What is Po-Shen Loh doing? Loh is Changing the Way People Think About Math

As the explosion of artificial intelligence is dominating headlines, Po-Shen Loh has set out to help humans become as creative and ingenuous as possible. "AI is poised to take away 70% of the jobs that exist," he says. "Since it's getting so strong, we need to help people become smarter." ."

The way he believes to achieve this is through getting proficient at math.

Contrary to what many believe, Loh thinks that math can be fun, engaging, and yes, even imaginative.

A mathematician, social entrepreneur, coach of the US International Math Olympiad team and Carnegie Mellon University professor, Loh is passionate about making people think differently about math. He does so by offering LIVE lessons, each one of which is created to be taught by middle schoolers and taught by high-school math geniuses.

His group doesn't only teach the students how to tackle problems and memorize formulas; they teach people to look at something you've never thought of before and create an original way to solve it. This is a skill that Loh says computers still cannot perform. "A majority of people do not believe that math is an art form because they're used to a method of learning where someone shows them how to use the correct method," continues Loh. "We ask students questions that are very uncommon. Because they're unusual, they cause the students to come up with ways to deal with them. For many students, it's a breath fresh air. ."

One of his greatest achievements is how Loh has created the first educational ecosystem in its type. "We do not rest until we make not only the most amazing product in the world, but the only one within our field," says Loh.

Being a successful online course designer, Loh shares his journey to create a highly sought-after, one-of-a-kind online program. Here's how he did it:

Skip ahead:

1.    He increased the size of his classes by offering online classes
2.    He pivoted from pre-recorded to live courses
3.    He merged math and performing arts
4.    He created an engaging experience
5.    He assisted teachers to further improve their abilities
6.    He offered a unique user experience on his website
7.    He leveraged word-of-mouth marketing
8.    He used an accessible pricing model
9.    He played a role in the social transformation
10.    All of it was done at the best quality possible

He scaled his teaching through online courses

Prior to when Loh began online teaching the subject, he also taught in-person and travelled all over the United States conducting math seminars. "I would frequently tell students in these presentations, "You need to learn math by using your imagination," he explains. "People asked me"How can I do that ?'"

These conversations spurred him to think about how he could expand his classroom to engage more students. He began looking into e-learning platforms that allow him to teach math in a unique manner using videos of high quality. "Everyone's time is important. I knew if I was planning to instruct online, I wanted to make sure that it was of the highest quality possible," he says.

When Loh came across, he realized it would be the right platform. "We wanted to have a premium feel, and we felt that it was possible to achieve this with ."

He pivoted from pre-recorded to live courses

With the advent of COVID-19, students were seeking online courses, with more than 2500 students registered. Loh expanded to offering Mock Tests and Diagnostic Exams and a self-paced Daily Workout.

Loh made use of the funds to improve his digital products and general customer experience. When the pandemic started to diminish it became more difficult to compete with in-person learning. He decided to launch LIVE classes, since it is his belief that a live learning format offers an optimal education experience, as well as having the same impact as traditional in-person education. "The most effective way to master mathematics is to have students voice their ideas and get feedback from instructors," he says. "This allows students to learn best to use their thoughts in solving problems. ."

Today the LIVE offerings have six different modules - - each with 20 classes -- and every module is followed by the next. The livestreamed classes are 60 to 90 minutes in length, and has around 30 students participating in each. Furthermore, the classes contain more than 150 custom-designed problems designed to teach math ideas. Since first launching in 2019, over 10,983 students have signed up in more than 30 countries around the world.

He combined math with the performing arts.

Loh's LIVE classes aren't just your typical Zoom classes; they're highly stimulating.

Each lesson is taught by two high school math geniuses who have been trained in performing arts to keep the material (and the learning experience) exciting and engaging. "The heart of our class is about a hybridization between insanely good mathematics and high-end performing art," Loh says. Loh. "We connect both sides as part of the experience. There's been no one who's done it before. ."

Others are beginning to notice the courses, too. some 30 year-olds are wanting to refresh their skills, while kindergarten and first-grade teachers are wanting to learn the best ways of teaching math in a new and innovative method. The classes also contain math-related videos from Loh. When the facilitators from high school go over a math problem in real-time, they will be asked, "Professor Loh, how did you resolve this question?" and the class will then cut to a clip of Loh working on similar problems - as if he has shown before the class live.

