Founder(s): Roger Tucker & Dave Tucker
Glean, previously known as Sonocent, has a long history of creating tech for good, and has been providing inclusive technology to students with disabilities since 2007. Today, Glean focuses on helping all motivated learners, regardless of ability, to use technology to improve their own learning outcomes.
Since its inception, Glean has been advocating for a new approach to note taking, one which tackles fundamental challenges and inequalities in the way that we teach and learn. Glean has always questioned standard assumptions in general education practice: that written language is more acceptable than spoken, that having notes is as important as the process of taking notes, and that education technology should focus on improving teaching practices rather than empowering better learners.
The process of note taking is the foundation of working effectively with information, whether at school or in the workplace. It is a skill that few of us are taught, yet all of us are expected to do. It requires exceptional cognitive effort and is highly impactful to learning. That’s where Glean comes in. Glean improves learning outcomes for students of all abilities by enabling them to take their own notes effectively.
For decades, institutions have turned to peer note takers, transcription services and lecture notes to provide accommodations for eligible students. But as Glean has learned through talking to hundreds of disability support professionals and students (and confirmed through research) provided notes just aren’t working. With this, students with disabilities don’t have equitable access to education, and we’re working to level the playing field for students of all abilities.
By using Glean, students can capture everything from their lectures themselves. The anxiety many feel if they miss important information while taking notes is gone. Once a student hears something they think might be important, or that they’ll want to remember, they label this moment with a reaction icon. This creates a bookmark for them to come back to later, making revisiting recordings much easier. Using software that allows students to break the note taking process down step-by-step can reduce stress and build transferable life long skills that will benefit students throughout their education, career and beyond.
By having a recording to review and annotate afterwards, students have reassurance that a loss in concentration doesn’t mean a loss in content. Utilising Glean can help reduce stress and build academic confidence, while enabling all students to help themselves to become better learners.
Glean’s technology is in use by students across all Higher Education institutions in the UK as well as in disability services departments in over 450 colleges across the US. The company currently helps 100,000s of students with disabilities to meet their learning potential across the US, UK and Australia.