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THE ART OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY
Introducing Instructional Insights
Real-time visibility into how instructional materials drive student engagement and outcomes.
ON DESIGN
Crafting With Care
I believe design should..
be rooted in empathy, not assumptions
be iterative- progress over perfection
invite collaboration across disciplines
empower users, not try to control them
focus on clarity, not decoration or flashiness
balance logic with emotion
be accessible and diverse
I believe design should not..
be rooted in ego
sacrifice usability for aesthetics
depend on perfect behavior or ideal scenarios
ignore constraints
chase trends at the cost of long term value
assume users will figure it out
be reactive only- it should anticipate needs
make users feel unintelligent or lost
hide complexity instead of managing it
be built without purpose or principles
OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT
Providing teachers with timely, actionable insights into how instructional materials are being used so they can adapt instruction in real time, drive student engagement, and continuously improve learning outcomes.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Painting By Numbers
Teaching In The Moment
Teachers can spot what’s working (or not) as it happens—allowing for immediate pivots that keep students engaged and on track.
Directed Energy
Educators are overwhelmed with responsibilities—clear, actionable data helps them focus their energy where it matters most, rather than guessing what’s working.
Continuous Growth
Relying on informal feedback leads to inconsistent improvements; data-driven decisions ensure curriculum evolves based on actual student needs and engagement patterns.
USER PERSONAS
Analyzing Portraits
Maya Carter
First-Year Middle School Art Teacher &
AOEU Grad Student
Profile
Fresh out of grad school
1 year of teaching
Slowly learning that middle schoolers are equally chaotic and creative
Still thinks every art supply will make it to June (Who's going to tell her?)
Needs / Goals
Build lessons that engage and actually land
Understand what's working (and what's not)
Gain confidence in classroom management and curriculum pacing
Survive Navigate upcoming semesters and likely many more years of teaching
Pain Points / Frustrations
Unsure of which materials are actually resonating with students ("Are they internally yawning or actually deep thinking?")
Struggles to adapt mid-lesson without clear data
Time constraints while balancing teaching with grad school work
Needs proactive feedback that's delivered before the tears have paint has already dried
Tech Literacy
Comfortable with basic LMS features
Working knowledge of data tools
Uses iPad for everything
Triples checks before deleting anything
Asks, "Is it me or the Wi-Fi?" at least twice a day
Personality
Curious
Determined
Eager to grow
Thrives with a bit of guidance
Powered by Pinterest, coffee, and hope
Benefits of 'Instructional Insights' Feature
Gives her clarity on what’s landing with students
Surfaces helpful patterns she wouldn’t spot alone
Builds her confidence as an intentional, reflective educator
Julian Reyes
District Art Instructional Coach &
AOEU Adjunct Instructor
Profile
14 years of teaching
3 years in curriculum leadership
Data nerd with a heart of gold
Survived more than a decade of tech glitches and students' shenanigans (Wait, that was due today?!")
Needs / Goals
Align curriculum with engagement data
Empower teachers with insights
Advocate for arts education using clear metrics
Hoping one day students will understand that "engagement" means more than showing up
Pain Points / Frustrations
Difficult to track the effectiveness of new curriculum initiatives (Once tried to track this with sticky notes and regret)
Teachers ghost his surveys like it's a bad Tinder date
Knows 80% of teacher feedback is just: ‘It felt fine?’
Wishes there was a translator between how admins think and teachers' reality
Tech Literacy
Confident with LMS
Data-savvy
Has a soft spot for elegantly designed dashboards
Has a personal vendetta against inconsistent color coding
Loves graphs and charts
Multi-tasks with 30+ tabs open at once
Personality
Analytical
Pragmatic
Enthusiastic
Eats educational research articles for breakfast
Can spot a missing data point from 30 yards away
Benefits of 'Instructional Insights' Feature
Provides clarity on how instructional strategies perform
Equips him with patterns to inform teacher coaching
Saves time aggregating data manually for reports
USER WORKFLOWS
Where Form Follows Function
01
Create Courses + Upload Materials
Teachers lay the foundation by structuring learning experiences—organizing units, aligning standards, and designing a creative arc for students to explore.
