How The Pilot Process Works
An example from the 2019 Pilot Research Program
AFIA & MAKERS EMPIRE
To learn more about the pilot process, read the case study of Academy for Integrated Arts and Makers Empire from defining the problem to presenting their research findings.
ACADEMY FOR INTEGRATED ARTS defines their Areas of Need
LEANLAB selected Academy for Integrated arts to take part in 2019 Pilot Research Program. Andrea Davis was selected as the school representative. We began the pilot process by understanding the biggest needs Andrea faced in her classroom. In a two day design thinking workshop, Andrea defined a problem of practice
The problem of practice at AFIA centered on connecting math, the sciences, and the arts to real-world applications. In particular, teachers of the youngest children were looking for innovative approaches to teach spatial reasoning skills.
AFIA selects Makers Empire
After Andrea and AFIA narrowed in on their problem statements, LEANLAB scoured the country and globe to find a short list of emerging innovators that were up to the challenge. LEANLAB selected four highly-vetted companies for Andrea to interview during Match Day and decide which best-suited her needs.
Andrea and AFIA ultimately selected to partner with Makers Empire, an Australian edtech company focused on teaching students STEM skills through their 3D learning platform.
AFIA & MAKERS EMPIRE CREATE A PILOT STRATEGY
Makers’ Empire flew to Kansas City to meet Andrea and begin the pilot process. Andrea, along with the leadership team at Makers’ Empire (Jon Soong & Mandi Dimitriadis) crafted two hypotheses to test under the guidance of LEANLAB’s research team.
The first hypothesis was that students who use Makers Empire will see an increase in their spatial reasoning skills.
The second hypothesis is that students will exhibit greater oral language competency after using Makers Empire than before.
AFIA and Makers empire Launch the pilot and begin the improvement process
AFIA and Makers Empire worked collaboratively with LEANLAB’s research team to launch the pilot inside Andrea’s Kindergarten classroom. Andrea gave Makers' Empire feedback throughout the process on small and large ways they could improve their product; while the Makers Empire team worked to quickly implement those changes.
LEANLAB researchers conducted pre- and post tests to measure learning and gathered data from student and teacher interviews.
AFIA & MAKERS EMPIRE SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCE AT SCALE DAY
We invited school leaders from across the Kansas City metro to learn about the pilots during Scale Day. Andrea and Jon Soong co-presented their findings in a short presentation.
