Building a studying app that actually makes you apply information rather than just memorize, I want feedback for the idea.
My app will take info from notes, PowerPoint presentations, YouTube videos, a picture from physical notes, whatever, and generate practice projects and practice quizzes based on the information using AI. The projects and each question of the quiz get increasingly harder. Unlike other studying apps, Ex, Quizlet, Quizizz, Blooket, Quizgecko, whatever, those are just memory as you just memorize the cards and do the quiz. With projects, you actually have to apply and understand the info. For each question, an AI will evaluate your answer, and if it's close enough, you get it right.
Anyways, an example is: I fed it my old PowerPoint (from like 9th grade) about comparing society between Sparta and Samos. It generated multiple projects to actually test the knowledge:
- Warm-up — Comparison Chart. Build a side-by-side chart comparing Sparta and Samos across all 5 categories (government, economy, culture, religion, militia). For each row, write one sentence identifying the key similarity or difference. Goal: lock in the facts before analyzing them.
- Core — Causal Argument. Sparta's culture was built entirely around military discipline (soldiers couldn't retire until 60), while Samos was known for its navy, wine production, and intellectual life. In a 250-word argument, explain: how did each society's economy shape what kind of culture it could afford to build? Use specific evidence — Sparta's use of Helots for labor, Samos's agricultural surplus from grapes/olives — to support your reasoning.
- Advanced — Government Classification. Sparta's government mixed oligarchy, monarchy, and democracy, while Samos was a more straightforward oligarchy. Research (or reason from your notes) why a mixed government might emerge in a militarized society like Sparta specifically. Defend your answer using at least one specific structural detail from the notes (e.g., the dual-king system).
- Synthesis — Modern Parallel. Pick one modern country or society and argue which ancient system it more closely resembles — Sparta's militarized oligarchy or Samos's trade-and-culture-focused oligarchy. Justify with at least 3 specific parallels (economic structure, cultural priorities, military role).
And the Quiz:
- What type of government did Sparta use?
- Name the three government types blended into Sparta's system.
- What was Samos's government type?
- What was Spartan currency made of?
- Who worked the land for Spartans, enabling their military focus?
- What two agricultural products was Samos's economy centered on?
- What religious belief system did both Sparta and Samos share?
- Which god was most worshipped in Sparta?
- What were that god's associated domains?
- Which goddess was the primary deity worshipped in Samos?
- At what age could a Spartan soldier retire?
- What was Spartan culture primarily organized around?
- What was Samos best known for besides agriculture? (two things)
- True/False: Sparta and Samos had identical government systems.
- Short answer: Using one fact from each category (economy, religion, culture), explain how Sparta's society was built to sustain a permanent military.
Unlike other sources, it is not just keywords and memorization, it is actually learning as you are applying the info, and an AI evaluates your understanding rather than checking for an exact match.