Crossbraining Uses Video Capture for Assessment

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 04/21/20

An education technology company has enhanced a program for experiential learning and assessment that can be used with K-12 and career and technology students.

CrossBraining, from a company by the same name, allows users to capture their learning process in sub-45-second videos, whether in person or remotely, using cameras, including GoPro action cameras. The application, which is cloud-based, operates from two sides — the teacher's and the student's. The teacher can create a new lesson with the details, overview and goals for the assignment. Then the students work through the lesson while recording it, then upload it for teacher review and assessment. Videos can be edited within the software by either participant. Uploads can also include narration and reflections.

"As a former teacher of 22 years, I personally understand traditional testing may not always suit every student's ability to demonstrate their knowledge," said Josh Nichols, founder and CEO of the company, in a statement. "Our ed tech platform was created with that in mind and was designed to empower all learning styles and needs, while also building confidence by bringing real-life concepts to the classroom." The idea is to help students show their learning progress from beginning to end.

"The coronavirus pandemic has created exceptional challenges for both students and our instructors alike. As this unprecedented situation continues to rapidly evolve, we've been able to leverage some phenomenal online-based education tools to support and advance student learning amid school closures. CrossBraining is one of those tools," said Kate Thirolf, vice president for instruction at Michigan's Jackson College. "Students learn best through hands-on learning and benefit from taking ownership of their learning process – CrossBraining enables that. Not to mention, our students are saying how much fun they're having using the ed tech platform."

The company has teamed up with GoPro to encourage people to show their active learning by posting the clips online as part of the GoPro #HomePro challenge, "Putting our content where our house is." Every day GoPro will pick five of its favorite content submissions and the creator will win a HERO8 Black or MAX camera. The contest runs through Apr. 30, 2020.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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