Sendsteps and the colleges of the VU University of Amsterdam

After a trial of four months the VU University of Amsterdam has decided to use SMS2vote of Sendsteps.The decision to use SMS2vote was made after many positive reactions from students and professors.

According to professors at the VU they were better able to asses the students' knowledge for the next exam. SMS2vote could also provide visibility on opinions, and professors experienced it as a useful tool to start discussions. A secondary gain is that the SMS2vote plugin was very easy to use. Professors at the VU all use Powerpoint for their presentations. The great advantage of the SMS2vote plugin is that it  uses Powerpoint as well. So during college, professors can continue using Powerpoint and don't needs other systems to asses the students knowledge.

The VU thinks that anonymity is a great advantage of this system. In this way students will response faster and more honest when a question is asked. Another way to asses the students knowledge is by raising hands. However, the VU experienced that when a student is asked to raise his hand, fear often governs because the student is afraid to give the wrong answer. 

English (Nuffic) Dutch (VU Amsterdam, Trouw, Nu.nl, Tweakers.net)