| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Los Angeles Unified School District's iPad program with Pearson's curriculum can be considered as having happened again within the same organization. The district faced technical issues and incomplete curriculum with the Pearson platform, leading to the halt of the contract with Apple and seeking a refund [35892].
(b) The incident in Los Angeles can also serve as a cautionary tale for other organizations and school districts looking to implement technology in education. Experts highlighted the importance of thoughtful planning and vendor selection to avoid similar failures experienced by LAUSD. The challenges faced by LAUSD in implementing technology in education are seen as a broader issue affecting school systems in general, indicating that similar incidents could potentially occur at other organizations or districts [35892]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) with the iPads and Pearson curriculum can be attributed to issues related to the design phase of the system development. The district faced crippling technical issues with the Pearson platform and incomplete curriculum, making it nearly impossible for teachers to teach. This led to the district seeking a refund from Apple and considering legal action [35892].
(b) Additionally, the failure can also be linked to factors introduced during the operation of the system. LAUSD encountered challenges with less than 5% of students having consistent access to the content due to technical issues, and some students had no access at all for months. As a result, most schools had stopped using the Pearson curriculum entirely by March. This highlights operational issues in implementing the software effectively within the educational environment [35892]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
The software failure incident related to the Los Angeles Unified School District's iPad program involved contributing factors from both within and outside the system.
(a) within_system: The failure was partly due to issues within the system, such as technical issues with the Pearson curriculum and incomplete curriculum that made it nearly impossible for teachers to teach [35892].
(b) outside_system: The failure was also influenced by factors originating from outside the system, such as rumors of preferential treatment in the district’s procurement process involving Apple and Pearson, leading to an FBI investigation [35892]. Additionally, the article mentions challenges with the education procurement system and the tension between moving new tools into school systems and the existing procurement processes [35892]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in Los Angeles Unified School District was primarily due to non-human actions. The failure was attributed to crippling technical issues with the Pearson platform and incomplete curriculum, making it nearly impossible for teachers to teach [35892]. Additionally, less than 5 percent of students had consistent access to the content due to technical issues, and some students had no access at all for months [35892].
(b) However, human actions also played a significant role in the failure incident. The FBI investigated rumors of Apple and Pearson receiving preferential treatment in the district's procurement process, indicating potential misconduct in the vendor selection process [35892]. The emails exchanged between the then-Superintendent John Deasy and executives from Pearson raised concerns about the fairness of the bidding process, suggesting a lack of transparency and potential bias towards specific vendors [35892]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The Los Angeles Unified School District faced technical issues with the Pearson platform, which made it nearly impossible for teachers to teach due to incomplete curriculum and crippling technical issues [35892].
- The district had problems with the iPads and Chromebooks provided, as well as issues with the Pearson curriculum, leading to a halt in the contract with Apple and seeking a refund [35892].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The main issue in the software failure incident was with the Pearson curriculum provided to the Los Angeles Unified School District, where less than 5% of students had consistent access to the content due to technical issues, and some had no access at all for months [35892].
- The failure was attributed to the design of the software in a vacuum by ed tech companies, where the program may work well in specific conditions but not in the complex setting of a school [35892]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Los Angeles Unified School District's iPad program was non-malicious. The failure was attributed to technical issues with the Pearson platform and incomplete curriculum, making it nearly impossible for teachers to teach effectively. The district sought a refund from Apple due to these crippling technical issues [35892]. The failure was not due to malicious intent but rather stemmed from challenges in implementing the technology effectively in the educational setting. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident was poor_decisions. The failure of the software rollout in the Los Angeles Unified School District was primarily attributed to poor decisions made during the procurement and implementation process. The district's decision to halt its contract with Apple and seek a refund due to technical issues with the Pearson platform and incomplete curriculum highlighted the flawed decision-making that led to the failure [35892]. Additionally, the emails exchanged between the then-Superintendent and executives from Pearson before the bidding process began indicated preferential treatment and a lack of comprehensive planning, further emphasizing the poor decisions that contributed to the failure [35892]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the Los Angeles Unified School District's iPad program rollout. The district faced crippling technical issues with the Pearson platform and incomplete curriculum, making it nearly impossible for teachers to teach. The director of the Instructional Technology Initiative denounced the material as utterly unusable, highlighting a lack of professional competence in designing and implementing the software [35892].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is seen in the challenges faced by the LAUSD with the Pearson curriculum implementation. The district experienced technical issues that prevented students from accessing the content, indicating accidental problems introduced during the implementation phase [35892]. |
| Duration |
permanent, temporary |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Los Angeles Unified School District's iPad program with Pearson curriculum was more of a permanent failure. The district faced crippling technical issues with the Pearson platform and incomplete curriculum that made it nearly impossible for teachers to teach. Less than 5 percent of students had consistent access to the content due to technical issues, and some students had no access at all for months. As of March, almost all schools had stopped using the Pearson curriculum entirely [35892].
(b) The software failure incident could also be considered temporary in the sense that the district initially faced challenges with the Pearson curriculum implementation, leading to the halt of the contract with Apple and Pearson. However, the district is still moving forward with technology in the classroom, using iPads and Chromebooks for testing purposes under new leadership that aims to learn from past mistakes and develop a solid plan for leveraging technology as a tool for teaching and learning [35892]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, other |
(a) crash: The Los Angeles Unified School District experienced a software failure incident related to the Pearson curriculum on iPads, where technical issues led to less than 5 percent of students having consistent access to the content, and some students had no access at all for months. As a result, all but two schools had stopped using the Pearson curriculum entirely due to the system's inability to function properly, indicating a crash in the system's performance [35892].
(b) omission: The software failure incident involving the Pearson curriculum on iPads in the Los Angeles Unified School District resulted in the system omitting to perform its intended functions, as less than 5 percent of students had consistent access to the content due to technical issues, and some students had no access at all for months. This omission of providing access to the curriculum led to significant disruptions in the educational process [35892].
(c) timing: The software failure incident in the Los Angeles Unified School District was not specifically related to timing issues where the system performed its intended functions either too late or too early. The primary issues were related to technical failures and the system's inability to provide consistent access to the Pearson curriculum for students [35892].
(d) value: The software failure incident involving the Pearson curriculum on iPads in the Los Angeles Unified School District did not directly involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly in terms of the value provided. The main issue was the system's failure to provide consistent access to the curriculum due to technical problems, rather than delivering incorrect educational content [35892].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident in the Los Angeles Unified School District did not exhibit behaviors of a byzantine failure, where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The primary issue was the technical challenges that led to the system's inability to deliver the Pearson curriculum effectively to students, rather than erratic or inconsistent behavior [35892].
(f) other: The software failure incident in the Los Angeles Unified School District could be categorized under the "other" behavior option as it involved a combination of technical issues leading to the system's failure to provide consistent access to the Pearson curriculum for students. This failure could be attributed to a combination of technical glitches, incomplete curriculum, and challenges in the implementation process [35892]. |