Learning a new language takes time, motivation, and an effective strategy, so traditional publishing companies are looking to harness technology and make the process easier. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) The Learning Company, a leading publisher of educational solutions, fiction, non-fiction, and more, is hosting a World Languages Design Challenge on March 1, 2019, in collaboration with LearnLaunch, in order to find actionable new solutions to language learning.
The World Languages team at HMH is hoping to receive a wide assortment of ideas for their event. Jennifer Garcia, Senior Product Manager at HMH, and Cherie C. Mitschke, Director of World Languages Learning Architecture at HMH, both hope that the Design Challenge will bring forward a marketable idea that can be transitioned for use in a fairly quick fashion. According to Garcia and Mitschke, the problem needs to be addressed because teachers are spending too much time curating content for their curriculum.
“We really need to be of service to teachers and help them – give them back some time in their lives,” says Mitschke. “That’s our mission: to make teachers’ lives easier and create more effective learning experiences.”
[Jennifer Garcia and Cherie C. Mitschke]
The challenge will declare one winner who will receive $10,000 and an opportunity to bring their solution to fruition with HMH. Garcia and Mitschke hope the winner can present a creative idea, and also execute on their vision to create an innovative product that facilitates language acquisition.
“We hope to get some excellent entries and turn the winning proposal into something even bigger,” says Garcia. “We want something we can get into classrooms quickly.”
The parameters for the submissions are intentionally broad so entrants can present a wide scope of ideas.
“We hope to bring language learning to more people, to make it more engaging, and to make it more relevant to both teachers and students,” says Mitschke.
Submissions for the World Languages Design Challenge are due on Feb. 22, 2019. The Finalists Pitch Session will take place from 3:30–5:00 PM ET at the HMH headquarters, 125 High Street, Boston, MA 02110.
Visit the World Languages Design Challenge website for more information or to submit a proposal: https://learn.hmhco.com/designchallenge.