This client success story features Labster, a STEM learning platform with immersive virtual labs, with a team dedicated to conducting research that proves how the platform engages students, reduces dropout rates, and drives equitable learning outcomes.
Our need for LXD Research
Labster initially came to LXD Research to assist in understanding a new market segment for targeting high school students. They had anecdotal evidence that sometimes Labster was a good fit, and they needed to figure out why. At that time, people were coming from the pandemic, and educators were busy and stressed with no time to talk. Labster initially sought a simple voice from the customer research. April Ondis states in a recent interview, “What we got from LXD Research was much more scientific and practical.”
April continues, “We initially aimed to target high school students, a new market segment. I also remembered Dr. Schechter had experience with Lexia and other companies in the high school space, so I reached out to her. She explained the ESSA evidence in our meeting, which crystallized our opportunity. She introduced us to the need for evidence-based research claims for our whole company. I knew that pursuing ESSA was very important.
As Labster progressed, we transitioned away from the high school segment, and she transitioned very neatly with us to higher education. And that’s where we focus today: higher education in the US. All of the same evidence for ESSA can still apply. It’s not a requirement for districts in higher education, of course. Still, it’s a critical gap that our customers tell us that other ed tech companies can’t fill because they’re primarily unsupported claims.”
The LXD Research Pathway
Digital Promise was Labster’s first gateway, demonstrating that they are a research-based company. The company had research done by its founder starting in 2014, including various research done by educators worldwide over the last 11 years. LXD Research turned the previous research into a coherent impact story, demonstrating their commitment to evidence to inform product design. Aprils Ondis from Labster states, “We were the first in our category to have that certification, which turned heads in the marketplace. For our outbound sales, we would reference it and begin to get more responses. We were a tech company trying to understand education, and Dr. Rachel had the education-related experience and knowledge to connect to our software. We only knew about Digital Promise after meeting Dr. Schechter.”
Confirming the Impact Story
Labster hired LXD Research for two more correlational studies to seek a competitive advantage.
April continues, “We had two correlational studies; one demonstrated that students who used Labster were more likely to say that they were interested in taking additional science courses, that they were feeling more engaged, and that they were more open to considering a job in a STEM field after graduation.
The second correlational study we just completed showed that grade outcomes improved with Labster. So what we found was that students were more likely to be retained in their course of study, so the drop, failure, and withdrawal rates improved. We were thrilled with those findings. We didn’t see them in the initial data; LXD Research saw the pattern.
The other thing that showed, luckily, not by strategy, was the partner that we worked with, a Hispanic-serving institution, so our results also have an equity and accessibility lens through which we can tell our impact story. For the grades that improved from the students who didn’t drop out of college or STEM, most of them were female and Hispanic. That is huge, gaining a STEM story in higher education, showing retention, and now demonstrating our university can fulfill its mission and retain its tuition revenue because they’re no longer bleeding out students in their 2nd and 3rd year from failing their STEM course.
Doctor Rachel wrote a leading commentary with a results section, verbally explaining how to take this into the market. She shaped our messaging because she’s so familiar with the challenges that face modern education, whether it’s high school or higher education, from pre-K through 12 through university. She showed us that we have this diversity angle, including our learning outcomes and student success ratios. She created an initial infographic that we modified, rebranded, and continue to iterate and use.”
Client Meetings and Retention
Today, we’re able to give our universities this data. As a result, we’ve seen improved client retention in our target markets. Those research claims have significantly affected the number of meetings we can book. We’ll send an email saying, “Did you know that your peer at a highly regarded university in Texas has discovered these findings? And then they often say, tell me more. Even if it’s not a finding from their institution, they want to know that they’re using the top-performing product in the market, leading us to even more sales meetings. Those who’ve been our customers for six months, nine, or 12 months want to renew for another year because they hear our outcomes. Before, we needed help even to get a conversation going. Our evidence from LXD Research has helped us become stickier.
We had two correlational studies; one demonstrated that students who used Labster were more likely to say that they were interested in taking more science courses, felt more engaged, and were more open to considering a job in a STEM field after graduation. The second correlational study we just completed showed that grade outcomes improved with Labster. So what we found was that students were more likely to be retained in their course of study, so the drop, failure, and withdrawal rates improved. We were thrilled with those findings. We didn’t see them in the initial data; LXD Research saw the pattern.
