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Aurora Institute

Press Release

iNACOL Releases New Report on Functional Requirements to Create Integrated, Student-Centered Learning Systems


Washington, D.C. (May 3, 2016) – Today, the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) released a new report: Student-Centered Learning: Functional Requirements for Integrated Systems to Optimize Learning, authored by Liz Glowa and Jim Goodell. This paper explores the information technology (IT) requirements necessary to build integrated, student-centered systems that can support and optimize personalized learning, maximizing the learning potential of each and every student.

iNACOL released this paper to illustrate the technical requirements and functionalities that learning management systems need to shift toward student-centered instructional models. This comprehensive framework will help districts and schools determine what systems to use and integrate as they begin their journey toward student-centered learning, as well as how systems integration aligns with their organizational vision, educational goals and strategic plans.

Educators can use this report to optimize student learning and promote innovation in their own student-centered learning environments. The report will help school leaders understand the complex technologies needed to optimize personalized learning and how to use data and analytics to improve practices, and can assist technology leaders in re-engineering systems to support the key nuances of student-centered learning.

Schools and districts across the United States are exploring new and powerful ways to design education around proficiency, requiring current IT systems to be reorganized around student-centered learning, competency attainment, multiple pathways and systems of assessments. This framework explores the facets of designing a truly student-centered, integrated information system to drive and scale personalized learning, creating world-class learning opportunities for every student.

Susan Patrick, iNACOL President and CEO, said, “This paper will help school and district leaders prepare Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for new, integrated systems to support student-centered learning in understanding the requirements and needs beyond simple feature lists. The research helps identify the integrated systems functional requirements and specify needs of teachers and students in student-centered learning environments. As schools and districts analyze their own requirements, they can walk through the various scenarios in this report from the teachers’ and students’ perspectives to ensure that platforms can meet the practical needs of student-centered learning. By creating systems to support learner-centered instructional models, we can optimize and maximize the learning opportunities for each and every student’s needs.”

To download a full copy of Student-Centered Learning: Functional Requirements for Integrated Systems to Optimize Learning, please click here.

For more information about iNACOL, please visit https://www.inacol.org.

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About iNACOL

The mission of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) is to catalyze the transformation of K-12 education policy and practice to advance powerful, personalized, learner-centered experiences through competency-based, blended and online learning. iNACOL is a non-profit organization focusing on research, developing policy for student-centered education to ensure equity and access, developing quality standards for emerging learning models using competency-based, blended and online education, and supporting the ongoing professional development of classroom, school, and district leaders for new learning models. Visit our website, like us on Facebook, connect with us on LinkedIn and follow us on twitter.

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