A Positive Start
For many learners, the prospect of studying maths and English post-16 is a daunting one. Some lack confidence in their ability to succeed, while others harbour negative feelings from school. Yet basic competency in these core subjects is a requirement in many areas of life, including apprenticeships, and public and private sector employment.
It follows that any successful learning platform has to be engaging, easy to follow, and rewarding. The platform must bring a positive experience for the learner and the teacher, striking the right balance between performance and functionality.
With Advanced’s Assessment and Leaning platform, bksb, the learner is engaged from the start, with an attractive dashboard that is easy to navigate. The dashboard can be accessed from any device, including mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and PCs. This means the student can practice anywhere with a data or Wi-Fi connection.
Intelligent Assessment
Whether taking GCSE or Functional Skills, the learner begins with an initial assessment, which makes an intelligent and dynamic assessment from pre-entry to level 2. The assessment takes around 15-20 minutes – long enough to gather the necessary level of data without making the learner feel overwhelmed.
Unlike most digital assessment platforms, bksb produces highly accurate scoring within each level. This presents more meaningful data – for example, if a teacher can see that a student has achieved a score of 1.9, this gives them a much better idea of attainment than if the student had simply reached ‘level 1’.
The student then moves on to the diagnostic assessment stage. This gives the learner 4 or 5 questions per module, and produces an even more detailed picture of assessment. Using adaptive AI, the system constantly recalibrates the learner’s level based on previous data points; this ensures that subsequent questions stretch the learner where appropriate, and revisits areas of weakness.
Engaging Resources
Once the system has identified a precise level, the learner can access the resources section, a series of engaging explanations and practice questions. These are presented in video form, with a variety of question types to answer, including multiple choice, matching, and direct input.
When studying in the resources section, areas that need most attention are placed at the top of the learning list, with areas of better performance placed lower. For each area of study within a module (‘calculations’ for example) the learner is given a current attainment level, and a target level to reach by a set date. This motivates the learner, keeping them on-task with clear goals to meet.
Finally, the learner can take exam practice, with thousands of past paper questions from all the main exam boards. This can be done at the learner’s own pace, providing a real-world, no-pressure environment.
Accessible to All
One of the stand-out features of bksb is the ability to create an entirely customisable experience. The learner can customise appearance through the dashboard, where they’ll find options to change font size, font colour, background colour, and button colours.
A colour wheel lets the learner fine tune how their resources and tests appear on-screen, along with the option for light and dark backgrounds. The learner can even alter the ‘hover’ colour to highlight specific words when hovering with the cursor.
bksb works with most available screen readers. Each question – including those with graphs and tables – can be read aloud, and the software is compatible with ChromeVox, Google’s built-in screen reader.
Summary
- bksb is designed for post-16 learners studying GCSE or Functional Skills
- The platform is engaging and easy to use, keeping students motivated and on-task
- The software uses adaptive AI for precise ability assessment
- Learners can take exam practice from a vast library of past papers
- Learners with accessibility needs are able to fine tune their experience with complete customisation controls
Assessment and Learning (formerly bksb) is an engaging learning platform for students taking maths and English resits, and for the study of digital functional skills. The software uses adaptive AI to give an accurate assessment of ability, and features carefully designed modules for stress-free progression. Courses are accessible online, giving learners the freedom to study in their free time, and the software is kept up to date with test preparation materials from all the main exam boards.
