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Synap
FormerlyMyCQs
Company typePrivate Company
IndustryEducation Applications
FoundedOctober 2015
FoundersJames Gupta & Omair Vaiyani
HeadquartersLeeds, United Kingdom
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
James Gupta
(CEO)
Omair Vaiyani
(CTO)
Number of employees
14
ParentSynap Learning Ltd
Websitesynap.ac

Synap is an intelligent online assessment and learning platform that uses the principles of spaced repetition to enhance long-term retention and accelerate learning. Spaced repetition has been shown to increase the rate of memorisation.[1]

History[edit]

Synap was co-founded in 2015 by Dr. James Gupta and Dr. Omair Vaiyani, both graduates of Leeds Medical School. Originally conceived under the name 'MyCQs', the platform initially operated as a native iOS application and website, catering primarily to UK medical students. It allowed users to create and share crowdsourced quizzes in a Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) format, leveraging spaced repetition principles similar to tools like Anki.[2][3][4]

During Synap's early years, James Gupta briefly served as the Chief Technology Officer for JumpIn, a student-focused taxi booking app that was later acquired by Addison Lee in 2014.[5][6] Following this acquisition, James returned to focus on advancing MyCQs alongside co-founder Omair Vaiyani.

In 2014, MyCQs secured funding and mentorship from Jisc, an education technology charity,[7] and received a scholarship from The University of Leeds,[8] enabling the integration of sophisticated algorithms grounded in educational psychology.[9] These developments led to a strategic pivot towards personalised learning,[10] prompting the company to rebrand as Synap in 2015.[11]

Synap experienced significant milestones in subsequent years, including a successful equity crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube in August 2015.[12][13] James and Omair graduated from medical school in 2017, thereafter committing full-time to Synap's growth by expanding the team and establishing offices in Leeds.

In 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Synap intensified its focus on online examinations in response to increased demand for remote learning solutions.[14][15] By 2023, Synap developed Synoptic, an in-house proctoring solution that monitored over 1,000 exams within six months, addressing the need for secure online examination environments.

Infrastructure[edit]

Synap was originally developed on Facebook's Parse platform.[16] In January 2016, Facebook announced that Parse would be closing down, and advised developers to migrate their apps to other services.[17] As of March 2016, Synap has been hosted on Amazon Web Services, using the newly open-sourced Parse Server, which itself uses Node.js. The website is developed in Ember.js, and uses a MongoDB database, making Synap an example of full-stack JavaScript development.[18]

Recognition[edit]

Synap has been featured in The Oxford Public Health Magazine.[19]

In December 2015, Synap was listed as one of 10 British AI companies to look out for by Business Insider.[20]

Selected as a Runner-up for ‘EdTech of the Year’ at the 2021 British Data Awards.[21]

Selected as a Finalist for 'Innovation of the Year' and 'Education Initiative of the Year' at the 2024 British Data Awards.[22]

Products and Services[edit]

Synap offers a comprehensive suite of educational tools and services:

  • Online Exams: Enables educators to create and administer secure online exams through the platform.
  • Synoptic: In-house proctoring tool offering features such as intermittent webcam snapshots, screen replay, and automatic breach detection, designed to ensure exam integrity in remote settings.
  • Online Course Delivery: Supports development and delivery of online courses and assignments with built-in authoring tools.
  • Spaced Repetition Learning System: Utilises advanced algorithms to optimise learning efficiency.
  • Personalised Learning: Tailors learning experiences based on user performance and preferences.
  • Educational Analytics: Provides insights into learning progress and identifies areas for improvement.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Smolen, Paul; Zhang, Yili; Byrne, John H. (25 January 2016). "The right time to learn: mechanisms and optimization of spaced learning". Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 17 (2): 77–88. arXiv:1606.08370. Bibcode:2016arXiv160608370S. doi:10.1038/nrn.2015.18. PMC 5126970. PMID 26806627.
  2. ^ "Leeds Medicine Undergraduate Academic Brochure (p32)", Leeds Medical School, retrieved 2016-04-24
  3. ^ "University of Leeds students aiming to get top marks for smartphone app", Yorkshire Evening Post, retrieved 2016-04-24
  4. ^ "Student Generated Resources", Technology in Medical Education (University of Leeds), retrieved 2016-04-24
  5. ^ "Young brits: the winner's stories so far", Jack Wills Blog, retrieved 2016-04-24
  6. ^ "2015: Year of the rideshare?", Cab4Now, retrieved 2016-04-24
  7. ^ "Jisc Summer of Student Innovation 2014", Jisc, retrieved 2016-04-24
  8. ^ "University bootcamp puts fledgling entrepreneurs through their paces", University of Leeds, retrieved 2016-04-24
  9. ^ "Interview with James Gupta, CEO & Founder of Synap", AIStartups.org, retrieved 2016-04-24
  10. ^ "The death of the university lecture", Huffington Post, retrieved 2016-04-24
  11. ^ "Synap FAQ: What is Synap?", Synap, retrieved 2016-04-24
  12. ^ "Crowdcube official pitch page for Synap", Crowdcube, retrieved 2016-04-24
  13. ^ "Edtech entrepreneurs launch £180,000 crowdfunding campaign", Business Desk, retrieved 2016-04-24
  14. ^ admin-risepoint (3 June 2020). "Coronavirus sparks an increased interest in distance learning". University of Birmingham. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Online learning gets its moment due to COVID-19 pandemic: Here's how education will change". ZDNET. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  16. ^ "Developing an effective technology stack", Synap Blog, retrieved 2016-04-24/
  17. ^ "Moving On", Parse Blog, retrieved 2016-04-24
  18. ^ "Synap.ac's technology stack", StackShare, retrieved 2016-04-24
  19. ^ "Oxford Public Health Magazine Issue 4: Innovation and social entrepreneurship (p32-33", Oxford Public Health Magazine, retrieved 2016-04-24
  20. ^ "10 British AI companies to look out for in 2016", Business Insider, retrieved 2016-24-04
  21. ^ "British Data Awards 2021 Winners Announced | Predatech". predatech.co.uk. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  22. ^ "British Data Awards 2024: Finalists Announced | Predatech". predatech.co.uk. 19 March 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.

External links[edit]

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