02
Assign Tasks + Track Engagement
Lesson plans, reference images, rubrics, and demos come to life here—this is where teachers prepare their digital “studio” with the resources students need.
03
Assess + Report Outcomes
Teachers generate and share reports that spotlight engagement trends and instructional impact, enabling meaningful, data-driven conversations with colleagues, administrators, and families.
JOURNEY MAPPING
Between Brushstrokes
ACCESSIBILITY
A Shade For Everyone
Clear Visual Hierarchy
Ensure all data visualizations and UI elements follow consistent layout, spacing, and size ratios for better scanability and screen magnifier support.
Screen Reader Compatibility
All charts, tooltips, and text-based insights include ARIA labels and structured descriptions to support screen readers.
Keyboard Navigation
Full feature access via keyboard, including filters, dropdowns, and insight cards, supporting users with limited motor function.
High Color Contrast
All charts and alerts should meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards for color contrast, while using patterns, labels, and iconography—not just color—to convey meaning.
Responsive Design
Optimize the dashboard for use on various screen sizes (desktop, tablet, mobile) to ensure accessibility across devices.
Alt Text for Insight Graphics
Every chart and visual insight is paired with a descriptive alt-text summary, supporting blind or low-vision users.
Data Simplification Mode
A toggle that surfaces simplifies summaries and removes unnecessary visual clutter—designed for neurodivergent users or teachers overwhelmed by data.
Motion Reduction Respect
UI respects the user's system preferences for reduced motion to minimize distraction or discomfort.
Tooltips with Definitions
Embed plain-language definitions for technical terms (e.g., “engagement spike”) for clarity and comprehension.
INTERACTION FLOW
Painting By Numbers
Logs In
Views 'Key Insights' on Dashboard Homepage
Clicks 'View All Insights' to view types of insights
Uses Toggle to switch between insight types
Clicks on 'View Report' to see detailed metrics
DESIGN CONCEPTS
Blueprints In Motion
MENU
AI Summary
Schedule
Leaderboard
Trends
Comments
Invite User
Mr. Oscar
Key Operational Insights This Week
View All Insights
Net Sales
$7,875
18%
Labor Costs
+8.2%
342.65
Food Waste
+12.4%
$89.29
Suggested Next Steps
Reduce Labor Cost
High
Trim 1–2 staff hours in low-traffic hours.
Estimated savings: $80/ week
Adjust Schedule
Optimize Peak Hour Staffing
High
2-4 PM has 30% higher traffic but same staffing levels.
Estimated savings: $120/ week
Analyze Traffic Patterns
Review Food Waste
Moderate
Waste increased by 12%. Cross-check prep volumes and supplier deliveries.
Estimated savings: $45/ week
View Inventory Logs
Portion Control Training
Moderate
Food cost variance suggests inconsistent portioning across shifts.
Estimated savings: $65/ week
Schedule Training
Key Trends and Insights
Labor Cost Forecast - Store #1864
Nov 4
Nov 11
Nov 18
Nov 25
Dec 2
Dec 9
Next 6 weeks
Previous report
6-week projection
$500
$3,000
$6,000
Key Insights
Budget Alert
Store #1864 will likely exceed labor budget by 14% by July 8th.
Trend Analysis
Labor costs increasing at 3.2% daily rate over the past week.
How Stores Compare
Performance Comparison
Key metrics vs network benchmark
Store
#1892
#1864
#1210
N. Avg.
Labor/ Rev
$0.12
$0.32
$0.18
$0.14
Waste %
4%
11%
12%
6%
Rank
3rd
24th
18th
-
Labor Cost Comparison
Labor cost per dollar revenue
01
02
03
04
05
06
MOBILE RESPONSIVENESS
Pocket Sized Performance
Home
Welcome back, Emily!
