EduGate / StuFolio

In response to the strong sentiments and problem statements expressed by both teachers and parents, we conceived two related products:

EduGate - A simplified login management system that aims to accomplish the following:

• Reduce number of instances of login issues from 5-10 (reported) to 0-3 per class

• Reduce amount of teacher / class time spent on solving login issues from 30 mins to 5mins

• Eliminate the reliance of teachers on central IT teams to reset passwords

• Uses MFA to enhance security while simplifying the memory dependent components of the login authentication process.

  • All 8 teachers and 15 parents surveyed or interviewed confirmed that the current login method - username + password combinations are not an efficient method for Primary students login and authentication purposes and result in frequently forgotten passwords, mistypes which result in failed logins, login accounts locked and them losing pace with the rest of the class and a time sink for teachers to diagnose and support.

• Seamlessly integrates simplified login methods with stringent security measures, ensuring an intuitive user experience without compromising on secure authentication and data protection.

EduGate significantly reduces likelihood of login issues by offering passwordless and simplified passcode input (pictorial code-based login mechanisms) further secured by additional layers of authentication such as biometrics and unique QR or alphanumeric text input as provided to each student by the teacher. It also enables teachers to reset passwords and generate class codes for easy in-class login without the hassle of involving an IT Department team and thus enabling smoother conducting of class learning and avoiding the risk of students being out of pace with the class.

StuFolio - An assignment management platform tailored to arts and other creative subject teachers that aims to accomplish the following:

• Reduce time spent on administrative tasks

• Provide holistic evaluation features (that allow teachers to view a student’s or class’s entire body of work at once)

• Simplify student interfaces and reduce instances of student drop-off

StuFolio sports a simplified interface based on platforms teachers have testified are both teacher- and student-friendly. It also saves teachers time and make evaluation activities more flexible and holistic with several specific features based on teacher feedback:

This research adopts a mixed-methods approach, integrating qualitative and quantitative insights from primary user research and secondary literature review. The goal is to identify key challenges and improvements for digital portfolios, login processes, and authentication mechanisms in educational technology, particularly from the perspectives of teachers, parents, and students.

Surveyed and interviewed teacher and parent counts -
8 teachers - 6 surveyed (Included both qualitative and quantitative input) | 8 interviewed (Qualitative)
15 parents - 11 surveyed (Included both qualitative and quantitative input) | 4 interviewed (Qualitative)

Key Objectives -

• Understand user experiences, pain points, and expectations regarding digital portfolios and login authentication.

• Assess the effectiveness and usability of current authentication systems used in educational platforms.

• Explore alternative authentication mechanisms (e.g., child-friendly authentication, biometric login, QR-based authentication).

• Identify opportunities for improving user experience and security while maintaining accessibility.

2. Data Collection Sources

A. Primary Research (User Studies & Platform Analysis)

We conducted a qualitative analysis through:

1. User Experience Analysis

   • Gathered insights from teachers and parents on their challenges with logging in and managing digital portfolios.

   • Evaluated their expectations regarding authentication methods and progress tracking tools.

2. Platform & Login Process Evaluation

   • Analyzed the authentication methods and login experiences across widely used education platforms to assess usability and security.

   • Platforms studied:

     • MOE Student & Teacher Login Portal (Singapore)

     • Spotify Kids (Child-friendly authentication for media platforms)

     • KidsWebServices Parent Dashboard (Parental controls for login management)

     • Google Classroom (Classroom collaboration and student login processes)

     • Renaissance FastBridge (Assessment and progress tracking)

     • ClassDojo & Seesaw (Digital portfolios and classroom communication)

     • HCI Australia (Education technology authentication)

B. Secondary Research (Literature Review & Authentication Studies)

To supplement primary research, we reviewed several academic studies and industry reports on authentication challenges and innovations for students. The following key areas were examined:

1. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and Usability

   • Investigating the Accessibility and Usability of Multi-Factor Authentication for Young People" (2024) → Examines usability challenges in MFA for younger users, highlighting the need for inclusive design.

   • A Usability Study of Five Two-Factor Authentication Methods" (2019) → Evaluates user-friendliness of various 2FA mechanisms to determine effective security measures for students.

   • Authentication in E-learning Systems: Challenges and Solutions" (2020, Luu et al.) → Discusses the security-convenience trade-off in e-learning authentication, emphasizing the need for child-friendly alternatives.

2. Child-Friendly Authentication & Alternative Login Methods

   • Child-Friendly Authentication (CFA)" (2022) → Proposes a graphical authentication system designed for younger users to enhance login security and usability.

   • User Study: Comparison of Picture Passwords and Current Login Approaches" (2024) → Compares picture-based authentication with traditional password mechanisms to assess their effectiveness.

3. Biometric Authentication & QR-Based Login

   • Biometrics vs. Traditional Passwords: What’s More Secure?" (2024) → Compares the security and usability of biometric authentication versus traditional passwords.

