Lecture Notes on Education Accessibility and Duolingo

Introduction to Guatemala

Clarification: Guatemala is not Guantanamo
Location: Below Mexico
Comparison: Guatemala as "Mexico's Mexico"
Immigration: Guatemala's challenges with illegal immigration, similar to Mexico's issues with the US

Observation: Education often perpetuates social inequality
- Wealthy individuals can afford quality education
- Poor individuals struggle to learn basic literacy
Personal Experience:
- Received a good education despite not growing up wealthy
- Mother invested all resources in education
- Achieved a Ph.D. in computer science

Goal: Provide equal access to education for everyone
Starting Point: Focus on a specific subject
Decision to Teach:
- Considered math and computer science
- Ultimately decided on teaching foreign languages

Global Audience:
- Approximately 2 billion people learning foreign languages, primarily English
Economic Benefits:
- Knowledge of English can significantly increase income potential
Comparison with Other Subjects:
- Learning a language can lead directly to better job opportunities

Challenge: Building schools worldwide is expensive
Solution: Utilize smartphones for education
- Access to smartphones is increasing globally
Development of Duolingo:
- Designed to be accessible on mobile devices

Users can learn for free, with ads shown after lessons
Revenue primarily comes from subscriptions to remove ads
Wealth Redistribution:
- Wealthy users in developed countries fund education for poorer users

Challenge: Competing with addictive apps (e.g., TikTok, Instagram)
- Importance of making learning appealing
Techniques Used in Duolingo:
- Streaks: Track consecutive days of usage
  - Encourages daily engagement
  - Over 3 million users maintain a streak longer than 365 days
- Notifications:
  - AI-driven notifications remind users to learn
  - Effective timing identified for notifications
  - Passive-aggressive notifications encourage users to return

Popularity:
- Memes and cultural references related to the app
- Engaged audience through humor
Limitations:
- Educational apps may not reach the engagement level of social media
- The intrinsic value of learning provides motivation

Vision: Expand Duolingo's engagement strategies to other subjects
- Potential for subjects learned through repetition (e.g., math, reading)
- Need for quality video explanations for complex topics
Hope for a future where screen time is utilized positively for education
- Aimed at delivering high-quality education to all, regardless of wealth