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Tag: gmail

  • Johnston County (NC) Students Pilot Updated Version of Propel

    Johnston County (NC) Students Pilot Updated Version of Propel

    Our thanks to a class of 9th grade students at Johnston County (North Carolina) Public Schools for piloting the latest version of our Propel email etiquette tool for Gmail.

    We provided the students with an upgraded version of Propel on Monday, April 21 and gained feedback on Monday, April 28.

    The overall takeaways:

    – The students like the new Propel version and how it gives more tailored examples for the email message. 

    – The students also like the new scoring system and how the score improves when the student uses a green light bulb to correct an issue.

    – Technical issues we need to work through:

    1. Improve how a student moves from section to section in the email and not get the cursor stuck in a single spot.

    2. Make sure the floating boxes with email writing samples don’t infringe on the email writing area.

    You can see the newest version of Propel here.

    We hope to roll out the newest version of Propel to all Rubin customers in fall 2025.

    In the latest version of Propel, students begin the email by selecting the recipient and type of message. From there, Propel provides a tailored email example for the student to follow.

    Listening hard to the feedback.

  • You Won’t Believe How These HS Students Write Emails Thanks to Rubin Propel

    You Won’t Believe How These HS Students Write Emails Thanks to Rubin Propel

    High school students in teacher Shelley Roberts’s class in North Carolina have undergone a metamorphosis.

    An email metamorphosis, if you will.

    With the help of Propel, our groundbreaking email teaching tool, the 28 Johnston County students have learned to write high-quality messages instead of ones that resemble a casual text.

    To understand the dramatic leap, here is a before & after from one of Roberts’s students.

    James (11th grade)

     

    Email before Propel

    Subject line: [blank]

    Email message: can u pull me for CT

     

    The same email with the help of Propel (the “after”)

    Subject line: Comet Time

    Email message:

    Hello Mrs. Roberts,

    I wanted to ask you to pull me for Comet Time A on Thursday, November 8.

    I would like to make corrections on my quiz if I am still allowed to do so.

    Please let me know if it is a problem,

    – James, 1st block

     

    James’s “after” email might seem like it’s written by ChatGPT. But no, he composed the message on his own and wrote every word. Propel guided James to structure the email, use proper capitalization, include periods, remove slang (“u”) and more.

    Watch a Propel demonstration to see how the tool works in Gmail and Outlook.

    “Our initial pilot was extremely successful and had a positive impact on the email communication
    skills of students,” said Johnston County CTE Workforce Development Specialist Kathryn Farrior. “Before and after examples demonstrate a noticeable improvement in student’s email formatting, grammar and overall email etiquette.”

    Further, ninety percent of Roberts’s students said they would sometimes or always use Propel when writing
    emails.

    Try Propel for free in YOUR classroom. Click here to request access.

    Night and day difference