Ambition
It is estimated that school drop-out costs the US economy about $459B in lost revenue. D2L set out to address this directly (30% of students drop out in universities) by helping institutions meet their graduation goals.
Case study · Desire2Learn
Degree Compass: smarter course selection.
Desire2Learn: A global leader in educational technology, built on a belief most of higher ed hadn’t questioned: that dropout was a motivation problem, not a data problem.
The genesis
Where it started.
Target group
University students at risk of dropping out, and the higher-education institutions responsible for their outcomes.
The challenge
What stood in the way.
Ed-tech’s status quo
Course selection was largely blind: students picked courses without much sense of which ones actually fit their aptitude or interests, and dropout stayed high as a result.
Turning an idea into a product
D2L had already partnered with Austin Peay State University on patented technology called Degree Compass. What they didn’t have was a way to turn that idea into a real product that could scale and serve millions of students globally.
The belief underneath the barrier: that dropout was something to manage after the fact, not something a better first course choice could prevent.
Our strategic intervention
Three moves, in order.
- 01
Data Partnership
Built on D2L’s existing partnership with Austin Peay State University and the patented Degree Compass technology.
- 02
AI Model Build
Within 6 months, developed an AI-based system that helps students pick suitable courses based on their aptitude and interests.
- 03
Scaled Rollout
Deployed the system to serve millions of students globally, not just the original pilot population.
Execution & innovation
How it was built.
Aptitude matching engine
AI evaluates each student’s aptitude and interests to recommend courses they’re more likely to complete.
Predictive course selection
Recommendations are built to increase the odds of a student finishing their degree, not just filling a schedule.
National recognition
The program’s success drew mentions from President Barack Obama and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Results
What changed.
Course Load Increase
Students using Degree Compass take 20% more courses toward their degree.
Dropout Decline
Dropout rates declined dramatically within the first year of use.
National Spotlight
Recognized publicly by President Obama and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Scale Achieved
Now supporting a platform with 100,000+ customers and millions of users.
By the numbers
- Increase in enrollments
- 20%
- Project duration
- 1 year
- Invested
- ~$1M+
Budget
~$1M+
Timeline
1 year, from initial analysis to deployment.
Conclusion
Desire2Learn’s story is what happens when an institution stops treating dropout as something to react to and starts treating it as something a better first match can prevent. The belief shifted, from “we manage dropout” to “we can predict and prevent it,” and the results followed: more courses completed, fewer students lost, and recognition reaching the White House and the Gates Foundation.
In their words
From the people who were there.
TetraNoodle brought a very pragmatic, collaborative attitude to the work.
Stephen Michaud
Senior Manager, Learning Applications, Integrations, and Analytics, The University of British Columbia
TetraNoodle is used to designing and maintaining mission critical implementations.
Simon Ruddell
Senior Project Manager, Coast Capital Savings
What’s next
Your story could be next.
See where you stand, then build the operation that compounds from here.