TOTALSPIEL & UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM
HOW DO YOU PROVIDE 628 STUDENTS with 1-on-1 feedback?
The interactive video series The Call is a mix of short video, game elements and humor. Every year, first-year students are tested on their knowledge for 7 weeks. The results are astonishing.
THE GOAL
The Communication Science program at the University of Amsterdam is experiencing strong growth in (international) students. As a result, lectures become more massive and there is less room for 1-on-1 communication between students and lecturers. The assignment was therefore this:
- Make the module more personal and interactive for students.
- Encourage students to make more use of supporting teaching materials.
- Increase the appreciation of the module and student involvement.
THE Elaboration
The Call is a series of seven interactive videos in which students are tested on their knowledge.
- Students receive an email every Wednesday: do you dare to test your knowledge about this week’s lecture?
- When you ‘video call’, a fictitious video conversation starts with the teacher. He is always at an appropriate location.
- The teacher asks 8 questions, with three answer options. With every answer you will receive a unique video response.
- If you answer all 8 questions correctly, you have a chance to win a prize.
In 2023, 628 students generated 51,019 interactions. That's 81 interactions per person.
PERSONALIZATION
Personalization is central to the concept. One episode consists of approximately 55 short videos, with almost 20,000 unique combination options per episode (38).
- Every response from the teacher is unique. If the answer is correct, he explains why it is correct, and if the answer is incorrect, he explains how the student can improve.
- For most questions there is also a unique response if you do not answer in time
- There are different endings. Only students who get EVERYTHING right get an ending in which they can win a fun prize. This ‘winning’ series has a gold cup in the bottom right corner.
PRODUCTION
The total budget was limited. Especially for a video production.
- The video calling format gave us the opportunity to make all 168 videos with a smartphone. A fast way of filming where the video quality matches the form.
- Everyone is familiar with video calling. This familiarity allows us to surprise and capture attention with small means.
- All interactive videos are hosted free of charge on an open source platform.
WATCH THE TRAILER:
WATCH THE TRAILER:
RESULTS
- In a student population of 647 students, 6,275 calls were made in 2023. This resulted in a total of 51,019 interactions. That’s 81 interactions per person.The average length of a Call is 9:45 minutes.
- From the annual evaluation, the rating for the Student activating teaching section has increased from 56.1% to 79.1%
- On the statement “The Call helped me to estimate if I understood the subject-matter.” 86% responded positively, of which 53% responded with ‘firmly agree’
- Over the past 2 years, head teacher Jeroen Lemmens was chosen by students as ‘Lecturer of the year.’
During the Grand Prix Content Marketing Awards 2023, The Call was one of the big winners of the evening with 2 awards: ‘Best Low Budget Production’ and ‘Originality Award’.
"This unique case brought a big smile to the face of everyone in the jury."
Jury Grand Prix Content Marketing Awards 2023
DARE DO YOU DO IT?
Would you like to try out The Call? You can! We have created a 5 questions demo that can also be done by non-students. If you get everything right, you can even win a lunch!