Why One Size Fits All Software Failed This EdTech Founder

Foreign. Welcome to Caspio's Low Code High impact podcast. I'm your host, Paul Quirk, and on this show, we uncover how businesses are using low code to drive real results. Each episode brings you insights, practical tips, and success stories that showcase the power of low code. Today I'm joined by Sarah Shaikh, the power of formative assessment based out of Dubai. Hi, Sarah. Welcome and thank you for joining Caspio's podcast. Hi, Paul. Nice to be here. So, to start, can you please introduce yourself and share with everyone a little bit about your background and the role at the company? So my name is Sara Sheikh. I am a teacher. So I started my teaching career in 2012 and I worked in three different IB schools, all in Dubai. And so my interest in assessment started in my very first year of teaching in 2012. So in Dubai, we have got something that, you know, you have yearly inspections that happen in schools and you get a. You get a rating. So that's when my interest started. So the, the learning bites idea actually started back in 2012. So then I. Two years ago I decided that, you know, I'm gonna. I'm gonna quit teaching and I'm gonna go into, you know, you know, building this platform. So this was kind of like, you know, giving back to an industry that I had been a part of for many years. The experience and knowledge that I have gained, you know, 12 years, more than a decade. So I really hope that this is a platform that really helps schools because it's a school improvement platform. Yeah. So we've got a lot of data and it should, should help schools. So. So yeah, so then. Then I started Learning Bites. It's been. In two years. We founded Learning Bites almost two years. So, yeah, here we are. Yeah, it's a really interesting story. I'm sure listeners are going to find this very beneficial. So you mentioned already you spent most of your career in education. What were the gaps that you were seeing is kind of student progress was being measured that push you to build your own solution. So, you know, the first thing that I noticed that. So in education, in assessments particularly, you have something called attainment and progress. So they're two very different concepts. Attainment is student achievement at a point in time, and progress is something that you measure over time. And there was no platform that could show that. So then I decided that learning bites, and that's something I. It's something that I learned not just through my experience, but then I started my masters and my dissertation was entirely. My research was all about assessments and particularly formative Assessment. So I spent two years researching attainment and progress. So that was a, that was a gap in the market. So that is something that, you know, we, we want to, we want to show through Learning Bites. You know, how do you measure student progress from their starting point and you can show their attainment at a point in time. And that's what Learning Bites does brilliantly. Right. So you mentioned the tracker. How does that work from a high level perspective? So, you know, the tracker, it's this, this tracker was actually, it started as a, as an Excel tracker, something that my husband made in 2012. Yeah. So that's, that's where it started from. So it was an Excel tracker that tracks student progress. So that's based on something called learning progressions. So that's what, that's, you know, you have your main learning objectives that can be from any curriculum. So it doesn't matter whether you're an American curriculum, British curriculum or ib. So what happens is that, you know, you track student progress from their starting point against each learning objective. And that's, that's what the tracker does. But what, what it does is that, you know, then you have the dashboards. We have four dashboards in Learning Bites where you can see, you know, student achievement at department level, at grade level, at classroom level. So you have your quantitative data and you have the qualitative data. And that's what we do. We have created these dashboards that really help school understand student achievement at every level, starting from the department down to the classroom level. So that's what the tracker intends to do. Yeah. You were talking before we started this conversation in terms of the different phases that you're at now. So is there any kind of been surprises from where you kind of envisioned the application to where you are now? And we're looking at phases seven and eight. Is there surprises that have come out? I wasn't expecting that. You know, it has really evolved and it's quite remarkable. The way I think about it has evolved quite a bit. So when I started this thing, and I'm glad that, you know, I gave the time to actually think about where this project, where this platform could go, the direction of the project. So when I started, I created this requirements all the phases at the same time. But now when I got feedback from the schools and as I look at the platform and then ideas come to me that it could be this way or it could be that way. So that's been really helpful. We started in May 2024. That's when I started with Caspian So it's been almost two years actually. I'm glad that, you know, we, sometimes we say that speed is the best thing when you start a company, but sometimes, you know, I feel that slowing down and trying to understand things you don't know very well is sometimes helpful. You know, so I have learned a lot, not just about the platform and the application, but because this is not just an, this is not just a product. We are, this is going to be our business. This is a company we are planning to build. So then you learn not just about the application and the product, you learn so much about the business itself. Yeah. So, you know, the business model, how I'm going to, you know, reach my market, my, my customers. So I learned a lot over these, you know, 18, 20 months. Yeah. And we were talking again earlier about your technical background and it's, how was the learning curve then? You mentioned that you've obviously had a lot of learning from the very beginning. And how did you find Caspian low code originally? And really how did that fit into what you're looking to achieve? So I'm not very familiar with low code. What I can tell you that the team developed exactly what I wanted. So before I approached Caspio, I spoke to, I don't know, I spoke to so many, you know, companies, developers and everywhere, pretty much in Europe, in the U.S. pakistan, India, so many countries. But