GradeGuru
Company: GradeGuru by McGraw-Hill Education
Company Division/Group: McGraw-Hill
Company Description: GradeGuru, a McGraw-Hill start-up is a free knowledge sharing network where college students can share their study materials, engage in collaborative learning while building their academic profiles for career opportunities. GradeGuru’s university and class specific communities provide a relevant and intuitive social learning environment for thousands of students.
Nomination Category: Media & Marketing Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Website of the Year
Nomination Title: GradeGuru.com, founded and managed by Emily Sawtell
When was this website first published?
In 2007, with higher education in the United States in a state of crisis and
college graduation rates at below 50%, Emily Sawtell set out to determine what could be
done. By 2008, she had launched GradeGuru.com in the US and UK to help students
tackle the challenges they face in achieving their academic goals.
Briefly describe the purpose of the nominated web site (up to 100 words). Include in this section the URL (web address) of the nominated web site. IMPORTANT: begin the url with http://, and enclose the complete URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourwebsite.com]:
http://www.GradeGuru.com , the knowledge sharing network for college students,
is empowering students to take charge of their educations, to help themselves and
each other, and ultimately, to achieve their academic goals.
Emily conducted ethnographic research into the lives of college students. She
identified numerous barriers in the way of students’ success that she believed
should be addressed, including:
• Difficulty transitioning from high-school to college
• Limited access to feedback on how to improve
• Anxiety over the lack of clarity about what’s expected
• Use of technology for social purposes but little application of these skills to
academia
This research inspired GradeGuru an open access platform where students can:
• Join their class community and invite their classmates to build an academic
network
• Share their study notes and methods to get a sense what’s expected in their
classes
• Get feedback on their materials to help them improve
• Build their academic reputation
• Earn rewards for contributing to the community
• Access our Guru Careers program, connecting students with recruiters, giving
students’ opportunities in challenging times.
More recent research shows that GradeGuru stimulates productive collaboration,
fosters peer-support in the class, encourages students to improve their study
methods, increases student confidence and results in deeper engagement with
course concepts.**
As a result, over 500 professors have now been briefed on GradeGuru and faculty
will be using GradeGuru as an extension to their classrooms.
The site is constantly growing with the input of site members and an Academic
Advisory Committee, adding additional student resources to the
http://www.GradeGuru.com/tools suite.
• GradeGuru.com - http://www.gradeguru.com
• GradeGuru Blog - http://www.gradegurublog.com
• ** http://gradegurublog.com/our-research/
• Winner, 2010 Sloan-C Effective Practices Award, online education -
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mcgraw-hills-knowledge-sharing-network-gradeguru-
wins-sloan-consortiums-effective-practice-award-98321314.html
• GradeGuru is helping college students get better grades and career
opportunities - http://mcgraw-hill.presslift.com/gradeguru-on-campus
• Class in 140 characters or less? -
http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/class-in-140-characters-or-less/
• Disrupting Class: How disruptive innovation will change the way the world
learns-
http://books.google.com/books?id=Ox7ippjnN4sC&pg=PR6&dq=disrupting+class+emily+sawte
ll&hl=en&ei=QDpHTLi7M4T6lwf
0kvX5BA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA
• Interview with Emily on Fox News New York -
http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/education/090513_Site_Helps_Students_Earn_and_Learn
• US News & World Report- http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/best-colleges/2010/05/12/5-
social-media-tools-for-college-students.html
• GradeGuru listed as a Mashable “Stroke of Genius” -
http://mashable.com/2009/05/05/gradeguru/
• Wall Street Journal on Campus – Emily’s study tips for college students
http://www.unigo.com/articles/conquering_college_assignments/?taxonomyId=760074
• Edutastic lists GradeGuru as an e-learning start-up that could change the
world- http://bestonlineuniversities.com/2010/25-e-learning-education-start-ups-that-could
-change-the-world/
• US News & World Report lists GradeGuru in its five top social media sites for
college students- http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/best-colleges/2010/05/12/5-social-
media-tools-for-college-students.html
• Inside higher Ed -
]http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/08/05/notesharing?no_mobile_redirect=true]
• D.C. News Channel 8 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx_5nRceHeY&feature=player_embedded
• The Independent Collegian -
http://www.independentcollegian.com/news/web-site-allows-students-to-share-course-materials-1.2096126
• CollegeThrive- Using the Web to Boost your GPA
http://collegethrive.com/use-the-web-to-boost-your-gpa
• For additional press coverage, see: http://gradegurublog.com/press/
List the names and titles of the people who are involved in creating and maintaining the nominated web site:
Emily Sawtell, founder and manager of GradeGuru.com. The GradeGuru team works
with New York based digital agency, Arc90, for site strategy, design and creative
work.