One of things I truly enjoy about being part of CognaLearn is working on the code itself. As we cater to different educational institutions with a variety of requirements and specifications, there is always a new puzzle waiting to be solved. I love finding creative ways to materialise what our clients need from our software, and many times these instances also allow me to think deeply on possible outcomes and events, experimenting on ever-changing technology to see what works best.

There is freedom to explore and try new things, as CognaLearn has fostered an environment that gives the team confidence in learning from missteps and being better armed with insight to increase the chance for success. This nurturing energy extends out of the physical office as we have worked from home for the past couple of years – quite an adjustment for many. Fortunately, I feel that the type of work we do is uniquely suited for such a setup – home or office, we find ways to adjust, as many in our team have been working remotely even before the pandemic hit.

In the height of the COVID-19 situation, we received support from CognaLearn for our WFH setup, which helped to make sure we had a comfortable working environment at home. We have systems that allow us to have meaningful communication with our colleagues from all over the world, solving problems and celebrating success together on and offline. I have benefitted much from these connections - as a team we all have perspectives unique to our milieu and having access to this expands my own understanding and capabilities. As we move towards the reopening Singapore and we ready for the option to return to the office, I take these learnings with me, and look forward to more collaborative encounters with my colleagues as we solve evolving puzzles in the future of education.

Cyrod John Florida Domingo,  Senior Software Developer Engineer

Don’t settle for the mediocre just to avoid stepping out of your comfort zone; it’s too big a price to pay. Your challenges and risk experiences are cumulative. Every time you try something new, and allow yourself to be open to whatever experience arises, you are learning, and expanding your repertoire of life skills and self-knowledge. As you do this you also expand the size of your comfort zone.

Leaving your comfort zone ultimately helps you to deal with change—and making change in a much better way. Life transitions are all about change. Each time you transition you move to another level. Inevitably, these life transitions transform you.

Lastly, don’t push yourself too hard! It’s ok to make mistakes or make wrong decisions as long as you are aware what’s right and what’s wrong, and then learn how to be a better version of yourself. Never forget to reward yourself, celebrate and appreciate the little things in life. Live life as if it’s your last day every day!

 Jolene Seet, Product Designer

Having been in an educational role previously, coming into EdTech has provided me with insights into how technology used in conjunction with Team Based Learning can be used to transform traditional classroom dynamics. Both were somewhat new concepts to me and jointly helped me understand how to apply education frameworks to reach a diversity of learner profiles and encourage more self-directed learning as opposed to top-down instruction from a single source. The age-old structure for learning: theory followed by practical, is preserved yet allows room for pedagogy to evolve with the complex and sophisticated perspectives of today’s learners. Being part of a team dedicated to bringing this to classrooms all over the world is an exciting place to be.

Technology now has its roots reaching into every aspect of our lives, and education is no different. My role gives me an opportunity to apply my experience working with persons with disabilities to ensuring no student is left out in their pursuit of education when using our product. Similarly, the ways instructors choose to teach can be as universal as the human race itself, our tool needs to cater for this and be as accessible as possible. Just as technology is a vehicle for our everyday tasks, InteDashboard aims to be a tool for transporting students from learning destination to destination smoothly with minimal detours and pit stops.

Our product team is a reflection of the best practices in TBL - we share a common vision of building a better and well-oiled machine, while respecting what each member uniquely brings to the table as well as encouraging open sharing and discussion. We know that the journey matters more if not as much as the destination, and that there may be more than one means to an end. While we strive to bring our product to greater heights, we prioritize ‘heart work’ over ‘hard work’.

Janice Tay, Accessibility Specialist

As a Customer Advisor, I work with my team to make sure that we continuously make our customers happy. We come up with different strategies that would increase our efficiency in delivering world-class customer support.

We have a small team, and some are working in a remote set-up. Hence, communication, accountability, and adaptability are crucial. The job comes with challenges, but I’m grateful for a great support team that keeps everything balanced and fun.

Let me take you through a typical day that I get as a Customer Advisor.

As a Philippines-based remote employee handling US hours, my day usually starts around 4 PM. Upon waking up, I share a devotional study with my wife. This keeps me balanced throughout the day. After an hour, I prepare myself, tidy up, then get a meal to enjoy while doing some catching up. Then I’d go over either some sports news then I’d take a nap for an hour or two before I officially start my shift.

Around 11 PM, I’d be checking the team calendar and my email for updates. Then I’d go to Slack to make sure that I don’t miss anything that I need to know.

At least once a week, I’d go on Zoom with my manager, mainly for feedback, training, and coaching. For my part, this is usually done at the start of my shift, lasting for about an hour or two. After the call, I simply go over the tickets I received, or update existing ones. Then I’d take a quick break and grab a quick snack after a couple of hours.

Each shift is unique. At times, besides ticketing, I may be doing an onboarding (usually a 2-hour call) or a check-in session (as short as 30 minutes) with our customers. After each call, I make sure that the logs are relevant, complete, and accurate so it becomes useful for the next person who may be interacting with that customer. Other times I may be submitting bug and incident reports to our programmers, or feature requests to the design team. There may also be periods when I just go over the product and do some testing especially when new patches are released. Our Marketing also hold workshops or training sessions at least once a month, so I get to observe, and sometimes, even help facilitate in those as well.

Lastly, I attend the team weekly huddle. This is key as we check our stats, go over some planning, or simply catch up. As of writing, the huddle is done Thursday mornings just as I am about to end my shift, but we expect that this would change anytime soon to accommodate other schedules and time zones.

After my shift, I’d grab some food, lounge in bed, probably watch some basketball or Netflix until I get to sleep. Rinse and repeat. And that’s what a typical day would look like for me.

RT Valderrama, Customer Success Advisor