LivedX

LivedX is an online platform founded by University of Colorado Denver STEM education professor Geeta Verma that applies machine learning and artificial intelligence to the life experiences of young people. Users describe their lived experiences, and the platform builds a data-driven profile of essential life skills, mapping those skills into micro-credential categories such as collaboration, communication and global citizenship.

The stated purpose is to reduce educational and economic disparities by translating the experiences of minoritized and marginalized youth into formal academic credentials. Verma has framed the platform as addressing two problems simultaneously: helping students reach graduation by earning additional credits, and capturing student stories of perseverance and creativity to broaden how achievement is defined beyond academic coursework. Students can stack LivedX micro-credentials into college credits through the University of Colorado Denver, and the platform has been described as intended to eventually connect students with adult and peer mentors and further learning opportunities.

Founding story

Verma, who grew up in India and observed educational and economic disparities there, drew on that experience and her STEM education research — including work under a National Science Foundation grant supporting women and minorities in STEM — to found LivedX. She has said she envisioned the platform after conversations with students, educators and administrators working to get high school and college students to graduate, and described her aim as creating a socially just AI tool that helps diverse students and women document and convey life skills.

Business model

Schools and universities enroll their students, who are notified by their institution that they are eligible to use the platform at no individual cost. Individual students may separately pay to convert completed platform activities into transcripted University of Colorado Denver credit.

Institutional partnerships with high schools and universities, plus per-credit fees for transcripted CU Denver credits: $74 per credit for US high school students and $119 per credit for US college students.

Traction

As of August 2021, reported measurable results included more than 2,000 student user profiles and high user satisfaction rates, with participants indicating they planned to cite LivedX-documented skills in job and higher education applications.

Latest developments

In August 2021 LivedX was featured in CU Denver coverage and included in the Forbes Next 1000 list, with stated plans to expand internationally in 2022 and to add adult and peer mentor connections to the platform.