Ever had something to ask a professor, but could not summon the courage to interrupt him in the middle of a presentation? A group of computer scientists from the southern German University of Freiburg might have a solution. A team led by Bernd Becker has developed an app that allows students to send messages to their lecturer even halfway through the class. The new lecture app will be used at 20 German universities and other institutions during the winter semester. The app allows lecturers to see - in real-time - what students think of the presentation, thanks to a ratings scale. It also allows students to send questions, which then show up on a screen. Dubbed Smile, the app is helping bring smartphones into education. Becker says that it’s been used successfully at his university’s computer architecture department for several years.
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