Welcome to Learn First
With open eyes and open minds we scour the technological landscape for ideas. We look for anything, from the popular to the unusual, that holds an opportunity to improve the equality of the higher educational experience for students and faculty. Not everything we find will go on to be a winner, but it everything we find will inspire us to think differently about how we approach the challenges facing teaching and learning.
Finding Opportunities
You can’t see whats coming if you don’t look for it. At LearnFirst, we prepare for “the next big thing” by seeking it out before its a big thing. The sooner we get our hands on something, the sooner we can position our organization to use something successfully, or avoid something problematic.
Supporting Informed Decisions
By knowing what is available and taking the time to understand it, we can make more informed decisions about where and how we support learning. From faculty support to learning space design, engineered exploration of the technological landscape lets us solve the toughest challenges and make the maximum impact.
Engaging Faculty
Ultimately, every new technology is only as valuable as the opportunity it affords to positively impact learning. LearnFirst represents a new opportunity to engage our faculty in meaningful discussions around the challenges they face and how we might leverage new technology to solve those challenges.
Minimizing Risk
Exploring new technology is not unique to LearnFirst. But by coupling our evaluation process with a formalized dissemination strategy, we help make sure that the lessons we learn can help others. We take small risks to prevent others from taking big ones.
“I have a vested interest in the future, because I plan on living there. I want to help create one in which machines can meet the needs of people, rather than the other way around” – Neil Gershenfeld