Advancements successful acquisition technology, oregon EdTech, travel from changes of attack successful the aftermath of shortcomings. Innovative acquisition exertion tin accommodate existing tools oregon make caller ones to assistance radical navigate learning obstacles.
King of the Curve (KOTC) is simply a disruptive EdTech startup with its sights acceptable connected helping to easiness the looming doc shortage. KOTC combines crippled and societal strategies to assistance subject students successful scoring amended connected aesculapian schoolhouse entranceway exams and related challenges. The institution is besides processing productivity-style apps to assistance wellness attraction workers successful the tract negociate the challenges of dispensing aesculapian treatments better.
Heath Rutledge-Jukes founded the institution portion eyeing a vocation successful science earlier focusing connected becoming a surgeon. He is present a aesculapian pupil astatine Washington University School of Medicine.
Before entering aesculapian school, though, helium took an unanticipated detour to enactment his subject skills to usage arsenic a bundle developer. Rutledge-Jukes transitioned from designing instructional strategies for radical with dyslexia to creating a bid of introspection mentation apps for aesculapian schoolhouse applicants.
KOTC does not mimic different self-study products and is not based connected emblematic learning app thinking.
“People person their ain idiosyncratic learning paths. That is what acquisition should beryllium based on. It is not conscionable a cookie-cutter template for everyone,” Rutledge-Jukes told TechNewsWorld.
App Adapts To User Performance
That doctrine is evident successful his acquisition pathway. As a science major, Rutledge-Jukes researched antithetic learning methods. His probe chiefly utilized video games to larn morganatic skills specified arsenic eye-hand coordination, strategizing, captious thinking, and overmuch more.
After graduating college, helium designed tools for children with dyslexia to learn. That endeavor progressive creating tactile instruments for young students to comprehend and clasp accusation better.
Unlike different learning tools, KOTC does not go regular oregon little utile to users owed to over-familiarity. Instead, the app adapts to a user’s show truthful they tin improve, not conscionable memorize pre-set answers.
The King of the Curve app uses game-based elements to assistance students survey for aesculapian schoolhouse entranceway exams. Its features see Adaptive Question Bank, Review Mode, Endless Mode, Timed Mode, and Multiplayer Mode. (Images Courtesy of King of the Curve)
Educational apps tin linger without updates for extended periods. Or they trust connected rote learning tactics, which bounds advancement to the confines of teaching to the test. “That makes users much hopeless to effort thing else,” Rutledge-Jukes noted.
Building a Better Mousetrap
Rutledge-Jukes started KOTC successful 2020 with a absorption connected preparing students for the aesculapian schoolhouse entranceway trial known arsenic the Medical College Admission Test oregon MCAT. Test prep for getting into aesculapian schools was a logical starting constituent for his company’s archetypal acquisition app. The developer was already well-versed successful its content.
“That is however we started. That was a effect for putting this app unneurotic to assistance radical suffice for the assorted tests,” helium said.
KOTC’s mission, arsenic its laminitis sees it, is simple: alteration students’ accent into success. That way, the pupil of contiguous becomes the nonrecreational of tomorrow.
Solving a National Medical Crisis
In its ain way, KOTC’s unsocial strategy for prepping students for the MCAT is helping to get much applicants accepted. Training competent physicians tin instrumentality arsenic agelong arsenic 10 years, according to the 2022 AMA President Gerald E. Harmon, M.D., successful a Leadership Viewpoints column.
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) projected the U.S. faces a shortage of 37,800 physicians — and 124,000 wrong 12 years — successful its study released successful June 2021. In the aftermath of this pending doc shortage, KOTC’s gamified techniques spell a agelong mode to preventing “Game Over” for doc hopefuls.
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Rutledge-Jukes stated that 60% of the radical who use to aesculapian schoolhouse are not accepted. Applicants are 3 times much apt to be aesculapian schoolhouse if they people supra 510 connected the MCAT, and it is the lone portion of the med schoolhouse exertion that is standardized.
KOTC’s occurrence complaint successful helping applicants people higher is impressive. The MCAT’s people scope for the four-part written exam is from 472 to 528. Scores for the 4 sections are combined to make a full score. The midpoint is 500.
The KOTC improvement squad is staffed by radical who cognize the MCAT investigating process well. In bid to beryllium hired, they indispensable person scored successful the 99th percentile.
Expansion Plans
The app developer besides met that standard, which makes consciousness from an app user’s perspective. Rutledge-Jukes took the MCAT and scored good “above the curve,” truthful helium is good versed successful its content. Starting out, helium handled astir of the question silos and app operation tasks himself.
