MonaLiSa
Tool to measure listening skills
CASE STUDY
This project aims to demonstrate that listening skills can be acquired and offers learning and training opportunities to all people interested in improving their ability to communicate and manage relationships.
Angular
Django
Python
Javascript
AWS
The challenge
The staff of a counselling telephone service must be able to do one thing above all: Listen. But how good is someone at this? Can that be assessed objectively? And how can I test it or even practise it? This is exactly what we are trying to find out in the joint research project with
ERASMUS+, the IFOTES association, Heidelberg University Hospital and many other European partners. Our task was to develop a tool which doubles as both a self-test, as well as a practicing tool, and to provide it openly to as many people as possible.
The process
1
With 8 partners for better listening 
The project was funded for three years. Through the initiative of IFOTES, the Heidelberg University Clinic developed developed a questionnaire that assesses listening skills. The Westcode team then took over the further development.
Westcode received the questions, their possible answers and the practicing routines. With this information, they developed a web-based questionnaire that is accessible to everyone, easy to understand, visually appealing, self-explanatory and goal-oriented for all parties to use.
2
Cross-national prototyping remote 
The project, which was initially set up with several transnational meetings, was transformed into a remote project by the covid-19 pandemic.
With the help of digital tools, the prototype could be repeatedly presented while incorporating new feedback.
3
7 languages 
from content to graphics
In addition to the content developed by the partners, a challenge was the ability easily import these results into the system in all languages. For this purpose, Westcode developed a concept that enables content maintenance via table management. In addition, all graphics, labels, help texts, etc. were translated by the partners themselves using a tool.
With the help of this concept, additional languages will be easily added in the future so that even more people can get to know the possibilities of the application. The tool can also be easily embedded in other websites, without compromising the available set of features.
The results
In the end, an intuitive tool was developed which provides each person with information about their listening skills or deficits, as well as offering tailor-made practice sessions to improve said listening skills. Either independently or with additional practice examples through a trainer's support.
Dr. Stefan SchumacherProjektmanager
"Working with Westcode was amazing. As a partner, they are always attentive and confident of the solutions they develop."
