The YourLabs team is happy to announce the next version of the KnowledgeEvaluation System.  Based on your feedback, we’ve implemented some exciting new and enhanced features!

1. Improved layout and navigation.  We’ve improved the layout and colors of the dashboard, we’ve consolidated our navigation, and we’ve streamlined the setup process to get you to where you need to be faster.

2. Equation editing. This was our most requested feature and we’ve delivered.  Easily add equations to your questions using ASCIIMath (a natural way of inputting mathematical expressions) and get a live preview as you type.  You can even add equations as answers.

3. Embed (almost) anything.  Embed external content like YouTube videos, Kahn Academy lessons, Wikipedia images, etc. into your question by simply copying and pasting a link or URL into your question – no need to add these as assets anymore.

4. Rich editor. We’ve added a rich editor toolbar to the question creator so you can have more control over the formatting of your question content.

5. Improved search.  We reworked our search to make it much easier to navigate and copy questions to your assignments.  We’ve also expanded search to standards and feedback widgets in the question creator.

6. International support.  We’ve added multi-language support so that users can register and use KES from anywhere in the world.

7. Time zone support.  Set time zones for yourself, your institution, classroom, and students to support distance learners and remote classrooms.

8. Better student management.  Add individual students to your classroom and manually reset student passwords.

9. Instructor invites.  Invite other instructors or teaching assistants to your classroom to help creator questions, manage a classroom, or analyze data.

10. Help videos.  We’ve started a YouTube channel with some getting started videos.  We’ll add more over time.

The YourLabs team is excited to launch our Knowledge Evaluation System!

The YourLabs Knowledge Evaluation System (KES) is a complete learning platform that gathers detailed student feedback for real-time discovery of gaps in student understanding and identification of what students know and don’t know. It assesses knowledge mastery rather than test taking mastery.  Designed to run on any device, KES is both a community driven content repository and customizable diagnostic application that makes teachers more efficient and effective.  Using YourLabs’ rich analytics and student feedback data, immediate instructional decisions can be made and students who need the most help identified.  KES is aligned with Common Core State Standards and the Technology Guidelines for Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.  It delivers analytics to evaluate critical thinking, conceptual understanding, procedural skills and fluency, and problem solving ability.

KES analytics empowers teachers to make timely interventions and customize course content to optimize learning.  Students can compare their performance with their peers, view detailed solution methodologies, and the real-world concepts associated with classroom activities.  This student self-reflection and ability to take immediate corrective action via the content on KES, will help teachers better customize instruction at each step in a problem solving question, in assignments and homework, and ultimately, in the entire classroom.

Data collected by KES also allows for complex data mining and gives users the means to view, understand, and analyze multiple levels of learner data from a single problem, to a classroom, to an entire school, and all the way up to district and state. It provides administrators with data to understand common problem solving errors in their schools and misconceptions of fundamental principles in order to take action to improve instruction, teaching practice, and learning.