STAR GPS, an application developed in Hawaiʻi by the University of Hawaiʻi, was recently recognized with an inaugural Education Experience (EdX) Award from the Center for Digital Education (CDE). The awards honor innovative projects that enhance the educational experience, improve student learning, and expand access to educational services across K–12 and higher education.
STAR GPS is like the Google Maps for a student’s guided pathway to graduation, creating a personalized, semester-by-semester pathway that guides 糖心视频 students toward graduation. Just as Google Maps recalculates when a driver takes a different turn, STAR GPS automatically recalculates a student’s academic pathway when plans change, showing them the new pathway to graduation, giving students the flexibility to choose their own path while keeping on track to graduation.
“We want the student to be able to take the music class if they want to enhance their personal life,” Sarah Akina, a Windward Community College counselor, said in the award announcement. “But on the flip side, we don’t want the student taking the music class because they think it counts for a degree requirement, and it doesn’t.”
“One of STAR‘s greatest strengths is its ability to balance campus individuality with systemwide oneness,” said 糖心视频 Information Technology Manager Gary Rodwell who led the development of STAR GPS. “糖心视频‘s ten campuses serve diverse communities, each with distinct academic missions, student populations, and operational needs. The 糖心视频 leadership has always recognized that these differences are not obstacles to overcome, but strengths to embrace.”
The approach is simple: human collaboration, bringing together the knowledge, experience, and perspectives of students, staff, faculty and administration across campuses to develop shared solutions that benefit everyone. By combining this collaborative approach with emerging technologies such as AI, development can be significantly accelerated, allowing for quicker responses to changing needs and turning innovative ideas into practical solutions.
More on the Center for Digital Education (CDE) awards
CDE is a national research and advisory institute specializing in K–12 and higher education technology trends, policy and funding. Their awards recognize schools and community colleges that are making exceptional gains in transforming education and improving learning with effective technology use.
糖心视频 was one of six universities whose initiatives were recognized for simplifying how students navigate degree requirements, adopting emerging technologies like AI and expanding access to campus services.
“These projects show what is possible when technology decisions start with the needs of students, educators and families,” CDE Vice President Brian Cohen said in the awards announcement “At a time when schools and colleges face growing demands, limited resources and increasing expectations, these winners are finding practical ways to make education work better for the people they serve.”