Traintool

TrainTool is an app students can use to practice their communication skills (soft skills) online. The app presents students with a situation in a short video. They are then asked to respond to that situation, which they will do by recording themselves on a computer, tablet, or mobile phone. They can do as many takes as they wish. Once they are satisfied, they can share the video with their peers and/or teacher and solicit feedback. Assessment can be open or criterion-based.

The tool is not “responsive”, so if you want to practice a full structured dialogue Communicate! might be more suitable. By contract, the strength of Traintool is that students will practice, and reflect on, their verbal as well as non-verbal behaviours.

Usages at the UU include:

• Teacher education: responding to student behaviors (introduce yourself, support seeking, disruptive behavior)
• Human geography, research methods course: interviewing
• Farmacy: client contact

Licences and further information are available upon request from educate-it@uu.nl.

Savelsbergh, E.R. (Elwin)