Active Courses
3
Total Time Spent
75 hours
Announcements
New Curriculum Updates
Explore the latest enhancements to our art curriculum, designed to inspire creativity and engage students.
View Updates
Quick Links
Course Catalog
Track Progress
View Insights
Resource Library
Home
Courses
Resources
Profile
EARLY CONCEPTS
Key Solution Elements for Users
LMS Integration
The feature integrates seamlessly with LMS to improve efficiency, grow productivity, reduce errors, and save time.
Connect with:
Google Classroom
Seesaw
Canvas
Schoology
And more
Get Started
AI Development
Acts as a friendly data sidekick—quickly generating answers so teachers can get instant, actionable answers without hunting through dashboards.
AOEU AI
How much did student engagement increase this week?
Generate
Fast
Reliable
Convenient
COMPLIANCES
FERPA-licious
Aggregated Data Views
Trends and insights are presented at the class or group level, avoiding any unnecessary exposure of individual student identities unless explicitly needed for pedagogical intervention.
Role-Based Access Controls
Only authorized users (e.g., the student’s direct teacher) can access identifiable performance and engagement data. Coaches or admins see broader patterns without student-level detail.
Minimal Data Exposure
Insights related to low participation, content drop-off, or rubric trends are surfaced without displaying raw scores or personal information unless that context is critical to instructional decisions.
FERPA-Safe Sharing Tools
All downloadable reports or “Growth Snapshots” intended for external sharing (e.g., with families or admin) automatically strip identifying information unless consent is provided or required by educational context.
Privacy-Respectful AI Responses
When educators use the Instructional Insights chatbot, AI responses are limited to FERPA-appropriate data fields—avoiding any mention of student names, grades, or personal information in general-use queries.
Transparent Data Use Policies
All access to student-level insights is logged. This supports internal auditing and ensures AOEU can demonstrate responsible data accountability and regulatory compliance.
CONSTRAINTS + TRADEOFFS
Coloring Inside The Lines
Data Privacy & FERPA Compliance
Limits data granularity—cannot show individual-level insights openly; impacts how detailed analytics can be. Increases complexity/cost in encryption, access controls, and audits.
User Tech Literacy & Adoption
Feature complexity vs. usability tradeoff: must keep interface intuitive but still rich enough to be valuable. Over-automation risks losing user control and trust.
Integration with LMS
Deep integration increases development time and cost, while shallow integration limits data access and feature depth.
ENGINEERING FEASIBILITY
Building The Feature Spec-tacularly
Area
Engagement data visualization
Accessibility (WCAG 2.1) |
Role-based permissions (teacher vs admin)
Notes
Charts, heatmaps, and summaries can be built using libraries like D3.js or Recharts. Data can be aggregated pseudonymously.
With proper attention to semantic HTML, ARIA labels, keyboard navigation, color contrast, and screen reader support, the feature can be made accessible.
Most modern LMS integrations and user systems support granular permission handling.
Feasibility
High
High
High
AI-driven lesson recommendations
Real-time participation alerts
FERPA-safe data storage
Requires training lightweight models or rules-based engines on historical data while preserving privacy. Can start with rule-based MVP before introducing ML.
Needs backend listeners/webhooks to monitor student actions (e.g., inactivity, video not viewed). Feasible but requires integration with LMS event systems.
Data must be anonymized or de-identified. Clear audit trails and data governance policies are required. Cloud partners (e.g., AWS, GCP) offer compliant infrastructure.
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
Personalized AI feedback generation (e.g., “Ask about video clarity”)
Cross-platform parity (desktop + mobile)
Requires NLP analysis of student work and patterns. Needs guardrails to ensure AI-generated suggestions are FERPA-safe and don’t mislead.
Must include robust consent flows, opt-in sharing, and strict access control. Storing or surfacing identifiable performance data adds risk.
