| Votes | By | Price | Discipline | Year Launched |
| BenchFly | PAID | Interdisciplinary |
BenchFly is an online platform designed to facilitate video-based feedback and collaboration between learners, educators, and external experts. It was founded around 2009 (originating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology environment) by Dr. Alan Marnett, to enable richer, interactive exchanges in educational settings and beyond.
The core idea is that users (students or learners) can record or upload work (for example via video), share it with peers, teachers or mentors, and receive structured feedback — enhancing learning, skill development, and real-world relevance.
Who does it serve & how?
BenchFly targets a wide spectrum of learners and educators:
- Students in K-12, vocational/technical training (CTE), and higher education, who can submit work (e.g., labs, performance, projects) and receive expert feedback.
- Educators and schools looking to incorporate peer-review, expert-mentor input, or community/industry partner feedback into their curricula.
- External professionals or industry partners who wish to connect with classrooms and provide practical insight or mentorship via video.
For example: a student might record a short video demonstrating a lab technique, upload it to BenchFly, and then a teacher and/or an industry expert can give targeted video feedback, suggest next steps, point out mistakes or improvements. The platform further includes analytics to highlight moments of student struggle or engagement.
Key features & value proposition
- Video-enabled feedback loop: Instead of only text comments, the use of video allows richer, more personalised feedback and clearer communication—especially for tasks like performance, lab work, presentation skills.
- Cross-context collaboration: Works for remote, asynchronous, hybrid learning, allows connecting students with experts outside their immediate local context.
- Analytics and insight: BenchFly claims to capture data about engagement, attention, comprehension (“ah-ha moments”) so teachers can identify where students get stuck.
- Versatile across subjects: While it has roots in science/tech education, BenchFly states it is designed to work “with any subject, grade, and curriculum”.