During her high school days, Heather Hiles spent time breaking sweat on the basketball court that earned her a place in the Olympic Development League. Hiles deems that playing ball taught her discipline, focus, and teamwork—skills that no doubt came in handy while building and leading Pathbrite, a technology provider in the world of online education. While the U.S. ed-tech industry has evolved rapidly over the past few years, experts like Hiles are finding better ways to improve student-learning outcomes on a larger scale. Today, the best of ed-tech is vying for a learner-centric approach, to optimitize the impact on student success. "The future of education is combining the power of great technologies with proven pedagogy to provide the best outcome for students," says Hiles, CEO and Founder, Pathbrite. That's the emphasis of Pathbrite’s Portfolio Learning Platform (PLP), which supports schools, colleges, and organizations worldwide.

Hiles also sums up two main challenges that prick the industry today: First, finding technology that actually improves student success rates, and second, adopting easy to use technology for instructors. “Our cloud-based PLP improves the learning, teaching and assessment experiences, all while increasing the graduation rates of students,” explains Hiles.

Educational institutions can purchase a license from Pathbrite, giving teachers a tool to map out “learning paths” by showing the skills students need to master in order to reach particular goals. As students build their portfolios, employers can see exactly what they have learned and achieved. “By using the right technology, we can create ways for learners to show how their function, skills, and practical experiences, align with what employers need,” adds Hiles.

Headquartered in San Francisco, the Pathbrite PLP is designed for users of all ages. “With the digital revolution under way, our platform transforms the way in which we assess knowledge,” claims Hiles.