About Study Hat
Study Hat, a popular UK-based education company, is is dedicated to globally supporting students in exam preparation, specialising in the 11+, SATS, GRE, and PSLE.
Offering a rich array of resources such as video tutorials, question banks, mock exams, and progress reports, Study Hat is committed to delivering engaging online learning experiences to prepare students for their final exams.
In our discussion with Hamzah, the visionary CEO of Study Hat, he shared how Synap transformed exam preparation, playing a significant role in the company's growth.
Scaling from Thinkific to Synap: Enhancing the learning and testing experience
Study Hat's transition from Thinkific LMS was prompted by the limitations of the former platform, which offered only basic functionalities, such as simple videos and rudimentary quizzes. Hamzah, noting the platform's lack of user-friendliness for students, described it as "unresponsive on phones and tablets" and plagued by "quite a few bugs."
Recognising the need for a more robust and engaging platform, Study Hat outgrew Thinkific, prompting Hamzah to explore alternatives. Synap emerged as the optimal choice, offering a suite of features that not only met but exceeded expectations.
“With Synap, there were a bunch of different features that we could really utilise for our students. Timed quizzes were one of the main features for us and the layout looked really good as well."
Hamzah expressed the desire to provide students with a platform that "ticked all the boxes and was more of a level up from where we were," thus positioning Study Hat to evolve and enhance its educational offerings.
Seamless migration: Effortless transition to Synap
The shift from one system to another can be a complex process, often involving the meticulous transfer of existing content. However, Hamzah discovered that the onboarding process with Synap was remarkably straightforward and described it as “an easy process”.
“The interface is quite simple. I’m not technical but I was able to figure my way through the platform."
Study Hat successfully transitioned to Synap within a few weeks, seamlessly transferring all their material from Thinkific LMS. The streamlined process included the bulk upload of 5,000 questions, facilitated by a user-friendly CSV question importer template. Synap's question importer efficiently managed the heavy-lifting, contributing to a swift and hassle-free migration for Study Hat.
Tailored exam preparation for diverse learning styles
Recognising the diversity in learning preferences, Hamzah prioritised flexibility at Study Hat to cater to individual student needs. Leveraging Synap’s versatile quiz configuration settings, learners now have the autonomy to choose their preferred learning approach.
They can opt for "practice mode," receiving answers and feedback after each question, or select "exam mode," where results are revealed only upon completing all questions.
“Having that option to be able to choose between practice and exam mode is really good, some students prefer having the answers revealed and some don't. It's giving students the flexibility to learn in their own way.”
Furthermore, Synap's dashboard provides valuable post-quiz insights, empowering students to refine their exam readiness. With the option for automatic timing in quizzes, students can gauge their pace, enhancing their time management skills and ensuring they effectively navigate real exams within stipulated timeframes.
This tailored approach ensures that Study Hat's learners can optimise their exam preparation based on their unique learning styles and requirements.
Engaging students with personalised learning
Whilst researching numerous learning platforms, one standout feature that drew Study Hat to Synap was its Spaced Learning algorithms. Synap's innovative algorithms automatically creates customised quizzes for learners, honing in on individual strengths and weaknesses derived from past quiz performances.
“With the Spaced Learning feature, there is a daily quiz involved. So they're able to come back to it and complete a new quiz every single day. And it gets students using it on a daily basis as opposed to a weekly basis.”
The feedback on Synap's Spaced Learning algorithms has been exceptionally positive, with students actively engaging on a daily basis to prepare for exams.
Students “really brush up on their skills and make a lot of progress very quickly”, by taking daily randomised quizzes, which challenges memorisation. This approach has proven highly effective in helping to maintain student’s engagement, refine their skills and make rapid progress.
Reducing tutor workload: Automated personalisation for enhanced learning
Despite a repository of 5,000 questions for student practice, the manual tailoring of learning experiences for each student proved challenging for tutors. As Hamzah highlighted, "it’s impossible for us to say to a student - ‘hey, this is what you’re weaker or stronger on’".
Synap eliminates this hurdle by automating the personalisation process, adeptly identifying a student's strengths and areas for improvement, thus reducing the tailoring workload required by tutors for every student. This dynamic approach also ensures that Study Hat's content remains fresh, eliminating the need to continuously create and upload new questions.
This personalised and engaging learning experience has not only garnered praise from students and parents but has also contributed significantly to Study Hat's impressive customer retention rates.
Streamlining administrative tasks: Study Hat's success with Synap's Zapier Integration
Manually organising users can be a time-consuming challenge, particularly for a 24/7 online business experiencing rapid growth, as Study Hat did before embracing Synap.
Recognising the need for efficiency, Hamzah conveyed his desire to the Synap team for a more streamlined administrative process, specifically in automating the checkout procedure for Study Hat's online resources.
Leveraging Synap’s Zapier Integration, Study Hat implemented a tailored workflow that seamlessly enhanced the user experience from checkout to the learning platform.
With the increasing demand for 'on-demand learning,' especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, instant access to educational resources has become imperative. Synap’s Zapier integration seamlessly links the Study Hat portal to WooCommerce. Now, users simply purchase their desired product from Study Hat's WooCommerce, and the Zapier workflow automates the rest, ensuring prompt access to the purchased product.
“As soon as they purchase, literally, within seconds, they'll get that email with an invite to the platform and they can make their own account from there.”
Despite Hamzah's self-description as "non-technical," he found setting up the Zapier workflow remarkably straightforward. Since initiating their first "Zap", Study Hat has expanded its use of Zapier on Synap, proving instrumental in facilitating business growth.
Given Study Hat's diverse product offerings for a global audience, a customised "Zap" was established, linking UK purchases directly with the UK user group within their portal. This strategic setup ensures that customers receive immediate access to the appropriate course, contributing to a seamless and personalised user journey.
This is how Study Hat’s zap works:
- User purchases product via WooCommerce
- A zap automatically sends information to Synap about the user and product
- User receives an instant email invite to set up their account
- User creates an account and their new product is available immediately
Study Hat and Synap: Elevating exam preparation through efficiency and personalisation
As Study Hat continues to expand its global reach and offer a diverse range of exam preparation materials, the strategic implementation of Synap has propelled the company to new heights.
Hamzah's aspiration for a more streamlined and user-friendly educational journey has not only been met but surpassed through Synap's automated processes and an easily accessible personalised testing experience.
This approach has earned acclaim from both students and parents, cultivating daily engagement that plays a pivotal role in enhancing the effectiveness of exam preparation.
