Vet Revise

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OVERVIEW

Vet-Revise is a flashcard application targeted towards veterinary students, that implements a spaced repetition algorithm to minimise time studying, and maximise recall.

Being a veterinary student isn't easy. We have a vast amount to learn over a short period of time, and coping with this can be challenging.

As a vet in practice, being able to retain and recall relevant course material can be crucial for making diagnoses and acting in emergency situations.

SPACED REPETITION

Spaced repetition is a proven strategy for improving retention of knowledge, and encourages users to study little and often instead of cramming before exams. Memory intrinsically has a spacing effect, whereby each time something is seen, the length of time you will remember that information increases. By reviewing material at increasing intervals, we can take advantage of this effect and greatly optimise our time studying and retain information indefinitely.

Unfortunately, humans (and students especially!), are very bad at organising their work in this manner! But thankfully, computers are much better at this, and Vet-Revise uses an algorithm to schedule a student's study in the form of flashcards. They are presented to rekindle memory just before the student is most likely to forget them.

Not only is good recall crucial in practice, it also aids learning during the course. Revisiting modules is far less daunting, and students make links themselves between disparate parts of the course, improving understanding.

STUDENT COLLABORATION

There are already several flashcard applications available that utilise the spacing effect. So what makes Vet-Revise different?

At present, spaced repetition remains a niche solution; current software isn’t as approachable as it could be, and rarely "just works". Vet-Revise is a concerted effort to package the system in a way that veterinary students can easily use it and understand the benefits.

Also, unlike other applications, cards are seamlessly shared between students, giving users a brilliant resource of veterinary focussed material. Finding relevant medical information online can be difficult and frustrating as a vet student. The vast majority is human-specific, but this is of limited use for many of the species we have to worry about! Flashcards contain bite sized knowledge that is easy to search through and understand.

Because the database of cards is written by actual students as they move through their course, the content they create closely parallels the teaching they have had each year. Fellow students can filter decks by their institution, course and year of study to have instant access to cards they know are relevant to them.

SUMMARY

   • A better way to learn with spaced repetition
   • A database of veterinary specific, course-related content
   • A platform for student collaboration and peer learning
   • The grant would help me deliver a better product, more quickly

Log in to Vet Revise here : Vet-Revise