Gaia Learning is a pioneering online educational platform that specializes in providing tailored education for neurodivergent children, including those with ADHD, autism, and dyslexia. As a Cambridge Registered International School, Gaia Learning offers a global, inclusive learning environment to help students thrive academically and personally.
As they prepared to grow quickly, Gaia Learning partnered with Revolgy to set up a scalable data visualization solution using Google Cloud’s BigQuery and Looker Studio. This solution made it easier for them to manage and analyze student data effectively.
Recognizing the need for better data management
Gaia Learning’s existing setup involved managing many records across different sources, mainly spreadsheets. While these spreadsheets worked, they were difficult to update, required manual changes, and needed repetitive copy-pasting, which became more time-consuming as data grew. Additionally, the scattered data made it hard to create student-specific visual reports, which are crucial for providing useful insights to teachers, parents, and students.
Building a smarter data system
To address these challenges, Revolgy proposed a data analytics stack built on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), specifically leveraging BigQuery and Looker Studio. The goal was to consolidate Gaia Learning’s data into a single source of truth, enabling them to create dynamic, visual reports tailored to individual students.
“Our goal was to demonstrate how the entire data process — from ingestion to cleaning, processing, and visualization — could work for Gaia Learning. We migrated key data from Google Sheets and CSV files into BigQuery, then built the necessary visualizations in Looker Studio to bring their data to life.”
— Rafał Manda, Data Architect, Revolgy
BigQuery was set up to store and manage Gaia Learning’s growing data more effectively. It handles large amounts of student information quickly and easily. Looker Studio was introduced as a simple, customizable tool for creating visual reports and dashboards. This allows Gaia Learning to turn raw data into easy-to-understand charts and graphs, making it simpler to track student progress, spot trends, and gain real-time insights.
Example of data visualization in Looker Studio (1)
“By bringing all of Gaia Learning’s data into one place with BigQuery and Looker Studio, we’ve made it easier to manage data and eliminate messy spreadsheets. This change helps them quickly find the insights they need to make better decisions.”
— Rafał Manda, Data Architect, Revolgy
Implementation highlights
Centralized data
All student data, such as attendance, quiz results, assignments, and course access, were brought together in BigQuery. Centralizing this information made data management much easier and ensured that everyone involved could consistently access the same, up-to-date information.
Visual reporting
With Looker Studio, Gaia Learning could create visual reports that provided a comprehensive overview of student performance, broken down into specific categories and trends. These visualizations made it easier for teachers to identify areas where students were excelling or struggling and for parents to gain deeper insights into their children’s learning journey.
Example of data visualization in Looker Studio (2)
Scalable infrastructure
The GCP-based solution is highly scalable, which means Gaia Learning can grow without worrying about outgrowing their technology. Plus, the pay-as-you-go model keeps costs low, especially when data usage is minimal.
Better insights with less effort
“We’re genuinely excited about the difference this new system has made. It’s taken the stress out of managing our data, letting us put our energy back into what we love — supporting our students’ growth. We now feel more prepared than ever to make decisions that help our kids.”
— Kirstin Coughtrie, Founder & CTO, Gaia Learning
Implementing BigQuery and Looker Studio has transformed how Gaia Learning manages data. They now have a scalable, efficient system that saves time and gives teachers, parents, and students valuable insights. The platform can focus more on improving educational content and experiences by removing the need for manual work with spreadsheets.
With the project complete, Gaia Learning is ready to use more of GCP’s data tools autonomously. The new setup meets their current needs and prepares them for future growth in educational technology. Thanks to Revolgy, Gaia Learning now has a strong base to keep improving their services as they grow.
If you have a project like this or need help with Google Cloud solutions, reach out to Revolgy for more information, assistance, or a free consultation. We’re here to support your journey toward scalable, efficient data management.