when I spoke to, you know, to Michael basically on Caspio, it was, I mean, I, I just, I've felt that, you know, these are the people I want to work with. And when I started working with Caspio and phase one was developed and then I came back and you know what, I didn't know that I would keep coming back for phase two, phase three, phase four, But I had a feeling that Caspio knew that this is a person who's going to keep coming back to us. I don't know, but I think there was a trust that me, that I developed. So that was, that was the key. And you know, I, I trust Caspiano. I know that they are going to deliver exactly what I want. You know, I, I, I, I feel that, you know, my project manager, I don't think I can work with anyone else other than her. She's amazing. So talking to project manager, obviously you've been working with our professional services team now as well. So how have they helped you kind of bring your, your idea to life. So, you know, I think that that's, that's what I'll come back to. That, you know, it's, it's it's. For me, it's mainly the trust that that's. That plays a very important role. So we did a soft launch last month. In January, we did a soft launch. So I wanted to make sure that everything goes very smoothly, obviously. So it was over two days and for some reason I was very. I knew that it's going to go well because of the people I was working with. So I think for me, you know, the most important thing is that I completely trust the people. So that, that was. That has been very helpful. Yeah. And you mentioned the different phases and you've just completed phase six with seven and eight to come. How do you go from that initial phase, kind of going to the next phase versus just refining what you've already exists, so. What already exists? Yeah, we did it once or twice. Right. I think we did it in phase six. So there was something that was built in phase one and I refined it in phase six, you know, and that's something. The feedback that I got that, you know. Yeah. So that those had been minor fixes that we have done. But overall, when I look at the phase, I mean, like phase six, when I'm looking at it. So. So then, you know, I think about how could phase seven look like or phase eight. Yeah. So those are some of the changes I make, you know, as we, you know, go these phases. No, I understand. So talking to your program manager, they were talking about that you're integrating PDF generation to formalize the reporting into your application. Why is that important for educators and administrators? So, you know, that was for report cards, so. Report cards, what we did was that it was a web page. So obviously report cards are for parents. They're going to receive those report cards. So they will have. Parents will have access to the Learning Bites platform, there will be a parent portal, but obviously they cannot have access to the web page because it has filters. So what we needed to do was convert it into a PDF. Right. And I think that was a bit of like, you know, and that's a very important thing. Otherwise we. Otherwise the report card feature, it is completely useless if I can't convert it into a PDF. Yeah. So that was actually very. So that's when my. When I spoke to my project manager and she was like, we are looking into it, we'll see, it should be done. So that was a bit of a worry for me there. I was like that, you know, my God, if you cannot convert it into a PDF, this whole reporting feature is completely useless. But, you know, they came back to me and they said that, you know, we'll find a solution. And that was actually, you know, that's the thing that when you are building something like this, you're always going to encounter something that, you know, probably is going to not be so easy. So that was something that, you know, I really appreciate that they always come back with a solution. And that was a solution I really needed. Yeah. So I was very grateful for that. Good to hear that. So I also know that you're looking to introduce AI. AI powered analysis of student performance data. Why is AI important for something like that? So, you know, you have a lot of data. I mean, we have a lot of. So there are many, you know, platforms that have a lot of dashboards. Yes, but dashboards can be very tricky at times because you're looking at a lot of data, but you, it will take a lot of time to analyze that data. And that can be very tricky because sometimes the analysis cannot be very accurate and you can miss something very easily. And it's related to student learning. And so what we did is that, you know, and they've done a fantastic job. So what we did is that we integrated AI into the dashboards. So, you know, you have charts and with the charts you have the AI integration. So what AI does is that, you know, it, it analyzes the data and it just, you know, interprets it and gives you. So that actually makes, that makes it very easy for school leaders. They're very busy people. And if something like that, I mean, it's supposed to make AI. Supposed to. So the thing is that how I look at AI, it shouldn't replace the educators. It shouldn't. So that's what it does is that it empowers them. Your decision making is just made easy for you. Yeah, makes complete sense. So going back two years, like we were saying, is that from your kind of vision of what you were looking to build, how has that changed from where from then to now? Has it changed? Your application has changed? Yeah, yeah, it has changed. So when I started it was actually, the whole thing was changed. When I started it was actually a regular learning management system. So you know, you have, in, in edtech you normally have student information system, learning management system. So there are many platforms are, you know, based around that learning management system or student information system. So I was like that there is nothing like a school improvement system. So I wanted to build something that is actually a seriously a school improvement system. But for school improvement system you have to build something that actually, you know, solves a lot of Problems for school leaders. So you know, that's where AI comes in that, you know, it should, so everything is part of decision making. So you have the data and you are, you're, you know, interpreting it, you're building your action plans, your school improvement plans. So that's where it changed. You know, I was like, I'm not going to be a regular learning management system. This system is actually going to help schools, you know, improve instruction in the classroom, the teaching and