Forum Learning Environment | Minerva Project

Forum™ Learning Environment

Minerva’s^® fully integrated, dynamic and effective instruction, assessment, and curriculum delivery system is enabled by our proprietary learning platform, called Forum.

Forum was designed to support and facilitate Minerva’s educational philosophy and approach — it is more than a standalone technology platform, and is intended for far more than shifting in-person classes online.

Forum supports scientific best practices, and its sophisticated, data-rich instruction and evaluation tools promote improved class experiences.

Forum supports scientific best practices, and its sophisticated, data-rich instruction and evaluation tools promote improved class experiences.

Built around evidence-based instructional practices, the system supports instructors and learners using Minerva’s pedagogical approach.

Built around evidence-based instructional practices, the system supports instructors and learners using Minerva’s pedagogical approach.

Minerva classes are constructed using a range of collaborative activities, including Socratic discussion, live polling, breakout groups, debate, role-playing, simulation, quizzing, and team projects.

Minerva classes are constructed using a range of collaborative activities, including Socratic discussion, live polling, breakout groups, debate, role-playing, simulation, quizzing, and team projects.

The information-rich, technologically-enhanced learning environment is a powerful means of improving educational outcomes.

The information-rich, technologically-enhanced learning environment is a powerful means of improving educational outcomes.

Forum’s instruction and evaluation tools promote greater understanding of the specific mental tools each course is designed to teach.

Forum’s instruction and evaluation tools promote greater understanding of the specific mental tools each course is designed to teach.

Beyond Typical Online Platforms

Rather than a one-way conduit for information sharing or a repurposed business conferencing tool, the learning environment offers a deeply engaging digital experience for learners and instructors alike. Its robust features, varied learning modalities, and data gathering and management tools offer capabilities and insights not available in any other platform.

Multiple Learning Modalities

Forum is intentionally built for deep learner engagement, enabling both continuity throughout a course and variety within individual sessions, hallmarks of our Fully Active Learning pedagogy. In each session, instructors act as facilitators — not lecturers — moving students through an assortment of activities that vary from session to session. For example, one session may center on Socratic discussion about a key concept, then flow into a simulation exercise exploring how that concept can yield different outcomes; the next session might reintroduce that same concept, but use breakout groups to analyze the reasons for the different outcomes from the previous session. This level of instructional fluidity and pedagogical sophistication is nearly impossible in standard classroom settings, let alone other online platforms.

Data-Informed Instruction & Analysis

The extensive data collection capabilities in Forum empower students, instructors, and schools with real-time feedback and analysis. For example, the TalkTime feature provides an overview of student participation with a single keystroke, allowing instructors to easily call on students who are not engaging in discussion. By gathering specific, personalized data on student engagement and performance, Forum helps instructors track, manage, and influence individual progress in specific sessions and over time. Instructors themselves can also learn from their own performance, similar to athletes watching video of their game day performance. At the school level, Forum provides aggregate and anonymized reporting features, so administrators and school leaders can review overall program metrics, evaluate impact, and gain critical insights for curricular refinement and program expansion.

With a range of modalities and engagement tools, Forum empowers instructors with capabilities that improve their efficiency and effectiveness in class, and beyond.

With a range of modalities and engagement tools, Forum empowers instructors with capabilities that improve their efficiency and effectiveness in class, and beyond.

Each class session is recorded and tagged, so instructors can provide formative feedback and assessments, based on specific examples of learner performance.

Each class session is recorded and tagged, so instructors can provide formative feedback and assessments, based on specific examples of learner performance.

Our Course Builder dashboard empowers instructors with a data-rich tool to create syllabi, lesson plans, and assignments that cross contexts and disciplines and are tagged with specific, trackable objectives and learner outcomes.

Our Course Builder dashboard empowers instructors with a data-rich tool to create syllabi, lesson plans, and assignments that cross contexts and disciplines and are tagged with specific, trackable objectives and learner outcomes.

Beyond supporting breakout room capabilities, Forum gives instructors access to progress, activity, and engagement within each breakout room in real-time for a depth of content that maximizes success of instructor interventions.

Beyond supporting breakout room capabilities, Forum gives instructors access to progress, activity, and engagement within each breakout room in real-time for a depth of content that maximizes success of instructor interventions.

Minerva’s comprehensive approach integrates the science of learning with advanced digital technology.

Frame_Forum_InstructorView_CourseBuilder_LessonEditor_1.png

Minerva’s comprehensive approach integrates the science of learning with advanced digital technology.

Features like TalkTime™ provide immediate visibility into session activity, while tagged video and assessment tools give instructors access to learner performance against specific learning outcomes.

Features like TalkTime™ provide immediate visibility into session activity, while tagged video and assessment tools give instructors access to learner performance against specific learning outcomes.

With our sophisticated assessment and grading tools, instructors are able to provide real-time and frequent feedback to their learners. Rather than assess student progress through traditional, high-stakes, single moment exams, Forum enables instructors to track and report student progress with more effective, ongoing measurement.

With our sophisticated assessment and grading tools, instructors are able to provide real-time and frequent feedback to their learners. Rather than assess student progress through traditional, high-stakes, single moment exams, Forum enables instructors to track and report student progress with more effective, ongoing measurement.

The Minerva Baccalaureate improves class engagement and learning outcomes, preparing students to be more effective leaders, innovators, and global citizens.

Join us in reimagining the future of secondary education.

Become an MBacc School