Making informed study choices with SIMON!
Key takeaways
SIMON is a tool by Ghent University that helps secondary school students make informed decisions about their path in higher education.
About this project
Every year, final year secondary school students are able to take this test in order to assess which courses and degrees best suit their interests and competencies.
The prospective student will be sensitised to the necessary entry-level competencies in higher education and immediately receives clear answers to 2 crucial questions:
- “What courses am I interested in?”
- “Could I manage that degree?”
This allows them to make a choice of study that matches their personal potential much more easily.
Their list of interests is based on their responses to in-depth questionnaires, after which the student receives a detailed “scan” of their interests.
They’re also able to assess their practical skills with several tests that detail where they stand in comparison to other students.
These tests cover specific and tangible skills such as French or mathematics, but also gauge more vague competencies regarding study skills, such as motivation or time management.
Thanks to this data, SIMON is able to quickly indicate which degrees could be more challenging, allowing the student to filter through a list of “fitting degrees” based on their specific personality. The vast amount of possible combinations is what makes this test so unique.
Of the students who receive predictions of a very low chance of success, merely 5% actually succeed in obtaining their degree. On the flip side, students with a high prospective likelihood of passing effectively go on to do so 73% of the time.
Ready for the new year
Transitioning from the previous version (also created by us) into a platform that’s ready for the 2021 academic year was the main challenge we faced during this project. To do this, we thought up and developed a brand new centralised data hub to make administration, formulas, and exports easier and more manageable for the researchers.
As for the students, we’ve fully refreshed the UI, provided more clarity overall and set our sights on clearer UX. After all, there is a great deal of information that needs to be summarised properly and succinctly.
The SIMON test is an incredibly important tool for Belgian teenagers, and we’re very proud to be able to contribute meaningfully to the future generation’s journey to higher education!
