Acrobatiq

Acrobatiq, now operating as a distinct unit within VitalSource, originated from over a decade of research at Carnegie Mellon University's Open Learning Initiative (OLI). Founded in 2013 by Eric Frank and William Guttman, the company was established to commercialize the cognitive and learning science research from OLI. The firm is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A significant milestone in its history was the acquisition by VitalSource Technologies, part of Ingram Content Group, on September 4, 2018. This strategic acquisition was aimed at combining Acrobatiq's data-centric platform with VitalSource's extensive content distribution network to scale the delivery of adaptive courseware.

The company operates in the educational technology market, providing a learning optimization platform for higher education institutions. Its business model centers on offering a combination of a software platform, a content library, and professional services to partners like universities and publishers. This enables clients to author, deliver, and continuously refine outcomes-based digital learning experiences. The core of Acrobatiq's service is its adaptive learning platform which personalizes educational content to meet individual student needs. A key feature is the "Learn by Doing" methodology, which embeds practice and assessments directly into the course material, a concept proven to enhance knowledge retention. The platform gathers extensive data as students interact with the content, providing educators with actionable analytics. These insights are delivered through Learning Dashboards, which help instructors identify at-risk students and understand which specific concepts are causing difficulties.

For content creation, Acrobatiq offers its SmartAuthor tool, allowing institutions to build courses from scratch, use open educational resources (OER), or leverage publisher content. A notable feature is the AI-powered SmartStart engine, which can ingest static content like PDFs or EPUBs and automatically convert it into interactive courseware. This engine uses natural language processing to identify learning objectives and generate associated practice questions, significantly reducing course development time. Research has demonstrated the platform's positive impact on student outcomes, particularly in closing achievement gaps for students from low-income backgrounds.

Keywords: learning optimization, adaptive courseware, educational analytics, personalized learning, Carnegie Mellon University, Open Learning Initiative, learning science, data-driven education, higher education technology, student engagement, courseware development, digital learning, edtech, student outcomes, learning dashboards, smart authoring, AI in education, interactive learning, competency-based education, OER integration