Lalilo by Renaissance vs. Udacity

Given students whose behaviors can affect their ability to learn, Lalilo is well suited because it allows students to begin at their just right level and move ahead at their own pace. The fun factor is high enough that students stay engaged, even when they might not do so on other learning platforms. Students also enjoy comparing their badges, so for students who are motivated by competition with their friends, this works in their favor.

Incentivized

Udacity is great for working professionals who want to continue their education by learning relevant technical job skills. The platform offers a well-produced content library with new courses added regularly. Overall, Udacity is best suited for individuals who need to gain technical industry experience and certifications in order to better perform in their workplaces. Udacity is a very valuable resource, however, I would not recommend it for all organizations - as there are more cost-friendly options on the market.

Incentivized

• Differentiate Instruction
• Pinpoint areas of need for students
• Engaging for our struggling learners
• Allows students to progress/work on skills that they need

• Practical exercises and projects definitely helps you understand how you may apply the skills and knowledge in real-world projects.
• Strong Community where people are generally friendly and helpful for answering questions. Udacity has also made an effort to encourage engagement between all the people who are taking the same courses.
• You can watch a video, access reading materials and attempt an exercise without leaving the Udacity environment which is definitely a plus for me.

Incentivized

• For my lower students, it would be nice to have more practice in alphabetical skills before moving on to reading.
• Sometimes the sound glitches out and we have to restart the lesson.

Incentivized

• Organization of courses is not very user-friendly, especially the sequence of courses to take should be more elucidated for a beginner.
• There are some courses which are completely tool based on using Alteryx. Instead, more focus on concepts can be given.
• The depth of the courses is another issue. The free courses are good for beginners but not to go to the next level.
• Nanodegree programs can be better priced.

Incentivized

It has been very useful to our students and staff.

Incentivized

I gave Lalilo this rating, because my students were all able to get logged into the program and get started on their own, no matter their age. I like the reports that are available. They are tailored to individual student performance, so I can see what my students are capable of doing and what they still need help with.

For the most part, site usability is great. I would say the only shortcoming from my end was when I needed support. Support responses were typically very slow, the few times I needed it.

Incentivized

I didn't personally have any issues with the program, but scheduling time to review the final project was easy, and the assistant was pleasant to work with.

Incentivized

Lalilo works right along side the Star assessments. As my students progress through the lessons, they are also scoring better on their Star tests. I would love to access the complete version, so I can see the complete reports. I need to find a way to get help in funding this.

Skillsoft has been utilized and powered by enterprise organizations while Udacity is more of a side benefit and not requiring much commitment to signup for. Skillsoft has more material in terms of e-books and videos to go through while Udacity is more to use while someone is ready and have been familiar with the topic already. We have Udacity a lot due to efficiency in terms of getting set up right away on individual use.

Incentivized

• I don't have the complete version. I love how much I can do with the free version. My students love learning through Lalilo.
• I use this product periodically instead of daily or weekly. It is a great resource for my students, especially one who is in second grade and cannot even name all of the letters. He worked with Lalilo while I still was able to work with him and I could see him gaining knowledge as he was completing the activities. At first, he doesn't understand the concept being taught. It only takes a couple of minutes for him to learn the concept and pass the level to progress to the next.

• Taking the courses I took allowed me to list skills on my resume that have opened up conversations on jobs where previously I could not even have a discussion.

Incentivized