A lot of educational software companies are making a lot of money promising school districts they can help schools meet the mandates of "No Child Left Behind". So Congress funded a large study to see if students who used this software did better than those who didn't. No difference. Oops!
Some of the software companies suggest that teachers are the problem, because they're not using the product correctly. Now who's fault is that?
In marketing we own the entire customer experience. And if they don't use it properly, we have to fix it right away. Maybe it's training, how to guides, or changing the product. And sometimes, no matter what, the product doesn't lead to predicted results. In that case, figure out what it does do, and position the product crisply for that, or kill it.
But blaming the users? That's just lazy.
Thanks for posting this, Bruce. Another study that shows class size is a major factor in success rates. We need to continue to fund education and pay for teachers - not teachers that train children how to use software applications, but teachers that teach important concepts and thinking skills.
Posted by: MarcFarley | 10 April 2007 at 11:56 PM