Darsel

Darsel

Darsel

AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot that provides personalized and curriculum-aligned math learning to students in low-resource communities globally.

Sacramento, CA, USA

USA

Nonprofit

Darsel is solving a global learning crisis in math and math-adjacent skills (e.g. problem solving, quantitative reasoning, etc.) for primary and secondary school students, with a special focus on low-resource communities that have limited access to conventional technology solutions. 6 in 10 students, globally, are below minimum math proficiency levels (UNESCO 2024), with evidence of decline over the last 8 years, partly due to long-lasting effects of pandemic-related school closures. The crisis is worst in low-income countries (9 in 10 below minimum proficiency) where education technology is least accessible (but arguably most needed). We work in partnership with government school systems to address the following specific root cause: lack of access to high-quality education technology solutions which can easily and effectively be integrated in low-resource education systems. Why? Because successfully embedding accessible, fit-for-purpose education technology systems in large-scale government school systems can overcome the limitations imposed by other resource-intensive factors (e.g. school infrastructure, teachers, material, etc.). It’s the most scalable and cost-effective way to improve learning outcomes. Note: We are aiming to solve a global problem, and currently operate in India, Nigeria and Jordan to illustrate the global applicability of our solution.

Darsel is an AI-powered personalized learning chatbot that allows students to practice and learn curriculum-aligned mathematics in low-resource settings. Darsel is used by students from home using household devices (typically a parent’s phone), and it is accessed entirely through popular low-bandwidth messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or even SMS. It is a chatbot, not a standalone application. Darsel integrates with school systems and offers curriculum-aligned and locally-relevant content to students (developed by math content experts and LLMs). The learning process is AI-driven. Darsel sends math questions to students based on their level. It also tactically shares learning material, including hints and explanations, when students get stuck. Darsel’s algorithm continuously measures student skill mastery to adapt the content accordingly. The experience is designed to be fun and motivational, with gamification features including levels and classroom leaderboards. A/B testing ensures continuous optimization of algorithms and content. Darsel also provides reporting features to teachers and school officials, who receive PDF reports (through WhatsApp) with insights on their students’ activity and performance. Teachers use reports and leaderboards to motivate and encourage student usage. Demo: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tHTQSSQlo2GfVMjiesYgcSezTI7S3tKQ/view?usp=sharing

Darsel serves students (age 9-15) who attend government schools in low- and middle-income countries. Today we operate in India, Nigeria and Jordan, in both urban and rural areas as well as in refugee camps (in Jordan). Our students live and study in low-resource settings. They attend under-resourced schools which underserve them in most ways. Schools often have large classroom sizes (100+ in some locations) and large variability in teacher ability. Our students have limited technology access, due to device constraints (often one phone per household) as well as data-related constraints (slow and/or expensive internet access). As such, most conventional EdTech solutions are not conveniently accessible (or completely inaccessible) to them, including video-based platforms, web-based applications, and most phone applications. However, low-bandwidth messaging platforms (e.g. SMS, WhatsApp) are typically accessible by someone in the household. Our chatbot solution is incredibly simple and accessible (as easy as texting a friend), but also powerful, as it can effectively provide high-quality remedial math learning and reverse learning losses. It meets student’s unmet needs in math education, including adjacent cognitive skills (e.g. problem solving), while also increasing academic confidence and excitement, with long-term impact on education attainment and socioeconomic outcomes.