PlusPad goes live!
PlusPad is a web-based app that allows teachers to record and share feedback with their students. It is Ludopoli's first own product and free to use.
The PlusPad project is actually older than our company – the first concepts were created early 2008 for the School of Applied Linguistics in Zurich. We learned very quickly that feedback was only ever as good as the students' access to it: if it's noted on a piece of paper that's then stored in a locked office, it's useless. Furthermore, only complete and collated feedback creates a true picture of a student's performance: often, feedback notes for a single individual are stored in several locations (eg. where a module was assessed), making it impossible to spot up- or downward trends, repeated absences, or any other developing issues.
A paper-based feedback system also presents a security risk (what if it's stolen or lost?) as well as obvious environmental and storage issues. The big plus of handwritten feedback for staff, on the other hand, is that it's easy and quick to produce. Nobody needs a manual to use paper and pencil. It was only logical then, that our application shouldn't require a manual either!
Thus, we were able to jot down some core criteria:
- make feedback accessible (24–7 from anywhere)
- automatically collate feedback and highlight problems
- design for instant usability (no manual!)
Ironically, we had to scrap our very first version of PlusPad – mainly because we tried to address too many requirements at the same time, which made the UI needlessly complex. But let me quote from Dietrich's recent blog article Marshmallow Pyramids:
The very first (unpublished) version of PlusPad, our assessment management application for creative universities, featured a rather complex UI, and therefore complex HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Not surprisingly, subsequent development proved to be difficult and so time-consuming, that, after a long debate, we took the difficult decision of scrapping the entire first version, rather than forcing it to work. We lost weeks of work, but also felt immensely liberated. The weight of trying to force too much into a first version was suddenly gone. The new approach, then, was radically different. With a ruthless focus on core functionality, we wireframed the next version in just 30 minutes (yes, using a pencil). The CSS was coded quickly and we breezed through development. It felt good and we had a lot of fun. We learned that if a project feels awkward in your tummy, something is fishy and needs changing. We’re glad that we were honest enough to admit this with one of our own projects. PlusPad has moved on since, but it is still a lightweight, fast and very flexible app, and we are very proud of it.
Not much to add here, except that (to prove the theory!) we subsequently ran a hugely successful 3-month pilot of PlusPad within a large graphic design course in London. Staff and students were kind enough to comment on their experiences:
Staff: "‘It is possible to check the progress of ANY student within the route at the touch of a button which has made a dramatic difference in terms of workload and communication [...]"
Staff: "It is what we have wanted for a very long time. As well as usability it is an incredibly useful tool to easily see how students are doing on all aspects of the course rather than just your local area/specialisation."
Staff: "It has encouraged submission of work. Students don’t like to see others in their group getting feedback, so they catch up with any work they may have otherwise not submitted."
Student: "PlusPad was extremely easy to use and the feedback helped me to see my strengths and weaknesses."
Student: "It’s great! I can actually view the feedback any time i want, and not relying on my memory as in the old system. I learn from it and even compare different feedback..."
Student: "I had time to reflect on the feedback I was given and could revisit it. When verbal feedback was given i was listening instead of trying to remember it and write it down, as i knew there would be a record i could look at later."
It is clear that PlusPad's networked approach helped staff to follow students' progress, but interestingly, there were also 'unplanned' benefits, such as improved quality of feedback (staff wanted to keep up with their colleagues' standards) as well as submission of work (as students did not want to miss out on the immediate return, ie. their feedback).
If you like to know more about PlusPad or even run a free trial within your school, university or department, please get in touch. We're looking forward to hearing from you!