   • A Two-Step Verification-Based Multimodal-Biometric Authentication System Using KCP-DCNN and QR Code Generation" (2024) → Explores multimodal biometric authentication combined with QR code verification for secure and seamless access.

   • Two-Factor Authentication Using QR Code and OTP" (2024) → Investigates QR-based 2FA as an alternative to traditional MFA methods.

3. Data Analysis & Synthesis

We analyzed findings from both primary and secondary research using:

• Thematic Analysis: Identifying recurring themes in user challenges and desired improvements.

• Comparative Analysis: Evaluating authentication mechanisms across different platforms and studies to determine best practices.

• Gap Analysis: Highlighting areas where current solutions fall short in usability, accessibility, and security.

4. Ethical Considerations

• Ensured user anonymity and confidentiality in gathering feedback.

• Relied on publicly available studies and research articles for secondary data.

• Focused on inclusive design principles, ensuring recommendations are accessible for students of different ages and capabilities.

What we heard - (some snippets from research surveys and interviews)

• Parents -

  • “Please use an easier login system. Kids this age can’t even remember to hang their towels after a shower what more memorise a complicated pin.”- Mother of a 6yr old Primary student using current MOE student platform

  • “Wasted a lot of time and got frustrated before we can do the work” - Mother of 2 Primary students using current MOE student platform

  • “Seems that teachers need to reach out to their IT department to support on student password reset requests and that can take a while so the child is already not at pace with the rest of the class.” - Mother of 2 Primary students using current MOE student platform

  • “During first login of student, made to select pictures and objects to come up with password, which has since then been ingrained to be (pinkcat30) which can now be typed out by the student” - Mother of 7 year old Primary student using Epic in Canada

• Teachers -

  • “Time wastage, students unable to complete the activity. Sharing of device to complete individual assignment causes the students to either argue or lose interest.” - MOE teacher using current student platform in class

  • “Time is taken up to ensure students are at pace and to participate in the activities, students who are not independent enough will need parents' support at home and they may not have a good time to complete if parents work too late.” - MOE teacher using current student platform in class

  • “I spend time troubleshooting their login issues and it results in me not being able to move on in the lesson.” - MOE teacher using current student platform in class

  • “Make password requirements simpler.” - MOE teacher using current student platform in class

  • “Using QR code to login which reduces the time of typing their ID and password.” - MOE teacher using current student platform in class

Overall Research Summary

The research reveals significant challenges and needs regarding digital portfolios and login processes in educational technology for both parents and teachers. The key concerns center around ease of access, usability, and integration across different platforms. While parents emphasize streamlined login processes and better visibility into their child’s progress, teachers seek efficiency, centralized management, and automation to reduce administrative burdens.

Key Themes (Overall)

1. Login Challenges & Account Management

• Multiple login credentials across platforms create friction.

• Parents and students struggle with password resets and multi-step authentication.

• Teachers spend time troubleshooting login issues rather than focusing on teaching.

2. Digital Portfolio & Progress Tracking

• Teachers desire a streamlined method to document and share student progress efficiently.

• Parents want real-time updates and a centralized portfolio of their child’s work.

• Lack of standardization across schools and platforms leads to inconsistent experiences.

3. Communication & Transparency

• Parents want clearer insights into their child’s learning progress and areas for improvement.

• Teachers feel overwhelmed by multiple communication channels and redundant reporting.

4. Desired Features & Improvements

• Single Sign-On (SSO) or biometric login for easier access.

• Automated progress tracking with AI-generated summaries.

• Mobile-friendly platforms for better accessibility.

• Integration with school systems to reduce duplicate data entry.

Breakdown by User Group

1. Teachers' Perspective

Challenges

• Logging into multiple platforms takes up instructional time.

• Forgetting passwords is common, requiring frequent resets.

• Manually updating student progress is time-consuming.

• Students struggle with accessing the correct platform, leading to classroom disruptions.

Needs & Desired Features

• One-click login solutions for teachers and students.

• Auto-syncing portfolios that integrate with grading systems.

• Batch upload & auto-tagging for student work.

• AI-driven insights to help with student progress analysis.

2. Parents' Perspective

Challenges

• Managing multiple login credentials across platforms is frustrating.

• Lack of real-time updates on student performance and assignments.

• Current communication tools feel disjointed and inconsistent across different schools.

Needs & Desired Features

• One unified dashboard for all child-related academic updates.

• Single login system (e.g., social login or biometric).

• Push notifications & automated summaries of their child’s progress.

• More visual & interactive reports (e.g., graphs, milestones, strengths/weaknesses).

What our research revealed -

1. Simplified Login for Younger Students (Picture-Based Codes)

• Research Insight: Recognition-based methods like picture codes have an 85% success rate among children aged 5–10, compared to only 60% for text passwords.

