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University of Warwick’s IGGY Wins BETT Award

IGGYIGGY, the University of Warwick’s online educational and social network for gifted young people, has won a BETT Award in the ICT Tools for Teaching and Learning category at the awards ceremony in London on Wednesday 22nd January 2014.

The BETT Awards celebrate and reward innovation in technology for education, and are considered to be the most prestigious in the education sector. Every year judges, comprised of leaders in education, look for organisations and products that show a clear understanding of the sector and its needs. IGGY was selected out of ten finalists in its category, and was announced as winner during the BETT Awards Ceremony at London’s The Brewery hosted by comedienne Jo Brand.

IGGY focuses on providing stretching content in core subjects of Maths, English, Science, History, Politics and Life Skills but also covers a wide range of other subjects. Activities are presented in a range of formats; from quick quizzes to longer video courses and podcast series. IGGY has been built around the concept of ‘gamification’ and awards points, badges and occasionally prizes to reward learning and engagement.

IGGY also features a lively forum area, where members can start their own debates and contribute to other members’ topics. IGGY’s ‘Homework Help’ includes posts from members looking for support with homework, and postgraduate student mentors are on hand to give advice. Networking is an important element of the site, and members are able to set up a profile page, message friends, ‘upvote’ and comment on posts and blogs, and also collaborate on projects if they wish.

IGGY is safe and secure due to its robust moderation tools. The site is continually monitored through a combination of advanced word filtering software and human moderation. The community members therefore support each other within a safe and stimulating environment.

Naomi is a 14 year old IGGY Member based in the UK. She says:

"IGGY has been such a life changing experience for me. It has expanded my knowledge, made me interested in other things, and most of all, given me more confidence".

Ken Sloan, Registrar and Chief Operating Officer at the University of Warwick, says:

“We are delighted that IGGY has received this BETT award. We launched IGGY in 2012 to take forward the University of Warwick’s commitment to reach out to gifted students across the world. It has grown into a global online community of young people aged 13-18 who have access to interactive educational resources, top academics, student mentors and other gifted young people from 35 countries around the world.”

Find out more about IGGY

BETT Awards

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For press enquiries, please contact Jan McQuillan, Digital Marketing Manager
By email: j.mcquillan@warwick.ac.uk
By phone: +44 (0) 2476 151 860

 

For more information:

Jan McQuillan, Digital Marketing Manager
By email: j.mcquillan@warwick.ac.uk
By phone: +44 (0) 2476 151 860

Useful links:

IGGY

BETT Awards