Evolution of the Guixa project
Explica! is an evolution of the Guixa app launched in 2012. Guixa arose from the needs of faculty and students to communicate, learn and share knowledge. How? By making it easier to explain complex concepts at a distance using a digital blackboard, using chalk lines in the same way a teacher would on a traditional blackboard. In 2015 Guixa became Explica!, the app presented in Berlin.
An ecosystem of apps to provide support to students and teachers
In early 2016, the UOC will launch Submissions and Assess which, alongside Explica!, form a small ecosystem of apps to help students and teachers with the process of submitting and assessing work using mobile devices.
Submissions lets students use their mobile devices to access all the assessable activities on their courses. They can do so for activities they have already submitted (and see the mark and feedback) or for those they have yet to submit. Students can store and send in all their continuous assessment tests and documents from the app.
In turn, Assess lets teachers use their mobile devices to see all their classrooms and students, and all the continuous assessment tests submitted. They can then download and mark them in Explica!, send feedback using the video generated and register the mark in Assess. Taken together, the three applications represent a paradigm shift in how documents are submitted, marked and accessed, making the whole process much easier and providing added value for teachers and students alike.
The UOC has an ecosystem of native apps for both Android and iOS to provide support to students and teachers during the assessment process.