He designed an enjoyable experience

In each LIVE class, there's a third and fourth student (with their cameras turned off) from his staff One of them communicates students by text message for them to address their concerns, and another who is acting as a drama instructor and offers an instructor with feedback after the class in order to continuously enhance their skills in presenting.

In order to encourage greater engagement Loh used his computer engineering experience to incorporate technology - similar to the Instagram live feed to integrate into classes. Students can type an item into the chat which then goes into the moderation queue, and if approved, shows up on the screen where everyone can see the message.

He was able to help teachers enhance their capabilities

His team is invested in training their high school-aged math teachers. In reality, Loh thought of the idea to incorporate performances into the curriculum to ensure students could develop their interpersonal abilities. "After working with the US mathematics team, I realized that the most intelligent people had a huge difficulties gaining admission to the most famous universities," explains Loh. "By supporting them in building their personalities, this can help their chances at succeeding ."

Loh states that he does not think of the students in the classroom as part of the labor force; rather, he sees them as his kids - and treats them as such. "This experience is fundamentally and essential to every instructor," he says.

According to Loh, the middle schoolers have the ability to communicate with math instructors in high school, since they're so close in age. This creates an all-encompassing learning experience, since there's a sense of camaraderie and relatability between the educators and the students.

He offered a unique website experience

When people go to his live courses website, they are able to get the feeling that Loh does something different. "The website doesn't look like an ordinary online learning website, and this was on basis," he says.

Loh created the site by himself. Students who are interested in joining the school have the chance to participate in demonstrations in class, or attend an informational session to find out about the program before registering. In addition, they will be able to learn about their teachers' student teaching - many of which have been winners in national and state math competitions.

After scrolling the site after which a pop-up appears that solicits email addresses. In exchange, they get the opportunity to purchase a coupon worth $20 towards a math course.

He leveraged word-of-mouth marketing

Even with his highly-technical website many of the students learn about his courses through word-of-mouth.

If Loh is not teaching math at Carnegie Mellon University, he is on the road giving math talks. Sometimes, up to 100 people are in attendance. "I'm always itching to go back on the road and start covering cities after cities after cities," he says.

Loh also has a marketing team, which aids him in getting the word out to draw potential students.

He used an accessible pricing model

Every LIVE course costs $399, and comes with 20 hours of training. For collecting payments, he uses 's PayPal and Stripe integrations.

Loh firmly believes in using an approach to pricing that is accessible. "The market price is just about $20 dollars for an hour. We offer the same price but our service is far superior," he explains.

In order to make his items more affordable, he uses 's bundle feature to group similar items for a lower price. "I'm not here to make fast profits," he continues. "This cost is sufficient to allow us to do what we're doing. Our business isn't particularly profitable, but on the other hand it's possible that we do not need to ."

After middle schoolers go through all six modules and are done, there's no more upsell. "I'm not an ordinary businessperson," he laughs. "I do not want my students to be enticed by my classes. My courses are designed so that students never have to pay for math courses again ."

He was a key contributor to changes in society

In addition to offering affordable pricing, Loh has also started to run a scholarships program that will provide educational possibilities for students who aren't privileged.

He visits inner city schools for students who wish to study math however, they don't have the funds for doing so. "There are many students who are incredibly motivated. amount of motivation but are trapped," he explains.

The goal: improve opportunities for all by helping children excel in math, and ultimately receive college scholarships. "This could be an opportunity to help address the large diversity, equity, and inequity gap that exists across the US," explains Loh. "We're looking to create pathways in each of these different zip codes ."

He did everything at the best quality possible

The main point of advice from Loh's course creators? You must put in the proper amount of effort in to ensure that your online course is of the highest possible quality. "You must ensure that everything is running in the most professional manner," he says. "Don't create something just for the sake of making things. Make the best ."

In order to do this, he recommends that online creators hone in on their uniqueness from the competition. "The key to your success is what makes you unique," adds Loh. "This isn't just for online classes; it's an opportunity for every business who wants to be an influencer. ."