Darsel

Six in ten children around the world are not learning, and learning gaps have been exacerbated by Covid-19 - especially in low-income communities. We know that education technology can help, and there are many great resources online, like Khan Academy and edX. The problem, however, is that most solutions are web-based and video-based: they require reliable internet connections that only one in three students have access to.   

The solution is Darsel: a learning platform which is designed to be universally accessible. It can be used through text channels like SMS or WhatsApp which are simple, cheap, and require minimal or no internet.

Darsel looks like a chatbot - but it is powered by proprietary content and AI-driven personalized learning algorithms that maximize student learning and can reverse learning loss. On Darsel, students can practice curriculum-aligned skills and can even submit homework (which generates data and insights for their teachers).   

Darsel is designed to help solve a global learning crisis which is most acute in low-income and resource-constrained communities.

Even before Covid-19, six in ten children around the world were not learning and failed to meet minimum proficiency levels. This learning crisis correlated highly with income levels (at the country level). 

The pandemic has exacerbated learning inequalities and learning losses. More than 90% of the world's students have been affected by school closures, but less than half had access to digital distance learning solutions. After all, approximately 40% of the world remains offline, and it is estimated that only one in three can reliably watch videos online. 

In other words, only one in three have reliable access to digital learning platforms like Khan Academy and edX.

Technology (and more specifically: personalized learning technology) is necessary to reverse learning losses cost-effectively and at scale. Thus, the global digital divide is the greatest obstacle to solving the world's education crisis and reaching the 4th Sustainable Development Goal (quality education for all). 

We cannot wait for universal broadband access. We need to develop scalable learning solutions that can reach everyone, today.

Darsel is a learning platform which can be accessed and navigated entirely through text-based channels such as SMS, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

In short, Darsel is an intelligent and autonomous chatbot.

Darsel contains proprietary content. In 'practice mode', students can practice skills by answering questions on Darsel. Hints, solution explanations and mini-lessons are provided to help students learn along the way.

An AI-powered personalized learning algorithm automatically learns about each student's skills (updates a model of student skill mastery) and personalizes content accordingly. Thus, students who are struggling are automatically exposed to easier questions to build foundational skills. This means that Darsel is remedial: it automatically identifies and rectifies learning gaps.

Darsel is designed to be used as a homework tool in a school setting. Students can use classroom codes to unlock curriculum-aligned content, including teacher-curated quizzes and assessments. In this scenario, teachers receive data, insights and recommendations (e.g about topics requiring additional instruction). Darsel can also be used to prepare for specific standardized exams.

Darsel is currently focused on math skills, and is available in English and Arabic.

Darsel's target population is communities who have constrained access to modern education technology, due to either device-related constraints or internet-related constraints (e.g. weak internet infrastructure, high cost of data, etc.)

The primary beneficiaries are students, with an initial focus on students between Grade 4 and Grade 12 (ages 10-18). Teachers are also beneficiaries, as Darsel automates homework processes (creation, assignment, grading) and provides data-driven insights. Parents, as well as school administrators, siblings, and other community members, are also important stakeholders.

Resource-constrained communities exist globally (including in the US), but Darsel is focused on communities in low-income countries where education systems also have limited resources.

Darsel serves the learning needs of the target population not only by being accessible, but also by being engaging and effective at improving learning outcomes.

Due to Covid-related travel restrictions, user engagement has been limited to focus groups and remote user testing (conducted in various countries including Nigeria, Egypt, Pakistan and the Philippines). Extensive travel and on-the-ground user research is being planned for Q4 2021 onwards. 

Darsel brings the research-proven advantages of modern EdTech solutions to resource-constrained communities (and especially to low-income, internet-constrained communities). As such, it is explicitly and intentionally designed to "enable access to quality learning experiences in low-connectivity settings" with an end goal of meeting SDG 4 (quality education for all).

However, it should be noted that Darsel's emphasis on personalized learning (and the fact that it is designed to be used as a teacher-assigned practice / homework tool) means that Darsel is also closely aligned with another dimension: "Support teachers to adapt their pedagogy, facilitate personalized instruction."

The Darsel platform has been tested with ~1,500 test users and was recently piloted with 30 Grade 5 and Grade 10 students in Egypt.  

Darsel implements features from the frontier of EdTech (AI-driven personalized learning algorithm and skills networks, high-quality content, gamification elements, etc.).

However, what is truly innovative about Darsel is the application of these features through low-cost, low-bandwidth text-based channels such as SMS and WhatsApp.

Thus, Darsel is bringing the latest advances in EdTech to the bottom of the pyramid.

In doing so, Darsel is unlocking - and demonstrating - the full potential of text messaging channels in education. These channels have not been adequately leveraged in education, despite their growing popularity in other sectors (financial inclusion, healthcare, government services, etc.)

Darsel hopes that it will help catalyze interest in text-based learning solutions (and in particular, the use of AI in text-based platforms). In fact, Darsel intends to make its software open-source in order to facilitate the emergence of other solutions. 

