iCue is designed to support natural learning in a fun, safe environment based on gaming and peer discussion. Because iCue is based on research in the ways people learn naturally, participating in iCue and using the games and activities will promote a deeper understanding of course material and may help you get better grades or do better on exams. But iCue is not a boring "test prep" program designed to drill facts into your brain — iCue is designed to be FUN. It uses games and group participation with your Friends Network to make learning new material engaging and natural, not painful. Watch videos. Play games. Talk with your friends. Have fun - and learn something while you do.

iCue is designed to take advantage of the ways people learn naturally — through play, discussion and community. The content and activities in iCue have been selected to supplement what you are learning in class and extend and enrich your understanding of your course material. You can watch hundreds of videos that have been aligned to course outlines and add your own notes and organization system to create a personal video study guide. The games and activities have been designed based on research in how people learn, so you can increase your familiarity and make deeper connections with the material. Finally, your Friends Network and the community forums let you ask questions, get guidance and support, and increase your understanding of the issues through discussion and debate.

A "collaborative learning environment" is just a fancy way of saying "a place where people can learn with their friends". Instead of studying by yourself, you have a network of friends who can help answer your questions, debate the issues, give you feedback on your writing and other activities, and provide support and encouragement.

Like any other learning resource, what you get out of iCue depends largely on the time and effort you put into it. iCue is not a "test prep" program designed to get quick, temporary gains through "cram sessions" and practice tests. iCue is designed to help you deepen and extend your understanding of material gradually and naturally by participating in fun activities and discussions over the course of the school year. Its design is based on principals of learning from the MIT Education Arcade and other academic studies. While we cannot guarantee that participation will give you a particular score, a deeper and more intuitive grasp of course material should help prepare you for the challenge.

iCue is a wonderful resource for basic research, and many of the videos and other resources found on iCue can be considered primary source materials for the purposes of academic research. However, you can only access them online — you will not be able to download our content to use in projects. You may be able to use the information you learn from the NBC News videos as sources for your research papers. Flip over the Cue Card to find the original airdate and other source information. Check with your teacher or professor to find out if original news footage is considered an acceptable source for research purposes, and how you should document it.