Online start-up offers platform for students who have finished the DSE to sell their study notes to exam candidates
The vast majority of secondary school students in Hong Kong have two major goals – to excel in the HKDSE exam, and to enrol in their desired university programme. Young Post has been busy organising a series of educational campaigns that accompany students on their learning journey. In September, we launched DSE Booster, a five-week English online course offering exam techniques for tackling the DSE English language paper. Students loved it and shared their opinions online, including at Flowsophic, a Hong Kong-based study resources co-sharing platform. Students could join DSE Booster from Flowsophic. “Students loved it. I even got WhatsApp messages from students praising the way it teaches English Paper 3,” said Ivan Wong, co-founder of Flowsophic and FFClassroom, an educational YouTube channel with more than 15,000 subscribers. Wong, along with other DSE high-achievers, were guest speakers at SCMP / Young Post’s webinar held on October 27 via Zoom. “The period after the DSE is when most students rethink the purpose of studying, myself included,” recalled Wong. “Two years ago, when I was tidying my room after the DSE, I
discovered the handwritten notes I wrote throughout the past six years which encompassed all the knowledge I learned. “It is a pity to just throw them away when students are in need of practical study resources.” Wong launched Flowsophic in April this year. The online platform aims to nurture a community where students who have finished the DSE would sell their study notes to those who are taking the public exam. “There are a lot of high-calibre students who have created study resources, and they deserve to be rewarded,” said Wong.
“It is a pity to just throw the notes away when students are in need of practical study resources”
The EdTech start-up has also gained support and funding from Cyberport, Chinese University and the University of Hong Kong. Its scope is not limited to the DSE; it also hosts study materials for other exams such as IELTS, IB, IGCSE A-Levels and even university courses. The platform has partnered with more than 70
Flowclass directs students towards the most suitable education centres
tutors and tutorial centres to provide more than 250 different notes, books and courses. The library is expanding every day. “Quality is the single most important criterion,” said Wong. “Our team reads every piece of study material we receive to determine whether all the information is correct and whether the presentation is clear. We need to ensure every piece of content we put out is useful for students.” Aside from study resources, the platform also has nearly 100 articles covering a wide range of topics related to secondary and tertiary education. There is even a section
Co-founders of Flowsophic which provides study materials for many exams and even university courses
dedicated to sharing university students’ reflections about the subject they are currently studying. More than 30 students from universities in Hong Kong have contributed to the platform, which is always open for new submissions. Flowsophic’s team now consists of 10 people, ranging from mobile app developers to digital marketers. “Our vision is to integrate the online and offline education system in Hong Kong and beyond,” Wong said. “When we talked with a lot of tutorial centre owners, they expressed a common problem – not knowing how to reach out to students online. This is when we realised our Edtech solution could help traditional education centres establish their online presence.” The start-up will also launch its flagship mobile application, Flowclass, on iOS and Android soon. “We’re excited to bring students closer to educators,” said Wong. “We are developing a curriculum builder that directs students towards the most suitable centres.” The app features a chat room allowing users to directly contact the educators they are interested in. “Every interaction should be direct, instead of being through a middleman,” said Wong. The mobile app will be partnering with education institutions including tutoring centres for primary and secondary school students, Stem education centres, continuous education and also learning centres for special education needs and disabled students. “We trust that making educational information more accessible will lead to more opportunities for everyone,” said Wong. Staff reporter