Low
Low
QUICK WINS
Fast Tracks and Fine Lines
A few quick wins and ideas to polish up the products.
Welcome, District Admin!
Feb 1
Jan 1
0
20
40
60
80
Separate Portal for District Admins
Provides district admins with a dedicated portal to monitor instructional trends, compare engagement across schools, and support teachers with data-driven decisions—without disrupting the classroom experience.
Guided Onboarding with Tooltips
Helps teachers hit the ground running with step-by-step guidance, contextual tooltips, and built-in tips that make exploring insights feel intuitive—not intimidating.
This insight highlights student engagement trends over time. Hover for details, or click to explore which lessons or materials may need a creative refresh.
FLEX
PRO
Add people or emails
View Insights
Color Coded
Distinct Tabs
Color Coded + Separate Tabs for FLEX and PRO products
Uses clear color coding and distinct tabs to visually separate FLEX and PRO products—making it easy for teachers and admins to navigate, compare, and take action without second-guessing.
DESIGN RATIONALE + PRODUCT STRATEGY
Marking with Purpose
Empowerment, Not Evaluation
The feature uses neutral language and private teacher-only views to encourage reflection without judgment or surveillance.
Pedagogical Integrity
Flexible filters and teacher annotations honor the complexity of teaching by focusing on patterns aligned with learning objectives rather than simple performance scores.
FERPA-First
Aggregated, de-identified data with restricted admin access and clear privacy tooltips ensure full compliance with student data protection laws.
Simplicity + Clarity
Clean, high-contrast visualizations and intuitive tooltips deliver insights quickly and clearly to support busy teachers’ decision-making.
Inclusive + Accessible
The design meets WCAG 2.1 AA standards with screen-reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, and plain-language explanations to serve all educators.
Integration-Aware
Seamless LMS and assessment tool integration with color-coded differentiation minimizes workflow disruption and keeps data consistent across platforms.
METRICS + FEEDBACK LOOPS
Engagement Metrics
Teacher Log-ins to Instructional Insights dashboard
Average session duration
Click-through rate on specific insights (e.g., low-engagement flag → lesson edit)
Heatmap interactions (what data sections teachers interact with most)
Adoption + Usage
% of AOEU staff regularly using the feature (monthly active users / total target users)
Frequency of data views per course or teacher
% of new courses created using insight recommendations
Time saved in curriculum reviews vs. previous manual process (self-reported)
Instructional Impact
Change in student engagement metrics (e.g., participation, assignment completion)
Increase in high-engagement lessons semester over semester
Reduction in low-engagement “dead zones” (i.e., flagged units with low interaction)
Feedback Quality + System Performance
% of actionable insights marked “helpful” by users
Qualitative feedback in surveys: “How did this insight help inform your teaching?”
Latency of AI responses
Accuracy of insight summaries (rated via thumbs up/down or qualitative feedback)
FEEDBACK LOOPS
Feedback Loops
Teacher Feedback Loop
Embed quick feedback widget (“Was this insight useful?”)
End-of-term surveys on dashboard usability, clarity, and trust in data
Optional “Insight Request” form to surface what teachers want to know but can’t see yet
Adoption + Usage
Review patterns in flagged lessons across teachers and classes
Schedule 1:1 or small group interviews every quarter to assess how they use the data to inform PD
AI + UX Evaluation Loop
Track confusion rates or repeated requests
Weekly audits of randomly selected insight summaries for clarity and bias
Feedback Quality + System Performance
Monthly checks for data pipeline errors
Real-time alerting if PLL (Personalized Learning Tab) is ever included in summaries
Internal FERPA audit logs and encryption validation reports
NEXT STEPS
Staying Ahead of The (Learning) Curve
Benefits of Working with Me
Systems thinking
7+ years of experience
Fun to work with
Passion for education
Design with empathy
Collaborative mindset
Will send you memes (Work related..not)
Will share the best matcha latte recipe with you
Special guest appearances: I have a cute dog who will occasionally show up to meetings uninvited