Brian believes in

• the joy of learning and the power of gamification
• the power of spaced active retrieval – quizzing – to anchor knowledge and deepen understanding
• a data-driven and individualized e-learning environment
• collaborative studying and the power of dialogue
• an interconnected teaching and learning environment.

But the reality often looks different. Recent research shows that we retain very little of what we study and that the process of learning is often highly inefficient. * As students, we have been frustrated by this ourselves. Brian exists because we aspire to help teachers teach, and students learn.

When we say ‘learning’, we mean not only the acquisition of knowledge and skills but the ability to use this knowledge flexibly and spontaneously. This requires a genuine understanding of the new inputs: without exchange and discussion and a systematic interrogation of underlying concepts, students won’t be able to integrate the new material into existing knowledge and to translate it into higher level skills such as independent analysis and creative problem solving. Being able to link new insights to prior knowledge creatively and independently is the best measure of true learning. Brian aims to assist this journey to mastery.

Recent pedagogic research has yielded a body of fresh insights and identified a range of highly effective, evidence-based teaching strategies. These challenge many widely accepted pedagogic practices which are often rooted in little more than tradition and intuition.

Brian draws on these new scientific insights. Our software is specifically designed to promote optimal learning behavior. For instance, retrieval practice through adaptive quizzing has been shown to be a far more effective learning strategy than reviewing knowledge by rereading.** And being able to ask other students peer-to-peer questions or to formulate quiz questions on one’s own, deepens conceptual understanding as well as providing students with a greater sense of investment and ownership. This investment translates into engagement which in turn translates into successful learning.

*Brown, P. C., Roediger, H. L. III, & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

**McDaniel, M. A., Agarwal, P. K., Huelser, B. J., McDermott, K. B., & Roediger, H. L. III. (2011). Test-enhanced learning in a middle school science classroom: The effects of quiz frequency and placement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 103(2), 399–414. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021782