Socos: Hacking Education

While Over Coffee® is on hiatus through the Christmas holidays, we're rebroadcasting some of our most popular episodes of 2017. Thank you for listening--and be sure to be with us for our coverage of CES 2018!
Vivienne Ming at SRK Headshot Day in San Francisco(Photograph courtesy of Scott R. Kline, and used with permission.)

Can learning outcomes be predicted, just by the way students talk among themselves?  And, can both learning and life outcomes be changed by some minor daily "tweaks"?

Yes to both questions, says neuroscientist and entrepreneur Dr. Vivienne Ming--who is also a mom.

Vivienne and her wife Norma are the co-founders of Socos, a Bay Area educational technology startup.  And through Socos, they're guiding parents in ways that enhance a child's development--and make the learning process an exploration both will enjoy.

How does this work?  Well,  Socos provides a research-based app called MuseBot, which asks parents a daily question.  Based on the parent's answer, according to Socos' website, MuseBot will design a daily activity for the parent and child to do together.  The process is based on a philosophy stated on Socos' website: the goal of fostering "metalearners"actively involved in their own educational process, as opposed to simply absorbing another's teachings in a passive manner.

But small children aren't the only ones benefiting from the metalearning goals.  Socos is also developing projects colleges and online universities, to maximize learning.  And while MuseBot is a commercial product, Vivienne also makes it available to low-income families, through her nonprofit organization.

Vivienne talked about her background, discussed her experiences co-founding Socos with Norma (who is an educational expert) and shared a story of how she used the process with her own young daughter.
On this edition of Over Coffee®, you’ll hear:

Vivienne’s journey towards her current career as a scientist, entrepreneur and educational pioneer;

How an undergraduate machine-learning project ultimately inspired her to use AI to improve the educational field;

The steps Vivienne and Norma took towards their current work in making a difference in students’ lives and futures;

How the Muse software evolved from their experience and research;

The philosophy behind MuseBot and the ways it’s revolutionizing education;

How parents can apply MuseBot to maximize a child’s learning outcomes;

How low-income organizations can use MuseBot–at no charge.

A MuseBot intervention Vivienne put to work to awaken her five-year-old daughter’s interest in science;

How Socos is developing MuseBot for older children and young adults;

What adults can do, today, to maximize their potential–and one of the biggest predictors of future success.