Anki, Memrise, Khan: Pros, Cons, Suggestions?

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marian

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Hey, all.

I'm applying to a paramedic program for the fall. I've already taken anatomy as well as related science courses (e.g. microbio), but it's been a while and I'd like to review the material so it'll all be fresh. I've already started digging through my old textbooks and notes but I'd like to add some review time with an app or a website.

Has anyone used Anki, Memrise, Khan? Are there any others I should check out? What did you think of the app? Which application/website was the most helpful for you?

Thx!
 
Flying said:
@Gurby is a huge proponent of flashcard software.
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Yeah, I've been using Duolingo to add to my Spanish and figured I would try something similar to review anatomy, physiology, and maybe start learning about drug classes and all but I can't figure out which app will be best for what.

I've only used Duolingo for Spanish with a little bit of poking around on memrise, but nothing all that extensive.
 
I'm all about the spaced repetition programs! Strong recommendation for Anki.
 
I liked Anki a lot. Sometimes the syncing got a little funny, but eventually it all evened out. I used it on my iPhone, and then sometimes when I'd switch over to my iPad, the data files weren't in sync. But overall, it was helpful. Hint: Create the flashcards yourself. The act of entering in the questions and answers will hep you learn the material. It is boring as heck though.
 
Gurby said:
I'm all about the spaced repetition programs!
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I strongly agree.

CRNA school is really like drinking from the proverbial firehose, in terms of the volume of information that you are expected to digest and then be able to recall in a short amount of time. I learned two really valuable techniques for being able to do that.

The first was diagramming. The med students were big on drawing anything that could be drawn - over and over - as a way to visualize information. We weren't formally taught that, but I think they were, and many of my classmates and I picked it up and found it really useful.

The other technique was flashcards. We used Quizlet. Time-consuming to set up, but very helpful.
 
One of my favorite things to do is to turn diagrams into flashcards. For instance:

Image 1.png
 
I am not sure what all the hype about Anki is? Maybe I am missing something. I tried it out for the first time last week and it looks like something from the late 1980's or early 1990's. In computer years, that is pretty much the stone age at best. It had a terrible and dated graphical user interface, was painful to use, and I found it to be a real eye sore. I can not understand why so many people recommend it. What are the advantages to Anki? Quizlet, Study Blue, and Cram are better products from what I have seen. I started playing with Memrise this week but have not used it enough to formulate an opinion.
 
ExpatMedic0 said:
I am not sure what all the hype about Anki is? Maybe I am missing something. I tried it out for the first time last week and it looks like something from the late 1980's or early 1990's. In computer years, that is pretty much the stone age at best. It had a terrible and dated graphical user interface, was painful to use, and I found it to be a real eye sore. I can not understand why so many people recommend it. What are the advantages to Anki? Quizlet, Study Blue, and Cram are better products from what I have seen. I started playing with Memrise this week but have not used it enough to formulate an opinion.
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What SRS algorithm does Quizlet, Study Blue, Cram, Memrise use?
 
How Anki and a handful of other flashcard software set themselves apart is with their respective brands of spacing algorithms. The gist of it is that the software records the which cards you miss and makes those appear more frequently. On top of that, the time spent between cards is taken into consideration, the hard cards will get spaced every few minutes, whereas basic facts will pop up once a day or so. The more advanced ones will even allow you to put in your sleep schedule in order to try to get you to tackle the most troubling cards when you are most awake.

Basically, they try to improve on digital flashcards by applying the learning methods that have been studied in psychology.
 
Flying said:
How Anki and a handful of other flashcard software set themselves apart is with their respective brands of spacing algorithms. The gist of it is that the software records the which cards you miss and makes those appear more frequently. On top of that, the time spent between cards is taken into consideration, the hard cards will get spaced every few minutes, whereas basic facts will pop up once a day or so. The more advanced ones will even allow you to put in your sleep schedule in order to try to get you to tackle the most troubling cards when you are most awake.
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The most efficient time to review a flash card is right before you forget the information on it... Review it more frequently and you're wasting time, review it less frequently and you've forgotten the info. Problem is, as a human with a stack of 10,000 paper flash cards, you have no way of knowing which ones you are at risk of forgetting, and no reasonable way to review them. Programs like Anki and Supermemo are a great way to keep a huge amount of information in your head at once. The info you put on your cards will be with you for as long as you choose to keep reviewing the cards daily.

If you're just cramming 50 flash cards to pass a test and then forget the info, then there isn't really much difference between Anki and index cards.
 
Gurby said:
What SRS algorithm does Quizlet, Study Blue, Cram, Memrise use?
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Most of them have Spaced Repetition algorithm options. The complexity and method of each varies. As far as the effectiveness for each companies precise algorithm I am not sure. Memrise appears to use a very similar algorithm to Anki from what I have read. Its not really my area of expertise, I did a quick pubmed search and could not find precise information comparing algorithms to the different learning systems. Some do not even release the information. Anki uses an SM2 algorithm from the 1980's and thats all I could find
 
Does a flashcard app really have to be that sophisticated to be effective? It might not have the fanciest graphics, but it looks a lot better than a messy stack of note cards strewn about my desk.
 
StCEMT said:
Does a flashcard app really have to be that sophisticated to be effective? It might not have the fanciest graphics, but it looks a lot better than a messy stack of note cards strewn about my desk.
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For me, most important things are: 1) Spaced repetition algorithm 2) Customization - being able to lay the cards out however I want (use a picture as the question, image occlusion, display multiple images if I want, etc)
 
I like a clean and modern look. Reshowing cards you missed from that session is essential. More detailed algorithms and AI are also great depending on what you need. Attaching pictures ect. is also a huge plus. I am also learning another language, so I also prefer one that allows sound files within the cards and pronounces the words without sounding like a robot.
 
Gurby said:
For me, most important things are: 1) Spaced repetition algorithm 2) Customization - being able to lay the cards out however I want (use a picture as the question, image occlusion, display multiple images if I want, etc)
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Yeah, I really like your tip on setting up diagrams as flash cards. I've done similar things before and have been successful with physical flash cards so I'm sure that it'll be really helpful via Anki.

And thank you everyone else for all your input/tips/insights.
 
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