I am currently doing rounds on finding support for my exam questions repository webapp, Examcopedia. Here is the spiel:
The short version:
The problem: For educators, finding the right questions for exams and homework takes too long.
The proposed solution: free to use questions repository. Beta version of the webapp has already been built and operational (examcopedia hosted on openshift).
What I am asking: funding, publicity, feedbacks, advice and contact information of those who may have any of the above.
The long version:
Examcopedia is an exam questions repository app that allows educators to generate quizzes, exams or homework assignments from an encyclopaedia of questions. The questions are categorised by curricular syllabi, ensuring that the questions generated will always be relevant and timely.
The app is currently in its beta stage. Users with access can add and view submitted questions. There are a lot more features I would like to implement in the future, such as
– a reddit styled voting system, which would give new or upvoted questions more weight when questions are picked randomly
– a Wikipedia styled editing system, where users can report or submit improvements to the existing questions, and moderators can approve them
– A Optical character recognition module, which allow questions and suggested answers to be entered into the database by the means of photography
– an API and a webportal, where homework assignments, exams and quizzes can be generated, submitted and marked online (eventually).
The greatest benefactors of the app are freelance tutors and newly qualified teachers. They are often faced with tremendous societal and time pressure.
I created this app a month ago (mid-May 2016) out of the frustration of trying to find and format suitable questions to be set as homework assignments for my students. The existing process is time consuming and tedious partly because it does not take advantage of the information revolution that has taken place.
I sincerely believe examcopedia can bridge the existing technological chasm within the education sector. In the immediate future, this app can cut down the time required to find the most relevant questions for homework assignments and exams. In the long run, this may be one of the building blocks of the future of education, enabling technologies such as digital personal tutors, e-homework, e-examinations and virtual classrooms.
So far, I have been the sole developer and sole stakeholder in this webapp. However, I realised that I would not be able to continue the development unaided. Therefore, I am hoping to attain some support from you regarding this project.
If you can provide direct financial support, allowing me to finish this project, I will be eternally grateful, and will include you as one of the financial sponsors of the app. I estimate that it will take at most two more months of development for the webapp to be release worthy. As a result, if I can raise 2,000 AUD in total, I will be able to carry out this task. If you only wish to pledge a portion of that, I will still be grateful. Anything more than 100AUD, I will include you as a financial sponsor. I will be 100% transparent on all of the financial sponsorship, all of the confirmed donors will appear on my blog and on the official app site. Any amount raised in excess of the 2000AUD required to develop the app will be used to fund my next public good project.
If you believe that your developers can do a better job, I will be more than happy to give you guys the source codes and the project at its existing state. We can negotiate the terms more thoroughly if you are indeed interested in developing this app.
If you can offer any technical expertise or marketing help, I will fully appreciate your aid and acknowledge you as a technical supporter of the app.
Additionally, I will also welcome teachers and tutors who are willing to share their workflow with me. Making the app more user friendly is on the top of my to-do list. I will be more than happy to acknowledge you as an information supporter of the app.
If you would like to have a sit down conversation with me, feel free to email or leave a message. I will be more than happy to pop into your office or your local cafe for a chat (this offer is only valid for those in Sydney metro region of course).