support

Human Restoration Project Acquires Floop Edu

Chris McNutt
Nick Covington
October 10, 2023
A partnership on feedback-driven learning.

As longtime supporters and users of Floop in our own classrooms, we’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative power it has on facilitating authentic learning that students can be proud of. We’re excited to move Floop forward into its next chapter, and are committed to expanding its impact and making it even more accessible to educators around the world.

Floop allows us to foster a culture of continuous improvement in our classrooms. We aim to build on this foundation, incorporating new features, resources, and best practices to help educators empower their students to become active learners and reflective thinkers.

We are dedicated to preserving Floop’s core values while innovating to meet the evolving needs of teachers and students alike. Floop will continue to be a free platform where educators can inspire, nurture, and guide their students towards excellence.

What is it?

From research papers to multimedia projects, Floop makes the feedback process easy and purposeful.

A peer review session. Students are shown a random anonymous student’s assignment. The teacher provides a feedback focus, which gives students direction in providing feedback, including its progress toward the goal (red, yellow, green). The teacher can see what type of feedback each student is receiving and giving.

With their peers, Floop’s system allows students to not only receive valuable insights but also get to appreciate the quality work their peers are doing. It's a win-win that enhances feedback literacy and fosters a collaborative learning environment.

A teacher drag/dropping comments from a bank they’ve created. Comment banks can be typed, written, or verbal, and are unique to each assignment. Teachers can see when students have read each part of their feedback, and students can respond to each “blip.”

For teachers, Floop offers an array of tools like comment banks and multiple feedback formats (typed, drawn, audio) to make the guidance process smooth. And don't overlook the "growth portfolios"—a straightforward way to track and celebrate student progress.

A self-assessment prompt creation window. Whenever a student submits an assignment, they can suggest what type of feedback they’re looking for, as well as reflect on their progress.

For reflection, self-assessment is also a breeze with Floop's custom prompts and structured guidance. 

It’s designed for ease-of-use: whether you're using an LMS or not, getting started is simple and quick. (It’s also free!) Floop aims to support well-rounded learning experiences, mastery, and social-emotional growth. It's not just another educational tool; it's a pathway to a more engaging and effective classroom.

Why HRP x Floop?

Two student assignments submitted to Floop, versions 1 to 3 (final). After each submission, students were provided with feedback by myself and peers. Look at the improvement!

I've (Chris) extensively used Floop in our social studies and digital design courses and can attest to its efficacy as a learning tool.

Floop stands out for its intentional support of ungrading or going "gradeless." It allows for alternative forms of assessment, such as emojis and symbols, making it a practical solution for those who wish to implement the ungrading philosophy espoused by HRP. We firmly believe that transitioning to a feedback-forward model ensures more learning, as students are continually improving and submitting their best possible assignments. It’s not “one and done”, but meaningful and iterative. It also allows us to differentiate objectives to students of different skill levels – pushing students who excel at certain assignments to go further, while ensuring no one is foundationally left behind.

Moreover, the platform excels in facilitating peer review sessions. I still remember how much students were genuinely engaged, navigating through their peers' assignments at their own pace, offering feedback, and taking pride in the collaborative projects we undertook.

What’s next?

HRP is extremely excited to begin reaching out to new teachers to show off Floop, integrate Floop in our ongoing partnerships with schools, and expand Floop’s capabilities. We are exploring many ways to support the project with new activities, features, and capabilities on the way. Most importantly, the existing features of Floop will remain free. Be on the lookout for upcoming announcements.

In the meantime, sign-up and try out the platform! Unlimited classes and students can be added to the free plan which includes everything listed above, with extra features unlocked at the paid tier ($120/year/teacher).

An image of a white man with a brown goatee and glasses.
Chris McNutt
Chris McNutt is the co-founder and executive director of Human Restoration Project, a nonprofit organization focused on student engagement, well-being, and motivation. His work centers on realizing systems-based change, examining how progressive pedagogical shifts (e.g. PBL, ungrading) reimagine school to best suit the needs of students and teachers alike. He was a public high school digital media & design educator who focused on experiential learning, portfolio-driven assessment, and community involvement.
An image of a white man with a brown goatee and glasses.
Nick Covington
Nick taught social studies for 10 years in Iowa and has worked as a labor organizer. He is currently the Creative Director at the Human Restoration Project.
The YouTube symbol. (A play button.)

watch now