Heath Rutledge-Jukes, FounderKing of the Curve
“I see myself a method laminitis successful that consciousness arsenic well. Not conscionable method connected the contented side, but method connected the benignant of improvement side,” helium offered.
He built astir of the archetypal apps and taught himself app programming implicit the pandemic shutdown. He started the KOTC task with the assistance of 2 co-founders and an angel investor. One of his superior jobs now, adjacent portion attending aesculapian school, is starring the team.
Since generating much gross from monetizing in-app diagnostic additions, helium has been capable to onboard much workers. Once users get into the app, they tin acquisition customization and further upgrades.
His institution employees vacillate betwixt two-to-10 full-time and part-time employees who excel successful either trial contented areas oregon app building. That includes 4 interns, 2 contented specialists, and 2 developers.
“We decidedly are expanding the squad arsenic we grow. Right now, we are astir to unfastened a circular for concern to grow the squad adjacent more,” Rutledge-Jukes said.
Test Prep Course Inventory
KOTC’s learning lineup present offers trial prep apps for a bid of nonrecreational admissions tests with much updates connected the way. The unit is comprised of students and researchers successful each of the trial prep areas. They support high-level content.
The superior people inventory includes aesculapian schoolhouse admissions tests for the nursing exam (NCLEX), the Exam Master’s Physician Assistant College Admission Test (PA-CAT), and the Registered Dietitian Exam (RDE).
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According to Rutledge-Jukes, the institution plans to grow into 2 different high-pressure world trial prep areas: the LSAT for instrumentality schoolhouse hopefuls and the Bachelor of Accounting (BAcc) entranceway exam.
To supply different all-inclusive enactment for aboriginal users, the institution plans to grow its existing website arsenic a location basal for online learning abstracted from offering trial prep done mobile apps, confided Rutledge-Jukes.
The apps are present disposable for Android, iPhone, and iPad devices. Some are not disposable connected each 3 platforms, however.
For Established Medical Professionals
KOTC’s ongoing intent is to assistance students and entry-level wellness attraction professionals hone their knowledge. It besides is present addressing the needs of already established physicians. These different app categories code a much broad scope of contented and people circumstantial nonrecreational areas that are mostly medical-science related.
For instance, Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) targets improving the diligent acquisition with aesculapian providers astatine the bedside. A squad of pre-medical students designed its intuitive exertion to bounds barriers for patients successful discussing the finances progressive successful captious aesculapian decisions.
One of the latest that Rutledge-Jukes initiated successful March 2022 is Telecatalyst. This app specifically fills the needs of aesculapian unit successful Tanzania who request a information postulation and telehealth app.
Also nether improvement for aesculapian assistance is the Regenerative Pain and Spine app. Anesthetists volition usage it to make reports regarding their patients during country to grounds humor pressure, instrumentality checks, and diligent information.
Serious Learning While Gamifying the Process
According to the developer, med schoolhouse hopefuls person fewer options too paying the precocious tuition attached to taking the industry-standard trial oregon hiring tutors.
“We’ve crafted our app to beforehand a sports and societal constituent due to the fact that each these students are going done the aforesaid process. They should beryllium connected the aforesaid squad arsenic they determination forward,” said Rutledge-Jukes.
Built into this all-in-one MCAT survey crippled are immoderate 7,000 questions divided into six categories: biology, biochemistry, wide chemistry, integrated chemistry, physics, and the behavioral sciences.
“We conscionable fundamentally dump each the questions connected the idiosyncratic astatine the beginning. We are capable to supply the merchandise to radical if they perfectly cannot spend a subscription. They tin inactive usage it and could inactive hole effectively,” helium said.
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But the add-ons fto students maximize their effectiveness by zeroing successful connected circumstantial parts of the test, helium added. The app recommends videos to ticker and points students to peculiar parts of the survey usher based connected the accuracy of answers.
Another vantage to KOTC is the remark sections connected idiosyncratic questions wherever radical tin explicate their rationale. The trial prep lets students situation different users to comparison scores section-by-section arsenic they spell done the program.
“This is much of the gamification, but we besides person monthly competitions betwixt schools. For instance, each March, we imitate March Madness, but we bash it with schools from astir the United States, and their users volition amended with them,” the developer explained.
Covering All Bases
KOTC is built connected the wide representation of EdTech, including elements from adaptive learning fields. Competency-based learning is besides a important element.
“I deliberation competency-based learning is the aboriginal of education,” said Rutledge-Jukes. “Once you person the foundations, it hits these checkboxes.”
King of the Curve is disposable astatine Google Play and the App Store.
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