OrchestrateXR wins the 2025 James A. Kelly Learning Lever Prize
The seventh annual James A. Kelly Learning Lever Prize competition was held on April 10, 2025. The program is a competition designed to challenge University of Michigan students to invent tools with the potential to significantly improve student learning. This prize encourages a culture of innovation in education, and rewards the creative, interdisciplinary work of University of Michigan students.
The James A. Kelly Learning Lever Prize winning project—receiving a $10,000 award—is OrchestrateXR. OrchestrateXR fills the gap in teacher-led XR learning management by offering real-time classroom control, in-person collaboration, post-class performance reports, and seamless integration—making immersive learning more accessible and effective in K-12 education. Team members include Chiao Lin, Vivek Selvaraj, Ting Lu, Nathaniel Liganor, Evelyn Luan, Anhau Wu, Ying Hei Lau, and Andy Yao.
In addition to the grand prize winner, judges presented development awards to the other four teams:
Wordigo is a literacy app designed for early learners struggling with decoding and spelling. It follows a structured phonics-to-sentence approach and uses a virtual pet system to reward progress, making learning engaging and effective.
Team members: Qiyue Ding
Language Labyrinth is a web game that aims to provide learners of Less Commonly Taught Languages a fun, immersive, and interactive space to practice and apply their target language in context. Using digital educational escape rooms, Language Labyrinth immerses players in simulated scenarios that require resolution, serving as an educational tool that guides learners to achieve learning outcomes through gameplay.
Team members: Molly Yang
Wiillow is an AI interactive platform helping children build healthy habits from an early age.
Team members: Ryosuke Takenaka, Jude Downing, James Gibbard
Zine.Cafe is a global online zine-making platform and educational community committed to social justice. We provide youth and educators with tools, resources, and an inclusive space for storytelling, creative resistance, and knowledge-sharing. As a multidisciplinary team of scholar-artist-activists, we strive to challenge inequities in art education, dismantle structural oppression, and foster self-healing.
Team members: day parker, Hilda Yu
This year’s judging panel included:
- Millie Chu, Founder & CEO, Global Entrepreneurship Business Lab
- Vanessa Lane, Co-Founder and CEO, Better Play Studios
- David Corneail, Senior Product Designer, ITHAKA