Christian Bien started giving other students a leg-up when he was still in high school. Now, with the skills, knowledge and networks he has gained from University of Melbourne and Wade Institute’s Master of Entrepreneurship program, he is turning his dream of education equity into an app – so that all kids can excel, regardless of where they come from.
Growing up in Perth, the son of Vietnamese refugees, Christian Bien knew that education was his ticket to a better life. Christian’s father, a high-school maths teacher, had fled war-torn Vietnam in an overcrowded fishing boat after being sent to a communist re-education camp following the fall of Saigon. In Australia, he drummed the importance of study into the Bien children – and all three excelled academically despite their upbringing in a disadvantaged area.
Christian went on to complete a Bachelor of Commerce at Curtin University, but he never forgot how lucky he was. Even in year 12, the self-confessed nerd put his notes online so other kids could use them for free. Later, he rallied other university students to add their notes, until the operation eventually became Elucidate, a not-for-profit organisation offering an e-learning platform, textbooks and videos to high-school kids in need. As Christian points out, “What if the cure for cancer was trapped in the mind of a child living in poverty?”
While working on Elucidate on weekends, Christian took the conventional route as a uni graduate, working in corporate strategy and management consulting. After three years, though, he felt there was “something missing”. That something was passion. That’s when he won the $120,000 Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship, which he used to pursue the University of Melbourne’s Master of Entrepreneurship, co-delivered with Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship. The main drawcard was the professional networks on offer.
As a benefit of this joint partnership, Christian has been able to develop his passion project onsite at Wade Institute, connecting with fellow entrepreneurs and start-ups, and opening the way for collaborations and knowledge sharing. Christian regularly bounces ideas off veterans such as lecturer and corporate innovation consultant Norman Azabagic. “He has so much wisdom,” says Christian. “To have the privilege of sitting with him once a month and saying, ‘This is what I’m working on. What do you think?’ – that’s been the most valuable thing.”
And the key takeaway? “Don’t rely on your assumptions,” says Christian. “Go to your customers or users, and take the time to really understand their problems before you present a solution.” For the past six months, Christian has researched the education equity problem. Originally, Christian assumed struggling kids just needed better resources – more tutoring and practice questions. But when he actually talked to students, he discovered the biggest stumbling block was motivation. “I just don’t care,” they said. “It’s just not fun.”
In response, Christian has gamified the Elucidate app, offering real-world rewards, such as frozen yoghurt vouchers and AFL tickets, donated by business partners. “If you don’t have a parent who cares about your education, who’s forcing you to do your homework, you need a different approach,” he says. “And what the students want is free stuff.”
Incorporating artificial intelligence as a support tool was a no-brainer. If students need extra help with an exercise on the app, they can ask AI, and it will offer guidance without giving away the answer. If the student needs further explanation, they can schedule a time with a volunteer. “It’s the best of both worlds because AI helps make our volunteers more efficient,” explains Christian. “You can’t avoid AI in education. It helps us be smarter in how we learn.”
With an existing product that has 23,000 Australian users and 82,000 worldwide, Elucidate has a new project targeted at teenagers from lower socio-economic areas, who can be up to four years behind their peers in schooling. Christian’s mission is to bridge that gap. It’s a big ask, he admits, but an exciting one. Christian won a $25,000 grant from the University of Melbourne’s EdTech incubator program and is planning a trial at three schools in Victoria. “I’m having so much fun along the way,” he says, “knowing that the work I’m doing is meaningful. My advice is, if there’s a problem that makes you angry and frustrated, do something about it.”
This article originally appeared on the University of Melbourne.
