Students struggle to provide detailed, well-supported explanations in short answer test questions despite modeling, resulting in shallow answers that reflect memorization rather than deep understanding.

Workarounds Described

• Teacher manually models good answers multiple times
• Students study with flashcard apps like Quizlet

Implied Software Gaps

• A structured writing tool that guides students through forming complete explanations with examples
• Automated feedback on short answer responses to supplement teacher grading

ExplainWell

ExplainWell is a platform that scaffolds and assesses students' ability to write detailed, structured explanations for open-ended questions. It provides guided prompts, sentence starters, and real-time feedback to help students develop richer responses, while giving teachers insights into gaps in understanding.

Existing Solutions Mentioned