth and awareness can naturally be accelerated if the classGroom project receives support. The Global Classroom concept is, in fact, what we are trying to implement and sustain being ideally implemented in the future by as many tech and education companies as possible.

A sustainable world, where women must play a much larger role, is the very long term goal of the present financial sustainability strategy of the classGroom project.

Our expenses are indeed very low thanks to the technological options and advanced cloud know-how we already have. Disruptive projects may have disruptive models but for now maintain it as a pro bono project.

To get the word out on what we called Global Classrooms and to show that they are becoming viable with internet access increased world coverage.

This way we hope to gather around the classGroom concept partners, supporters, mentors and collaboration in areas that we lack to make it a widespread reality.

Financial support is naturally welcome mainly if it comes attached with the possibility to reach authorities and ONG responsible for education at large. Special attention to overcome unique barriers that girls and young women face can be given using SOLVE's framework of partners.

We need partners for creating synergies that ultimately get the job done.

We are technological savvy having good insight into the education problematic but lack in project management skills namely, as in this case, when global humanity challenges are at play.

Exposure is important to gather momentum to make things happen and regulatory matters will become increasingly important if widespread adoption is envisioned without reasonable opposition from local authorities.

Funding will be important if the above conditions are met or to foster the relevant partnerships. Our solution is very low cost for it clearly shows the advantage of schools all over the world  to open up their classrooms to remote students that will greatly enrich what XXI century education should be.

Finally, our current business model already makes sense and is sustainable but we remain open to innovation also in this field.

We are open to all organizations that align with the global challenge we address. As software engineers with an MBA, any support from MIT faculty and their students would be a personal dream come true as well as an important contribution to this project.

The Gates Foundation also deserves a special mention for the support they have given to our main area of profitable work, health, and the promotion of girls access to quality education as a crucial world changing factor. Partnering with them could give way to some disruptive solutions applied to hospitals and schools (we collaborate with an hospital since 2009 and more recently with a girl's school both in Kinshasa, D.R. of Congo).

As explained before, keeping refugees stuck in camps for years without allowing the youngsters to have proper education is simply unacceptable.

The classGroom solution we propose is, eventually, the best and cheapest way to fill that gap while at the same time contributing to a more global and meaningful education to classroom students all over the so called developed world.

In fact, we offer a win-win global solution to the lack of schooling in refugee camps and we will fuel all the Andan prize to ONGs that deal with the lack of (quality) education in refugee camps.

Most of the problems we address are even more acute when girls are concerned. Remote learning can be the only solution when family bet on education goes against the prevailing cultural mindset or local priorities.

All violence and dangers that our remote solution can help to avoid are specially useful for girls who have to endure unique gender violence like rapes.

If we win the GM prize we will focus even more in use cases for regions where girls and women are specially oppressed and denied the most basic human rights.

Adult literacy is still a problem in our country Portugal, though huge progress has been achieved since 1974, namely with the important support of the Gulbenkian Foundation.

It would be interesting, and an important focus for us if we win the prize, to have classrooms for adult literacy that include the many immigrants that Portugal is fortunate to shelter being expanded with remote adult students from countries such as Angola and Moçambique.

The Gulbenkian Award would make Global Classrooms of adults a reality with our technologies around the classGroom concept. It will certainly contribute to a broader portfolio of solutions ranging from primary school to higher education not forgetting the life changing and empowerment of adult illiteracy.