In 2011 the Division of Biology of the University of Zurich initiated the project "for students by students". Thanks to the Initiative Interactive Learning it was possible to finance students as well as to develop the pilot software academe. The idea behind the initiative was to foster self-organized learning, to provide the opportunity of collaboration, peer-review and formative assessment in the basic studies curriculum of Biology at UZH. Between the year 2011 and 2014 we built student expert groups for the modules of the basic studies curriculum in biology. Students of the higher semesters such as the advanced studies curriculum joint these groups as reviewer. In the end we built up to 20 learning communities covering the main topics of the basic studies curriculum. Their task was to create meaningful learning and test flashcards for exam preparation. In a didactic course they learned to design good multiple-choice questions. Other students can profit of the work of their fellow students and at the same time contribute with annotations, feedbacks and ratings.

Success factors

Alignment of learning environment and exam type

Peer learning with review

Improved learner mobility

Innovative elements

Learning by teaching

Facilitation of self-organization

Collaboration

Innovative, sustainable and cooperative - these were the characteristic features of the cooperative projects that were conducted in the framework of "AAA-SWITCH-projects". Since several institutions within the Swiss University landscape are interested in formative assessment, mobile and peer learning, three institutions of different Swiss Universities joint and launched the AAA-SWITCH-project academe. academe provides a Swiss-wide solution for a learning and test flashcard system. The self-training and -assessment application is optimized for mobile use and allows students to learn and prepare individually or together for their exams. Lecturers can use the system within several didactic scenarios and build question pools more easily.

In the INNOVEDUM project, students learned for the MC-exam of the lecture "Anatomy and Physiology I & II" in a self-organized way and used collaboratively the flashcard software academe. The students' activities consisted of meta-learning (generating good questions, reviewing the questions), learning, and assessing what they have learned. Through the reflection on their knowledge and skills, the students use their abilities on a higher cognitive level. The alignment result from the lecturers' insight into the exam preparation of the students. The insight acts as a feedback to the mediated learning content and its learning objectives. Lecturers can contribute exam questions to the question pool at any time and close the feedback loop by allocating prof-profread icons for high-quality items.

Success factors

Alignment of learning environment and exam type

Collaboration among students

Innovative elements

Learning by teaching

Facilitation of self-organization

Collaboration

Results

Question banks, for students by students

Report Physiology topics

Report Spin-off project Exercise Physiology

Within the CRUS funding project, it was planned to extend the Personal Learning Environment by making it possible to put favorite cards in a personalized collection and start a game with fellow students by sending them cards via a push notification. Various game settings such as the gamer invitation, game period, time interval and scoring can be adjusted. The game interactions allow students, or even lecturers, to use the knowledge data pool in an individualized and playful manner.

We have to find an optional server solution and to ensure the service for the data for the long term. The costs for the server, clustering, service and support have to be financed. The USE CASE's purpose is to highlight this needs in order to get support.

Scientific information: access, processing and saveguarding

Abstract

Author: Dr. Philippe Zimmermann

Since the introduction of the Bologna Reform, Swiss Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are confronted with additional tasks related to assessment, for example due to the higher number of students and a higher frequency of exams. To date, no easily available, satisfactory solution has been introduced to increase efficiency and reduce local costs for assessments.

The aims addressed in this project address the main challenges and needs in the assessment field of Swiss HEIs. Our proposed ideas present necessary steps towards sustainable national solutions.

Applicant institution:

Sissel Guttormsen, University of Bern, Institute of Medical Education

Project deputy I: Sören Huwendiek, University of Bern, Institute of Medical Education, deputy methodological issues

Project deputy II: Philippe Zimmermann, University of Bern, deputy technological issues

And Partner institutions