Feedback results from Q1 of the TKS Innovate program
"Build stuff people love" applies to all companies. Education is no different.
Every quarter in TKS we check in with our students to understand what their experience has been like in the program. My standards are high. We are the #1 accelerator for ambitious young people in the world. Not because the World Economic Forum recognized us, not because we work with organizations like the United Nations, Microsoft, and Amazon. It’s because TKS students love the program and see real results.
Important notes about the survey:
- Our surveys are anonymous to encourage honesty.
- These results are for the Innovate program (first year TKS).
- Our response rate was 82% (we have 672 students enrolled).
- Our virtual program makes up 65% of these results, and in-person programs are 35%.
- Our second year program is called Activate (112 students enrolled).
Let’s get started.
Quantitative Analysis - the numbers.
In the first quarter, 91% of students rated their experience a 4/5 or 5/5. It would be interesting to have something to compare this with, like the average high school’s results. But schools don’t get feedback from their students - btw, this needs to change. I’m more than happy to share our survey questions and format with any school interested.
Each week students attend sessions in their cohorts. Results are a bit higher than the overall experience in the program, which is interesting. Also shows how TKS is much more than the weekly sessions.
It’s difficult to build a supportive community in a few months (September - November), especially with 65% of the students in the virtual program. That’s why our goal was 4/5, and it’s incredible to see that we surpassed that goal. Historically this has been our lowest area, but it looks like the improvements we’re making in the program are having results - community events, engaging Slack culture, social contracts, and more.
A big priority for next quarter is helping students make meaningful friendships. We have more group projects, social events, and collaborative sessions to support this. Also, Velocity is just starting (an internal program within TKS) and should help build many friendships. This is important because we’ve found a direct collation between student growth and friendships. If students make friends in TKS, they grow faster, build more interesting projects, and overall accomplish more. This was non-obvious when we first started the program. Friendships = growth.
This next chart will only make sense to people familiar with TKS. Students select a “Focus” area during the program and build a series of projects. Historically, this wasn’t reported. But we’ve seen a direct correlation between Focus projects and student growth so we’re tracking this more diligently now.
We’ve put a huge emphasis on the Focus process this year, and as a result 78% of students are in a Focus and starting to make progress. Our goal by the end of the year is 60% of students complete a Certified Focus. This is a completed Focus that has been approved by 2 experts in the industry - think of it like presenting a PhD defence.
This is amazing 🏆. I’m proud of our program directors who give their whole heart to their students. Our program directors run the sessions and provide personalized coaching and guidance. Think of them like Olympic-level coaches, but instead of a sport, it’s for personal growth.
On the quantitative side, we’re doing well for Q1. I expect Q2 to be even better because students start making more friends and seeing real growth in themselves.
Next, let’s look at the qualitative side.
Qualitative Analysis - what students are saying.
In this section I’ve selected responses from the students. I’ve tried to select the ones that seem to represent others. You should be able to get a sense of the experience from their perspective.
In 1-2 sentences, how would you describe your experience in TKS so far?
I tried to upload a gif scrolling through the responses, but the quality sucked.
So here are screenshots of a bunch of them:
Overall people see the value and enjoy the program, but it can feel overwhelming. Makes sense - this program exponentially accelerates student growth, and it would be difficult to do that if TKS was “easy”. In the next quarter, we’ll be doubling down on time management, productivity hacks, and increasing personal bandwidth. Here’s a Productivity Hacks Playbook I made for TKS students.
Next question…
If you had a magic wand, what would you add/change/remove from TKS?
These are a small handful of answers, but you can get a sense of how students are thinking about the question.
We also got a lot of love from the students. Thanks to everyone for your kind words, honestly makes our day to know you’re loving the experience <3.
Any last feedback you want to share with us?
And for anyone curious,
I’m a pineapple guy.
This is just the beginning of their journeys. Our students experience exponential growth during the program, so I’m expecting even more change over the next quarter, especially as students make progress on their Focus projects.
We’re launching applications for next year’s program this month, along with a refreshed website. The team is pumped about that. Also getting a bunch of great stories from Alumni that I’m excited to share in future posts.
On a personal note, I’m finishing up this post from an airport lounge in Portugal. Flying to Malaysia and Singapore for December to get a better understanding of the education landscape in that region. During October and November I’ve had meetings in Geneva, Barcelona, Lisbon, London, and Berlin to explore launching TKS in Europe (like 2025). Dubai is also high on our list. Expansion is a lot of work, but very exciting.