Fifty
colleges and universities in the U.K. will be piloting a new app intended to
track students’ study habits and allow their instructors to intervene if
students appear to be falling behind or struggling with material. The pilot
starts in September.
The
app—created by Jisc, an academic technology firm—automatically keeps tabs on
each student’s interaction with their school’s digital systems.
“In the way
a Fitbit device tracks personal training metrics, Jisc’s app will record
students’ learning activity,” said a report in U.K.’s The Independent. “Each time a student logs onto their virtual
learning environment to access course materials, clocks into the library, or
submits a piece of work online, the app will create a ‘digital footprint’ of
their performance.”
In
particular, the app’s developer is hoping to stem the tide of university
dropouts. The Independent noted a
recent U.K. study found that 27% of first-year students either dropped out in
their second term or planned to do so as soon as the term ended.
The app
will also allow students to track their own progress through each course and
determine whether they are meeting requirements. They can also opt to share
certain information with classmates in order to benchmark their efforts.
