Minnesota Online High School (MNOHS) is not your typical high school experience. As an online public charter school, MNOHS caters to high schoolers who crave flexibility in their schedules. But what truly sets MNOHS apart is their unwavering commitment to student success.

With a remarkable 13:1 student-teacher ratio, MNOHS prides itself on fostering deep connections and personalized attention. Teachers and counselors work closely with each student, providing invaluable support not just academically, but also in their community and extracurricular pursuits. It's a holistic approach to education that goes beyond the classroom walls.

At MNOHS, they believe that success should extend far beyond high school. That's why they go above and beyond to ensure that students are fully equipped for the future. With MNOHS, it's not just about getting through high school - it's about thriving in every aspect of life.

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Challenges Identified by MNOHS team:

At MNOHS, many students attend for just a fraction of their high school years, often left uncertain about which credits count towards graduation. With the unique situations and online learning, some students struggle to feel fully engaged in their high school experience. Most students simply aim to earn the necessary credits and move forward, without giving much thought to the future. However, there is a wide audience invested in tracking student progress, including students themselves, teachers, counselors, and parents, yet there is currently no centralized way to view and monitor this valuable information.

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Challenges uncovered by SB team:

Online students, without the constant face-to-face interaction of traditional schools, can be challenging to engage with. At MNOHS, the process of monitoring students' progress towards graduation was disorganized and burdensome for counselors, leaving families and students confused. The lack of motivation among students to participate in extracurricular activities and community engagement often went unnoticed by teachers and counselors, resulting in a lack of transparency.

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Approach

After diving into the knowns, unknowns, and ideas presented by the MNOHS team, the SB team embarked on an exciting journey of discovery. We kicked off this exploration by engaging in insightful interviews with MNOHS counselors, teachers, and the executive director. These interviews delved into their day-to-day experiences working with students, uncovering their goals, successes, and challenges. With a focus on fostering organic and honest storytelling, we posed open-ended questions that allowed our interviewees to share their unique perspectives.

Once the interviews were concluded, our team identified overlapping issues, pinpointing the main pain points that we aimed to address. To keep the project on track and centered around the needs of the users, the SB team crafted user personas. These personas served as valuable tools in understanding the shared motivations and pain points of different user groups, each with their own distinct points of view.

Through this engaging process, we are excited to forge ahead and create meaningful solutions for the MNOHS community.

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Hypothesis

Students often find themselves disconnected from their online learning experience, unsure of their journey towards graduation. But what if there was a solution? Imagine an easily accessible application that visualizes their progress, making it crystal clear. Not only that, but let's spice things up by gamifying this "tracker"! By turning it into a fun and interactive experience, we can ignite a spark of motivation within students and get them actively involved in their high school journey. With this application, success is just a tap away!

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