• Today: 30 students (first mini-pilot)
• In 1 year: 1,000+ students
• In 5 years: 500,000+ students

Note: Targets assume organic growth without support of implementation partners and do not capture growth in per-student impact (e.g. through expansion in topic coverage, within and beyond math) 

Key metrics include:

• Number of students using Darsel
• Darsel usage and retention rates
• Impact of Darsel usage on academic learning (as measured through school or standardized examinations, to be determined through evaluation efforts)
• Impact of Darsel usage on school drop-out rates

1 full-time (founder), 1 part-time (since March 2021). Several volunteers have also contributed meaningfully to Darsel's progress. Team will be expanding in Summer 2021.

Personal background: Founder is from Syria and is personally exposed to the limitations of connectivity constraints. He has worked with refugee education organizations in the Middle East and is committed to ensuring that quality education and the benefits of EdTech become truly accessible to all.

Technical expertise: Founder completed his BSc at MIT with a major in mathematics with computer science (and a second major in economics). He developed and launched the Darsel prototype, including the personalized learning algorithm. 

Content / problem expertise: Founder has a MPA in International Development (Harvard Kennedy School of Government) and wrote his graduate thesis on text-based personalized learning. He also has professional experience in education policy in the Middle East.

Management training: Founder previously worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company (for 3 years, Middle East Office) and recently completed an MBA at Stanford's Graduate School of Business.

User feedback: Over the last year, the Darsel team has been adamant about gathering and responding to user feedback, including through focus groups and pilots. Feedback has changed product development in several ways. Our focus on human-centered design will become more evident as travel restrictions ease. 

Darsel is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team, and proactively seeks to recruit employees from beneficiary communities. Darsel's team members - and all volunteers to date - are from / have worked in low-income countries. 

Darsel's content creation guidelines, published in March 2021, explicitly mandate that all produced content is inclusive and locally-relevant.

Darsel is aware that societal and practical constraints (e.g. lack of safe public transportation infrastructure) can prohibit labor force participation. Darsel's work policies (allowing flexible schedules and remote work for all) were intentionally designed to maximize inclusivity.

Darsel was compelled into existence by the overwhelming scale of the world's learning crisis and the dearth of solutions that are accessible in resource-constrained communities.

The team has developed a technology platform that can meaningfully impact education outcomes at a global level and accelerate our collective progress towards SDG4. However, the technology's potential can only be realized if it can be scaled to schools and students around the world. 

Partnerships (especially with research and education organizations) are needed to accomplish this, as the team does not have the personal networks or the resources to rapidly expand into new geographies.

We are seeking to solve a global problem - and while we are building a global and diverse team, we cannot do it alone.

Beyond getting direct support from partners, we hope to learn from - and alongside - other organizations who are facing similar challenges in the pursuit of large-scale social impact.

1. Product / Service Distribution. Darsel is ready for piloting with schools and school networks. Support with identifying and collaborating with partner schools would greatly accelerate Darsel's R&D and scaling efforts.

2. Monitoring & Evaluation. As previously discussed, one of Darsel's focus areas for the next year is the design and implementation of RCTs to measure the effectiveness of Darsel at improving learning outcomes. Support from research partners would be greatly appreciated.

3. Public Relations (related to service distribution). Darsel is in need of professional review of Darsel's go-to-market strategy and planned outreach efforts to schools (including potential revision of brand). 

Finally, financial support is always appreciated. Additional funds are needed to grow the team and cover pilot-related expenses.

Research organizations such as the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab would be excellent partners for piloting and rigorously evaluating Darsel in resource-constrained communities.

Solve members in the education space with links in developing countries (such as Queen Rania Foundation) would be invaluable in supporting Darsel's outreach efforts to schools. 

Darsel - as a low-cost, low-bandwidth learning platform - is uniquely positioned to support refugee education (especially in refugee camps, but also in urban settings).

More so, Darsel's technology and its personalized learning algorithm are exceptionally well-suited to provide remedial education, which is particularly important for refugees (due to often-long disruptions in access to education).

The Andan Prize will be used to accelerate R&D efforts and fund outreach and content development which is focused on refugee communities. 

Darsel's low-cost, low-bandwidth learning platform is purposefully designed to increase equitable access to high-quality education.

Darsel's prototype is focused on math, and allows students to practice math skills (and complete math homework) through channels such as SMS, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. 

This makes Darsel a much more accessible platform than most EdTech solutions, which rely on video content and web-based platform which require stable internet connection. Darsel, on the other hand, can be accessed by any device (even feature phones) irrespective of internet connectivity.

The GM prize will accelerate R&D efforts and allow Darsel to reach more students in resource-constrained communities.

Darsel leverages artificial intelligence to offer a personalized learning experience (through text-messaging channels) to students with limited device / internet access. 

The AI for Humanity Prize will accelerate R&D efforts and allow Darsel to reach more students in resource-constrained communities.

Darsel is an innovative technology which promises to expand access to quality STEM education (with initial focus on mathematics) in low-resource communities. If successful, Darsel's technology could have meaningful impact not only on educational outcomes, but also on poverty alleviation and economic development.

The GSR Prize will accelerate R&D efforts and allow Darsel to reach more students in resource-constrained communities.