• Relevance to EduGate: By implementing picture-based codes in EduGate, we cater to young students' cognitive strengths, enabling faster, error-free login experiences while reducing frustration and password resets.

• Benefit: This increases engagement and reduces teacher/parent intervention for password-related issues.

2. Enhanced Security Through Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

• Research Insight: Microsoft Security reports that MFA blocks 99.9% of automated attacks on accounts. Combining picture codes with a second authentication factor, such as QR codes or biometrics, strengthens security significantly.

• Relevance to EduGate: EduGate can offer picture-code logins as the primary method and QR codes as a second factor for added verification. This dual-layer approach ensures that students can’t log in without proving their identity.

• Benefit: This method strikes a balance between usability for students and peace of mind for parents and school administrators.

3. Reducing Password Fatigue and Cognitive Load

• Research Insight: Complex passwords are frequently forgotten, with 37% of users failing to recall them within a month. This challenge is magnified for children.

• Relevance to EduGate: Replacing traditional passwords with visual-based authentication (picture sequences) addresses this issue head-on. It eliminates the need for frequent password resets while encouraging a consistent and intuitive login process.

• Benefit: Reduces administrative overhead for teachers and IT staff, as there’s less need for password recovery requests.

4. Future-Proofing EduGate with Biometric Options

• Research Insight: 72% of foreign educational institutions are considering biometric solutions due to their accuracy and minimal cognitive demand on users.

• Relevance to EduGate: By incorporating biometrics as a potential login option—such as facial recognition or fingerprint scanning—EduGate can evolve to meet future authentication standards while ensuring that student identity is always secure.

• Benefit: This aligns EduGate with cutting-edge authentication trends, making it a robust solution for long-term use in education.

Challenges Faced

• Resourcing

  • Lacking engineers or designers meant we weren’t able to do as high a volume of research as we might have as alot of effort was input into prototype engineering through DIY development tools.

• Delayed understanding of MOE communication landscape

  • The lack of knowledge among teachers / MOE staff about SLS’ capabilities complicated our direction-setting. The need for a portfolio platform seemed clear-cut after our initial teacher interviews. However, after speaking to SLS, it seemed as though 80-90% of the teachers’ challenges could be addressed by the platform. This prompted us to rescope to a simplified login mechanism—a function we knew SLS didn’t have. Once we gained access to the sandbox, however, we revised our needs met estimation down to 60-70% and began work on a potrfolio platform prototype with a week to spare.

• Lack of access to parents with children in proper age range

  • It was difficult to source parents with children in the lower primary school age range that would be open to interviews and survey feedback.

EduGate - Student login, made simple

EduGate stands at the intersection of usability and security. By integrating passwordless picture-based codes, QR codes, and biometric MFA, EduGate ensures:

1. Simplicity for younger students.

2. Security through multi-factor protection.

3. Future-readiness with emerging biometric technologies.

This balanced approach creates a secure learning environment while preserving an intuitive experience for even the youngest users.

The login management prototype aims to highlight and achieve 4 things -

1. Enhance simplicity of student logins and adjust input requirements based on the comfort of primary students while ensuring secure authentication. Making logins more efficient and error-free -

   1. Via a login interface that supports 2 passwordless mechanisms for login -

      1. Username + other authentication method (unique QR/alphanumeric code OR biometric [if consented to by the parent])

      2. Uniquely identifying string of objects (Class + color + animal + number) + other authentication method (unique QR/alphanumeric code OR biometric [if consented to by the parent])

2. Enable the prompt redressal and support for instances of login failures due to mistyping, forgotten login details -

   1. Enable teachers - Via a dedicated dashboard - to manage student logins and support in-class login failure instances promptly by triggering new unique (time-based) QR or alphanumeric codes and enabling password-sequence resets

   2. Enable parents - Via a dedicated dashboard - to manage student logins and support at-home login failure instances promptly by triggering new unique (time-based) QR or alphanumeric codes and enabling password-sequence resets

3. Reduce cognitive load for students, parents and teachers

4. Reduce instances of mistyping, forgotten login details, thereby reducing time, effort and loss of pace involved for both teacher and students in-class and at-home

EduGate -

• Collaborations, funding and partnerships needed to take this project further -

  • Integration with the current student learning platform to enhance the login interface and management features

  • MOE buy-in and support to integrate this solution more widely across current platforms and login interfaces and authentication methods. Start with smaller Pilot and expand to more institutions, teachers and students accessibility to the solution

• Potential features to explore -

  • Integrate more varied MFA authentication types that are simpler and ensure low cognitive load for Primary students

StuFolio -

• Collaborations, funding and partnerships needed to take this project further -

  • Enhancement of the current student learning platform with learnings from StuFolio or integration in part or fully with StuFolio to enhance areas where functionality has gaps and opportunities

  • MOE support to integrate this with the current student learning platform system