By patrick.gunti / Interview: MONEYCAB
May 08, 2020, 12:44 pm
from Patrick Gunti
Moneycab.com: Mr Blattmann, digitalized continuing education is not a new topic, but it has taken on a whole new dimension since the coronavirus crisis, lockdown and school closures. How have you experienced the last few weeks?
Alex Blattmann: Digitalization has gained enormous momentum since the outbreak of COVID-19. Many prejudices have been overcome. The planning uncertainty associated with the coronavirus crisis has ensured that many institutions are adapting their educational offerings in an agile and flexible way. Suddenly, people are experimenting, learning quickly and looking for innovative and sustainable concepts. While competitive pressure and digitalization forced other sectors to change much earlier, education is now being challenged to reposition itself, even reinvent itself.
In the first week of lockdown, MaxBrain received more inquiries than in the entire four-year history of the company. How many new customers did you acquire?
The first few weeks of the lockdown were challenging, with dozens of inquiries and several new customers every week. Demand has now stabilized at a high level. In parallel to the emergency aid packages, we are already working with many customers on long-term and sustainable digitalization projects.
"Our service promise is that the customer can use the MaxBrain application for (further) education participants in just one working day."
Alex Blattmann, Co-Founder and CEO MaxBrain
MaxBrain reacted quickly and launched a "Corona emergency aid package". What does this substitute for face-to-face teaching offer?
The emergency aid package aims to support institutions quickly and unbureaucratically at calculable costs. MaxBrain has quickly switched to virtual lectures with the full integration of Zoom online meetings and webinars. In a second step, interactive learning designs, learning control questions, eLearnings and interactive lessons are available to dynamize traditional face-to-face teaching. For larger institutions, we offer mobile apps with their own brand so that they are always available to learners.
How quickly can the digital MaxBrain Classroom be put into operation and what requirements must be met?
Our service promise is that the customer can use the MaxBrain application for the (further) education participants in just one working day. This includes the configuration of the tool and the training. All participants need is a stable internet connection and a computer, tablet or smartphone.
The Federal Council has now announced an easing of restrictions for May and June, and school attendance will also be possible again. How lasting will the effects of the digital lessons of recent weeks be?
The coronavirus crisis will accelerate digitalization in all aspects of our lives, provoke changes in behaviour and give rise to new business models. Such caesuras, which trigger and to a certain extent force leaps in innovation, are unique. During the crisis, everything digital has a unifying element: different sections of the population and age groups are suddenly on an equal footing and are adopting new forms of behavior that were previously only expected of "digital natives".
The technological innovations that enable faster, more flexible, more regular and more targeted learning are now coming into their own. The shortening of learning units (bite-sized learning), mobile learning, the consistent use of behavioural data (artificial intelligence) and the mapping of individual learning paths will now create the breakthrough.
"The coronavirus crisis will accelerate digitalization in all aspects of our lives, provoke changes in behaviour and give rise to new business models."
You have integrated the Zoom video conferencing solution into the platform. However, this only shows a small part of what is possible with digital teaching. How else can lessons be innovatively designed?
MaxBrain has been a member of EPFL's Swiss EdTech Collider since 2019. This vehicle ensures that innovative technologies in the field of education are supported. We are already working with the first companies such as Classtime and Taskbase. For example, they offer interactive learning solutions, semi-automated yet qualitative feedback and self-learning systems that enable individual learning paths. With its own innovations and the integration of innovative third-party products, MaxBrain will change the way professionals learn anywhere and at any time. Our technology is unique in that it integrates different content sources for the end user, but still makes them usable in an individualized way.
The pandemic has catapulted digital learning forward and many things are now possible that were not foreseeable a few months ago. What will be the next developments in the coming years?
The automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning associated with digitalization open up new didactic possibilities and free up resources to make learning more individual, more personal and therefore more relevant. Thanks to globally scalable content in particular, the best knowledge, which is often offered free of charge, will reach learners more quickly. More than ever, we can dream of a democratization of education.
"Our technology is based on the design of social media such as LinkedIn and Instagram and will look very similar to Netflix in the next stage of development."
You consider the provision of simple and intuitive solutions to be a key success factor in digital training. Can you show us how MaxBrain implements this credo?
Digital tools can often do too much. This means that (end) users can no longer find their way around and digital tools are criticized. Our technology is based on the design of social media such as LinkedIn and Instagram and will look very similar to Netflix in the next stage of development. We are not reinventing the wheel, but rather relying on already successful design concepts that work globally and across all ages and cultures. With our feature switch architecture, we can switch all features on the platform on and off at the touch of a button, ensuring that only what is really relevant is shown everywhere.
MaxBrain's customer portfolio is broad and includes universities as well as the building insurance company of the Canton of Zurich and the Bundesliga club Schalke 04. MaxBrain's new customers now include Bratschi.ch, the first law firm. What development opportunities do you see in the legal sector?
Many law firms are still in their infancy when it comes to digitalization. There is huge potential here in terms of productivity tools, process automation and training and further education. Bratschi.ch is one of the first law firms in Switzerland to tap into the potential associated with digitalization. Digitally savvy and well-trained employees form the basis for successfully mastering the digital transformation.
Last question: You have completed a comprehensive education yourself and speak six languages fluently. How much of this did you learn in face-to-face lessons?
That's a good question! I learned French, English and Italian at elementary school and then at grammar school. I mostly taught myself Spanish and Portuguese at home on the computer and while traveling. It's only Mandarin that I haven't managed at all so far, despite several hours of private lessons.
Mr. Blattmann, thank you very much for the interview.