Synap

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.

History
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.

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. 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, and received a scholarship from The University of Leeds, enabling the integration of sophisticated algorithms grounded in educational psychology. These developments led to a strategic pivot towards personalised learning, prompting the company to rebrand as Synap in 2015.

Synap experienced significant milestones in subsequent years, including a successful equity crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube in August 2015. 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. 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
Synap was originally developed on Facebook's Parse platform. In January 2016, Facebook announced that Parse would be closing down, and advised developers to migrate their apps to other services. 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.

Recognition
Synap has been featured in The Oxford Public Health Magazine.

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

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

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

Products and Services
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.