Qmlativ: Helpful Tool Or Frustrating Downgrade?

“It makes me want to throw my computer across the room,” was the first thing the not-so-tech-savvy Ms. Carson told me about Qmlativ (keep in mind, she was trying to keep it kid-friendly.)  The widely loved ELA teacher then went on to explain how she “hates everything about it” and “prefers Skyward 100% over Qmlativ.” But is this a case of an experienced teacher resisting change and opting for the old norm, or is Qmlativ really inferior to Skyward?

Overwhelmingly, in my research, I found that most teachers describe the new system as clunkier, unnecessarily complicated, requiring many more clicks to get where you want. 

For example, in the old Skyward you were able to view every assignment for every student in a class at once. In my interview with Ms. Schaake, she explained how she could only figure out how to view one assignment for one class at a time. And if she wanted to view a different assignment, she had to navigate through a series of menus to get there. 

This makes changing old grades for things such as retakes unnecessarily complicated and more time-consuming. Though, keep in mind that it might be possible to view every assignment for a class at once but Ms. Schaake was unable to figure out how to do so. But even if it is possible, is it Ms. Schaake’s fault, or Qmlativ’s fault for being unintuitive? 

Mr. Stüssy’s experience with Skyward seems to match with Ms. Carson’s. While not as infuriated by it, Mr. Stüssy views Qmlativ as a clunkier experience that requires more clicks to get where you want compared to Skyward. 

But not every teacher views Qmlativ in a negative light. Ms. Guidice is fond of the new customization options for classes—Ms. Schaake also likes the new color customization—and enjoys using the newer, tidier user interface. 

When asked about switching from Skyward to Qmlativ, Ms. Guidice said, “is it easy? no, is it worth it? Yes.”

In conclusion, I learned that most teachers–at least the teachers I interviewed–view Qmlativ as a clunky, unnecessary change. The most common complaint I heard is that Qmlativ requires so many more clicks to get where you want to go compared to Skyward. 

Though, I’m sure many teachers also believe–like Ms.Giudice–that Qmlativ is an upgrade and that the switch was worth it. In the small number of student interviews I conducted, students also think of this change as unnecessary—though it does not impact students as much as it does teachers. To answer the title of this article: No, most students and teachers prefer the old Skyward.