Next-generation learning and preparing for AI: Dara Foias

Passion for education drives Dara Foias, senior director for next-generation learning content strategies at EdPlus at Arizona State University.

“I am a great believer in the power of education to set up people for success and civilization for a better future,” she said. 

Foias became fascinated with EdTech platforms and was inspired to join EdPlus after hearing ASU President Michael Crow give a talk.  

“I wanted a position in an organization whose mission resonated with me,” she said. “And I wanted to be part of a team that accomplished things that made a difference.”

The 30-year tech veteran worked with Hewlett Packard for most of her career, initially as a software engineer, then as a systems architect, project manager and program manager.

At the age of 15, Foias emigrated to the United States with her family from Bucharest, Romania. As a global-minded individual, the goal of expanding the reach of an ASU education beyond Arizona to help students on a worldwide level resonated with her.

Foias transitioned to ASU as a project manager and held IT director roles before joining EdPlus.

Today, Foias oversees a portfolio of exciting and innovative platforms poised to extend alternatives to how students learn and succeed.

One such platform is Digit. Similar to “a very patient human tutor,” Digit helps students as they tackle math problems, offering tailored suggestions and hints as learners encounter roadblocks and overcome them. The goal of the platform is to help students achieve mastery of the material versus merely seeking a high grade.

“I can’t imagine a more satisfying work,” Foias said. “Tech is now everywhere, part of everyday objects; and we get to use it to do good.”

We spoke with Foias about Digit, helping learners and the future of technology in learning. 

Question: What can you tell us about Digit?

Answer: Digit was initially created to address learning gaps in subjects tied to STEM careers, using an adaptive, fun and engaging approach. It initially focused on math, where the pandemic contributed to especially dismal results in math literacy for 8th graders. The AZ standards-aligned pre-algebra curriculum delivered via Digit is now being used in middle and high schools to help fill learning gaps. 

Like a very patient human tutor, Digit allows learners to use the platform to step through problems and request multiple levels of hints, each increasingly more specific to the problem and their current step. And should they make an error, the platform also provides multiple layers of increasingly more specific feedback. The learner is in charge of how many hints they request. And Digit also suggests mini-lesson videos related to the learner’s skill gaps.

The platform also incorporates gamification, where features like streaks track daily use, motivating students to return consistently and rewarding them for their dedication. We firmly believe that by encouraging students to practice just one math problem a day, we can reduce math anxiety and promote success. With Digit, the focus is on practicing toward mastery without the undue pressure of achieving a high grade.

While helpful to students, Digit also helps teachers quickly monitor how their class is doing, which students need more help and much more.

At ASU, Digit was used in two introductory-level college calculus courses. Calculus has proven to be a formidable barrier for some students, discouraging them from pursuing STEM degrees. By creating a more contextualized and active learning experience, ASU seeks to close the education gap while maintaining the richness of essential content. Studies show that women are 1.5 times more likely to drop calculus due to lack of confidence rather than ability. By ensuring that traditionally marginalized student populations are successful in STEM fields, we are promoting a more inclusive and equitable future.

We are also integrating Digit with Orchard, an adaptive learning platform that is also part of my portfolio, with plans to support ASU’s new way of teaching biology in spring 2024. The synergy between Orchard and Digit will enable us to offer adaptive learning experiences across a broad range of different subjects beyond mathematics.

Q: What do you enjoy the most about your work?

I enjoy that every day is different, that the work we do helps students and teachers, and that the people I work with are fun, smart, reliable and passionate about what they do and the products we create.

Q: What roles are involved in creating and implementing a platform like Digit?

A: It definitely takes a village. In addition to the standard IT project/product roles of Project Manager, Business Analyst, UI designers, UX researchers, QA and developers, we also work with curriculum designers, educational content creators, media creators, researchers, instructional designers, faculty, marketing, and more.

Q: How does Digit serve the ASU charter?

A: Digit expands the reach of ASU to include learners earlier in their studies (inclusion) and help them learn key math concepts that will help them advance in their education (how they succeed). We layer research on top of it to ensure it provides meaningful, positive results. It is one of the ways by which we take responsibility for secondary education in Arizona.

Q: How is Digit important to the advancement of digital technology/learning? 

A: Digit provides a lower-cost path for learners to learn math or fill learning gaps, with or without a human teacher. It is designed to scale not just to a multitude of learners, but also to a multitude of disciplines.

Q: What’s next for Digit?

A: AI, just like everything else related to technology. We are planning on adding AI to our platform, in partnership with ASU Prep. This would allow us to more rapidly and inexpensively deliver additional and more varied content to learners.

We are also branching out into disciplines other than math, starting with biology: biology adaptive learning maps from Orchard will be presented to the learner through Digit, with Digit providing the course-level structure and navigation.

Q: What advice do you have for student workers or new grads entering the field?

A: Get comfortable with AI. Volunteer to do things of value that may not be strictly part of your job. Do what you say you will do, and if you cannot, communicate ahead of time.