Last June, Nahom Worku earned the ultimate vote of confidence for AccessEd, an application he built to support students in regions with limited educational resources and Wi-Fi connectivity.
The 첥Ƶ computer science student was one of 50 winners of Apple’s Swift Student Challenge. As part of the global coding competition’s prize, Worku was flown to Apple’s California headquarters, where he showed CEO Tim Cook how the app supports a variety of learning and academic planning functions, all completely offline.
“He said, ‘I wish I had this when I was growing up’,” says Worku, who is in his fourth year of studies at York’s .
Raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Worku recalls how inadequate classroom facilities and spotty internet service affected his learning. After moving to Scarborough with his family in 2017, he became more aware of the disparities in educational opportunities across different countries.
In the summer of 2023, Worku began a co-op placement with Lassonde’s kindergarten to industry (k2i) academy, which offers STEM programs to local youth. As a mentor in k2i’s Work-Integrated Learning program, Worku guided five high school students in developing an app to address the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education.
Combining that experience with his education and previous co-op role developing iOS apps, he took the lead in advancing the work on SDG 4. As part of this mission, he volunteered as an instructor for Black Boys Code, a non-profit focused on closing the diversity gap in the technology sector.
“I want to give students everywhere an even playing field,” he says.
Then, he came across a social media post about Apple’s coding challenge.
He spent the next six months building a prototype of AccessEd using AI and machine learning capabilities. He designed the app to review uploaded course materials and answer questions about the content. It can analyze photos of class notes to generate flash cards and suggest high school courses that match a student’s interests. It also features a task management system to track assignments and tests.
AccessEd aligns with the rise of offline e-learning apps focused on improving equity for learners in environments with limited infrastructure and unreliable internet service. Worku says Apple’s recognition of his app provided important validation for his idea, and he continues to refine the app, which is now publicly available on Apple’s App Store.
“Many students don’t have access to high-quality educational tools,” Worku says. “Maybe this app can help solve this problem and allow more students to succeed.”
With files from Sharon Aschaiek