CONTACT US
Vision
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people in science areas can collaborate with each other and share information and media right on the page integrated with visualization tools.
Students in science courses can collaborate with each other and share information and media right in the course material. Subject-specific visualization tools are integrated into the platform.
Vision
Parallel
Visual Annotation Platform for Science Classes
Iteration 2: Prototype Video Demo
Major Pivots
Iteration Flow Diagram
Our first product iteration was a web browser that allowed users to make and share changes to webpages. After out of building tests, we found that users were unlikely to use the browser frequently, but that students would most like to use as a tool to share notes.
We pivoted our product to note-taking platform, but after competitor analysis, we discovered Hypothes.is Education. This product had similar functionality, but is aimed exclusively at the humanities. This led us to theorize that there is an opening in this emerging market of annotation—the sciences.
Finally, after confirming interest with students, professors, and industry experts, we made a final pivot: to a visual annotation platform for science classes.
Meet The Team
Tom Willkens
MA, USA
Graduate student, background in textbook publishing and computer science
Calum Middlemiss
NJ, USA
Junior, background in business and economics.
Jordan Cooper
SFL, USA
Senior, background in computer science
Jiaming Xu
ZJ,CN
Graduate student, background in chemistry and computer science
Why Parallel?
Parallel is an education product targeted at university-level science courses.
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It allows professors to modify their own course material PDFs by introducing subject-specific visualization tools, collaborative annotation features, and interactive quizzes.
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It is designed to be used within a Learning Management System (LMS) such as Blackboard, Moodle, or Canvas.
The first iteration of our product is aimed at chemistry classrooms and disciplines that make use of chemistry, such as biochemistry and medicine. However, we plan to expand the platform to cover a range of subjects, including physics, biology, and computer science.
Parallel is a new LMS plugin that lets you into insert interactive 3D chemical models into your course materials. You can keep using your own lecture slides; Parallel lets you easily enhance them on the fly. Visual learners can play and review complex reactions. It improves upon the class web forum: Students can post questions and share notes in the material, and you can even add interactive visual quizzes. Check it out on Canvas!
Elevator Speech for professors
Parallel is in a unique position in regards to competition. There are two groups of competitors:
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collaborative annotation platforms
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science visualizers
However, no currently existing product combines these two functionalities in the way that Parallel does.
Competitor Analysis
Pricing & Revenue Model
Chemistry students can
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Annotate, highlight, and edit class slides, PDFs, and other course materials.
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Insert videos, audio, and visualization tools.
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Share notes and collaborate with classmates.
User Story 1:
Mockup: example page of a lecture slide for a chemistry course. Includes a quizlet for testing student knowledge and a molecule visualizer widget in action
Chemistry professors can
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Interact with students immediately in class
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Make course material easier to be understood by visualization tools
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Encourage classroom collaboration more
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Receive better student feedback
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Design quizzes for each important section
