Ready Set Go

Ready Set Go (RSG) is an AI powered conversational chat tool for private knowledge bases. 

Ready Set Go (RSG) aims to address the fractured information architecture of existing learning management systems (LMS) used in higher education and corporate environments. 77% of US corporations rely on eLearning for professional development and about 85% of teachers use digital learning tools to augment their courses (Bouchrika, 2022). As of 2020, there are approximately 20M college students enrolled in universities across America, and about 230M college students worldwide. Existing LMS can be hard to navigate, unorganized, and more of a hindrance than a learning aid. This results in LMS users (students & employees) not fully engaging with course materials beyond what is strictly required which has a long-term impact on knowledge retainment and career preparedness.

Ready Set Go (RSG) uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to consolidate existing knowledge bases into a conversational chatbot. Organizations will work with RSG to introduce their private information in modularized training sprints, after which results are audited and prioritized alongside feature development. A review/upkeep cycle will be established to ensure the model is up to date, accurate, and secure. 

The main solution components powering RSG include the AI chatbot user interface, plug & play ingestion of nonportable client data, and user/admin dashboards to manage learning. 

This solution serves learners in higher education and corporate environments. Students and employees are increasingly using learning management systems to train and augment their learning and professional development. 90% of students prefer learning online to traditional learning methods, and the primary users of LMS are corporate level employees (65%) and management level employees (35%) (Bouchrika, 2022). 

According to E-Learning Trends (Docebo, 2020), the 2 largest barriers to satisfaction with learning management systems are lack of integration with other digital platforms (52%) and poor user experience (51%). Ready Set Go addresses these issues by focusing on robust training to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the conversational chatbot and by offering API's to organizations so they can integrate RSG with their existing platforms. This will allow participating organizations to train faster, optimize internal processes, and empower users to find the information they need. 

As a first generation college student, I have an in-depth understanding of the obstacles first-gens face in higher education, and as a younger member of the workforce, I experience first hand the disorganization and inefficiency of corporate learning systems. Though I come from a liberal arts background, I have a natural affinity for technology and using it to improve processes and outcomes. This gives me a deeper understanding of the typical nontechnical user of a highly technical platform. 

As Team Lead, I am uniquely positioned to deliver this solution due to my background in project management and passion for education. Outside of having a love for my own education, I have been involved in multiple educational/student support organizations my entire life, starting in elementary school where I was active in Future Educators of America (FEA) and throughout college, where I was an Ambassador for my institution and Freshman Peer Group Leader. Additionally, in the pursuit of my own personal projects, I developed an interest in project management which led to me becoming a Certified Scrum Master (CSM) to better lead my projects.

What I lack in technical ability, I make up for with the ability to build a team, align objectives, and synthesize information across industries to communicate effectively in cross functional environments. Other than myself, I have brought on a freelance developer to build the prototype and Sheldon Dearr as a Technical Advisor. He has 8+ years of experience, having worked as a network and security engineer for multiple Fortune 500 companies like Hewlett Packard and Charles Schwab. He has a background in network engineering, cyber security, technical product management, and ITIL-based process improvement, all of which have been helpful in identifying internal/external threats, opportunities, and potential partnerships. At RSG, Sheldon is prepared to support business planning based on cost estimates from different solution, hardware product planning, enterprise application development, and SOP development. His experience working with F500 applications in virtual and physical environments will be helpful in planning an effective strategy to productize a segmented, partially private AI/ML tool for compliance-concerned clients in multiple verticals. 

We have done 10 user interviews so far, focusing our inquiry on the current digital learning landscape. So far what we've learned aligns with other available research; learners are disengaged, slightly overwhelmed, and looking for a better way. From asking about the best way to deliver a learning solution, we've found that learners would prefer integration with their existing platforms over a new platform entirely. We are working to determine which type of students would benefit most from this type of tool, and which business vertical could it augment most effectively. 

Ready Set Go (RSG) will change the conversational AI landscape by focusing on the segmentation of private data as opposed to training models solely on publicly available data. This will allow each implementation to be unique to the organization deploying it, which will allow it to integrate smoothly into existing processes. 

By lowering the barriers to accessing information we can empower learners in business and higher education environments to take control of their education. 

1. Improving student or employee engagement and retention by providing personalized and interactive learning experiences.
2. Increasing efficiency and accuracy of information dissemination in educational environmentsby providing quick and accurate responses to frequently asked questions.
3. Reducing costs associated with training and support by automating repetitive tasks and augmenting human staff.
4. Enhancing the student or employee experience by providing 24/7 access to information and support.
5. Providing data for teachers and management to identify areas where additional training or resources are needed by analyzing the types of questions asked and the responses provided by the chatbot.

As of now, our plan forward includes finishing the prototype, creating a demo, and acquiring our first beta testers.

AI is the core technology powering RSG. Natural Language Processing (NLP) will be used to train the models with nonportable client data in modularized sprints. Results will be audited and prioritized alongside feature development, and a review/upkeep cycle will be established. 

Currently: 0

Expected to Serve in Next Year: 10,000 

The largest barriers in accomplishing these goals are financial and technical. Financial resources would speed along development, and technical resources would allow us to build a better tool from the beginning without incurring excessive technical debt. Additionally, we need time and resources to validate points of contact for diverse implementation, requiring compute spend and our research team to be funded/focused on validating POC's and the onboarding process. 

I am working with StartUP FIU with them acting in an advisory role. 

Our main product is the customizable conversational AI chatbot. We provide initial set up, deployment, and ongoing monthly support. 

Our quoting model consists of:

- Initial set up fee (SMB, enterprise, government)

- Monthly Support (24/7/365, 12/5/60, a la carte)

- Deployment (Cloud, physical, hybrid) 

Our path to financial stability is to sell our services to organizations and grants. We are investigating use cases for government, and if we decide on that route I anticipate government contracts being a substantial portion of our revenue model.