SWADHAYAY - A WhatsApp Based Remedial Learning Program
The Swadhyay program was launched by the Government of Maharashtra (a large state in Western India), in partnership with ConveGenius, India’s leading EdTech social enterprise, and Leadership For Equity (LFE), an education systems change organization working with the state of Maharashtra. Within 6 months of the state-wide roll-out, over 8M students have enrolled in the program and over 4M students of Grades 1-10 have started doing the assessments and home learning activities every week.
The nudged learning model adopted in the Swadhyay program has 3 core components: Formative Assessments; Remedial Learning; Adaptive Teaching. Each student has a personalised learning journey directed by the formative assessments. Based on the performance in the formative assessments, parents/students received content nudges through the whatsapp bot each week focusing on a particular learning outcome, this facilitates remedial learning. The teachers receive nudges in the form of summary reports of each cohort, facilitating adaptive teaching.
Key Findings:
Engagement: Completion rates were greater than 90% week on week. Officers at Block, District, and State level, as well as teachers, are using the data tracked from the program to track the participation and performance of the students ensuring high engagement.
The SWADHYAY program has demonstrated that assessments informed instruction increases the engagement metrics compared to content/videos sprayed at the students in a cascaded manner. It leaves the user with very targeted content. System now believes that the following is possible :
- The state can see the participation and performance of students at a state, district and block-level.
- The performance data at a learning outcome level is useful in designing training sessions, TLMs, and support plans for the teachers both at the local and central level.
- The platform is useful in conducting diagnostics and evaluations to support the state in data-based decision making.
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