Ikigai in online learning with Platzi

Abstract

This thesis project explores how to maintain students' motivation to learn with the e-learning platform Platzi. Latin American EdTech company Platzi provides online courses related to jobs in the digital economy to a Spanish-speaking audience. Despite many new benefits of e-learning, like on-demand learning, it also comes with new challenges like isolation of learners, lack of community and lack of accountability, which leads to decreasing motivation for learning.

The focus is primarily on students who want to find their place in an ever-getting, more dynamic world and guide them to define what they want in life. Making big life decisions like what career to focus on, where one wants to be in ten years, or what one even wishes to do is extremely difficult for everyone. But especially for young students that learn isolated.

Despite Platzi's great work of forming a unity with their students, there is a significant shortage of guidance in online environments, and students often feel uninspired and without direction. Seeking a structured framework, the Japanese concept of Ikigai was identified as a starting point to help individuals develop clarity in life and increase their general well-being. This framework would enable students to learn how to use their skills best, allow them to follow their passions, and improve the lives of others while building a stable economic foundation.

A new adapted purpose-finding service was developed to help students set goals based on their responses and connect these goals to courses to make the path ahead as tangible as possible. After rounds of experimentation with different approaches, one concept emerged, considering the context and the interests of all stakeholders.

The work was partly executed in Colombia and part remotely in the Netherlands (collaboration with Platzi, user interviews, workshops, and user tests). User research was performed through interviews, surveys, and a workshop at all project stages.

The final solution of this graduation project is an app feature that integrates into the existing platform. It allows students to discover opportunities by taking a playful quiz that points out further self-improvement activities and suggests courses to achieve the identified goals. By utilizing the strengths of Ikigai and simplifying it to reach a broad audience, it engages users and makes Platzi a holistic e-learning provider to transform Latin America.