South African education organisation EDGE Campus has launched its online assessment tool Qurio to simplify the testing process for teachers and learners.
Launched today (Thursday) at the African Education Week in Johannesburg, Qurio will be available for free until the end of 2013.
Solving the challenges of paper and ink-based assessment, Qurio simplifies assessment with the benefits of increased frequency, measured progress and less time constraints.
“Assessment… is critical for improving learning and assisting educators to better understand how and when to intervene,” the Stellenbosch-based organisation said.
As a result of research conducted with Western Cape educators, EDGE Campus identified the major obstacles to education, according to which the tool was developed.
Findings showed educators are spending between 25 per cent and 50 per cent of their time on assessment, adding up to 500 to 1,000 hours per year.
Seeing the opportunity for technology to conquer the time challenge, EDGE began developing a choice-based assessment tool.
Assuring ease of use, Qurio is designed in such a manner that no training is required.
“Neither the educators, nor the schools, are willing to put time or money into the necessary training and as a result the product either ends up never being used or being used inefficiently,” EDGE’s research showed.
Accessibility is made easy with cross device adaptability, including mobile phones, tablets and PCs.
Qurio can be accessed through a smartphone or feature phone on a mobisite, as well as through Mxit.
Previously piloted by Mindset Learn, projects on mobile platform have proved to be successful.
The web-based assessments do not require large amounts of data, making it profitable for schools with limited IT support and bandwidth restrictions.
Countering potential problems of maintenance and infrastructure, Qurio can serve as a complement, rather than replacement of any education strategy.
Aiming “to revolutionise how assessment is used in education”, Qurio is the first solution as “EDGE Campus is looking to play their part in turning the South African education system around,” the for-profit organisation said.
