This site is powerful already, and it appears to be getting better.
Taking it mobile would be the next step. I recommend the development of an iPhone and Android app. Such an app should have the following features:
offline access...
...to the "study mode" and "answers only mode"
to the full comment mechanism, albeit as a separate menu for each question
in a clean visual format that only shows what's necessary to view/answer the question/options
Such an app would be time-consuming to develop, and probably cost a pretty-penny. Updates to the app would need to be made as the website proper is updated. However, I firmly believe that the kind of people who already use this site would be willing to pay a modest amount (perhaps $5 or even $10) for the convenience.
You could even tie it to Apple's Game Center (or Android counterpart) by instituting achievements. This would make a better "time-waster" than any game. Such an app will benefit us all.
Recommendations to the site proper:
- add ability to search for question by CGID number
- enable robust tracking. It would be useful to see a report of the student's progress. If he has trouble in a specific area of study, the report will reflect this and give him the option to intensively test on that topic.
- supplement the site with a recommended reading list. Although it wouldn't be directly related to coast guard questions, such a list would be simple to create as another tab on the website. All that's needed is to start a list in a forum post somewhere. I'll hold off on that until the administrator makes a preliminary decision.