learning at every level. So, so that, that changed, I mean in 2024, I, I didn't think of it that way. Yeah, no, I understand totally. So how do you see success once the application's up and running? How do you see success with the application? So you know, that's where my go do marketing strategy. So that's what I was looking at, you know, how should we approach school? So I have worked in school so I, you know, I know some school leaders, I do have my contacts. But at the same time EdTech is a, is a, is very different from I think other, you know, other startups. So, so the, the way we are looking at it now, the go to marketing strategy because we don't have any testimonials yet. We are, we are brand new, we are new in the market. So for me at the time, you know, we are looking at that, you know, we give schools some free pilot, so a six week free pilot, you know, and you know, we are like that. You know, you can have a free trial or whatever and I trust that Caspia will be there to give that support. So you know, and I know that this platform, when people try it, when schools try it, they're going to like it because this actually solves a real problem. It's not just another learning management system, it actually solves a problem for them. So that's why I'm confident that when people try it, they're going to like to see what they experience with an application like this. Sarah, how do you obtain feedback? Obviously you've got your different phases and it's really critical to make sure that the use case is going to be really valuable to the end users. So really I like to always ask customers that I'm having these conversations with about the feedback. Yeah, so I know people in schools, I've got ex colleagues who are in schools right now. So I got a couple of meetings with school leaders with assessment leads. So when I had the meetings with them then I realized that yeah, there were some very important things that were missing. And I mean I have Worked at a middle leadership level. And some of these people I met were at a senior leadership level. So obviously they understood things that I did not understand while working at schools. So I have my contacts, you know, working in schools. Max, colleagues and your friends are at schools right now. So. Yeah. So at that time, for me, the important thing was not to sell. When I went to schools, I went with the intention of just getting the feedback. Just, you know, just have a look at the application. I'll walk you through the whole thing and you let me know what do you think about it. And that's when we, you know, you know, we evolved a lot. I mean, I think that feedback really, really helped me. Yeah. In terms of you personally, how. What's been the most rewarding part of this journey so far? Because you mentioned at the beginning it's been two years. What's been rewarding for you so far during this journey? You know, that's so. I mean, I'm not a business person and I always looked at it as completely from a product, you know, that this is something that I'm building. And my husband tells me that, I know you're in love with your application. We have to sell it now because I would be, you know, at night looking at, you know, working on it and, you know, anchoring data. And so for me, the rewarding part has been that, you know, we've got a great product. I'm confident that we have built something really good here. But the learning journey that I've had, not just the product itself, I mean, that was something I knew through my experience and my qualification, but the business part of it, I learned about marketing a lot. I mean, I'm not from a marketing background. I don't know anything about marketing, but learning things that I didn't know. I didn't know anything but marketing, sales, you know, the things I learned go to marketing strategy, business itself, business model. So that those, those have been something that's, I mean, I think, I'm sure it will be a success. Learning bites. I have no doubt about, I don't doubt that for a second. But that, that, that, that 20 months, you know, learning everything about business has, has, I think, been really, really rewarding. That is something that would always stay with me. And I'm sure if, that, you know, tomorrow, if somebody wants to start a business, I can help them, you know. Yeah, no, it's exciting and I can't wait to see the final product and you be really successful with what you built. And with the help of our professional Services and the positive impact it'll have on educators and students. Really excited to see it. So kind of wrapping this up then. If anybody's listening to this podcast, what advice would you give them if they're considering Caspio and low code? So, you know, what I would say is that with me, I mean, again, I would come back to that. With me. The experience with Caspio has been just absolute trust. I not familiar with the local very much, but what I can say is that the team has built something exactly what I wanted. So I'm looking at it from a user interface point. You know, that how the application looks. So I have used many applications, you know, when I was. When I was working as a teacher, and these applications can sometimes be very, you know, cumbersome. What you do is that, you know, if you want to get. If you want to access one file, you there, that one file is buried under like 10 clicks. You know, just to access one thing, you have to, you know, just search. So this was actually was very simple. And that's something I wanted. I wanted something very easy to navigate. And the way the user interface, the whole thing is done is just easy to access. It's done. It's done in a simple way, exactly what I wanted. And you know, in that way, I just say that, you know, I completely, I trust Caspian. I mean, I think for me, that was the most important thing. You know, when I started with phase one, I thought maybe I could learn Caspian. I could get someone else to learn, and I could build this on my own. And then I was like, no, I think that I don't want to take that risk. I would just go back to the people I trust. Well, Sarah, thank you for sharing your Caspian low code journey. We really appreciate your time. And like I said, I'm very excited to see the end product and you're having such a positive impact with education, educators, and students. Thank you for being a Caspio customer as well. And we'll talk to you very soon. Yeah, talk to you. Thank you very much for talking. To get more information about our low code platform, please visit caspio.com and visit our YouTube channel to learn more. Bye for now.