While teaching lecture sections of Engineering Statics and Dynamics and working on his PhD at North Carolina State University, Expert TA founder Jeremy Morton has an idea for a human-like grading and tutoring technology.
Professor Morton, a participant in the department’s textbook selection committee, investigates online homework systems as a supplement to teaching assistants (TAs).
None of the systems are as effective as hiring TAs, who provide effective feedback and give partial credit while grading.
2004
With PhD committee approval, Expert TA becomes the focus of Professor Morton’s PhD research.
Proof-of-concept and prototypes are created.
2005
The online homework platform is further developed and tested.
The math engine that still serves as Expert TA’s core is developed.
2006
Professor Morton publishes his PhD dissertation, which frames the technology for Expert TA.
Dr. Morton takes a faculty position in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Oklahoma State University.
Expert TA remains the focus of Dr. Morton’s research.
2008
Market research and product refinement continue with feedback from instructors.
Expert TA presents at the Oklahoma Venture Forum – the largest collection of high network investors in Oklahoma.
2009
Commercialization begins; Expert TA incorporates as an LLC.
Expert TA receives the Technology Business Finance Program Award.
The first outside investors invest in Expert TA.
2010
The company hires its first employees and completes beta product.
Expert TA forms partnerships with early adopters.
College level instructors work with Expert TA to both author problems and collaborate on system design.
2011
Expert TA experiences its first big growth period.Oklahoma State University, Missouri University of Science and Technology and others test the system in large classes with more than 300 students. Every semester since, Expert TA has added users and continued to grow and transform online grading and tutorials.
2012
The Expert TA independent library of problems expands with expertly written and vetted content created by leading physics professors.
The firm becomes a sustaining member of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT).
Expert TA grades its 1 millionth question.
An exciting new feature, Customizable Assignments, allows instructors tremendous flexibility in determining how students experience an assignment including the number of attempts and access to hints and feedback.
The company announces a partnership with OpenStax to enhance STEM education in the United States.
2013
Expert TA announces “one for one” program to donate access to one high school classroom in need for one full academic year for every college classroom that subscribes.
2014
Expert TA attends and delivers a commercial workshop at their 6th consecutive AAPT national conference.
Feature enhancements continue with the announcement of the new Analytics Reports.
Expert TA is easy to use, provides great value, and gets the job done at a better price; it really does a good job. The problems are a cut above what I have seen in other web-based homework. They are more complex and detailed. They have more different parts and each one of the problems addresses another aspect of physics.
Hector Mireles, Associate Professor of Physics, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA
I went with Expert TA because I had been using a publisher’s system and all of the answers to all of the questions were available on Google.
Simon C. Capstick, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
