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Kristen Vandenameele, Registered Dietitian

Professional Practice Coordinator

College of Pharmacy and Nutrition

University of Saskatchewan

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Student Response Systems (SRS), also known as audience response systems, voting systems, or clickers, are tools used to engage students by soliciting responses to questions or polls in live classes. ARS were first seen at Cornell and Stanford Universities in the 1960s, and have since grown in popularity and variety (Nelson et al., 2012).

In general, there are two types of SRS, the first allowing students to use their own internet-connected device such as a smart phone or tablet to respond to questions or polls using a web-based program such as Poll Everywhere, Mentimeter, or Kahoot. The second, allowing students to use a physical hand-held unit such as a clicker to respond to questions or polls connected to the instructor’s digital device and integrated into learning management systems.

SRS can be used in various situations such as live in-person and online live classrooms, conferences, and meetings. Responses can be connected to individuals and recorded to assess student learning or collected anonymously. If used effectively, SRS can provoke and improve student learning and participant engagement (Premkumar, K., & Coupal, C., (2008).

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kvandenameele (2).png Poll everywhere QR

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A Really Quick Guide to Student Response Systems from USASK Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning 

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A Really Quick Guide to Student Response Systems from USASK Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning 

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A Really Quick Guide to Student Response Systems

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While SRS have generally garnered a positive response, outcomes on student learning and engagement are mixed. In their systematic review, Iskander (2018), found that of the 19 studies evaluating student engagement and participation with SRS, 2 studies did not find a statistically significant link; 1 found mixed results; and the remaining indicated that subjectively reported engagement was aided by the use of SRS (Iskander, 2018). The use of SRS was reported to provide a more captivating and fun experience for students, however, the evidence to whether this leads to a motivational boost to engage with course materials outside of the SRS was mixed (Iskander, 2018).

Denkewicz (2019) provides a review of over 120 research articles on the use of audience response system (ARS) technology in the education of health professionals with some studies reporting an increase in student engagement, improved student learning outcomes, and improved attendance. Results for improved student learning were mixed, with some studies showing no improvement or improvement only for below-average students.

In their systematic review, Nelson et al. (2012) examined the effect of ARS on learning outcomes in health professions education, finding modest beneficial to neutral effects of ARS in terms of increased knowledge.

Iskander (2018) notes that the greatest strength of SRS may be their role in encouraging active learning, particularly in environments such as didactic lectures.

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Benefits of Student Response Systems for Health Profession Education 

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Benefits of Student Response Systems for Health Profession Education 

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Immediate formative feedback on learning

Anonymized format encourages participation

Students often familiar with web-based technology

Allows educators and students to reflect on learning, review and recap material as needed

Once developed, activities can be repeated

Helps instructor evaluate their teaching performance

Helps promote active learning and peer interaction

Denkewicz (2019)

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Designing Effective Questions for Student Response Systems 

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Designing Effective Questions for Student Response Systems 

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Rules of Engagement – 12 Tips for Successful Use of “Clickers” in the Classroom by Premkumar and Coupal (2008) provides excellent tips for educators to consider when choosing a SRS and designing activities. For SRS to effectively engage learners, the authors propose the following tips for educators.

The use of SRS should not distract from learning. Questions should be clear, the educator should be familiar with the technology and able to problem solve issues that may arise.

Educators should be prepared, and a variety of questions should uploaded and tested ahead of time.

The purpose of the SRS should be clear. Educators should consider how questions are related to learning objectives and what will be achieved by asking these questions.

Educators should be mindful to not overuse the SRS. Asking one question every 20 minutes is a good rule of thumb to maintain student attention.

Writing effective questions is a skill and requires practice. Educators should consider reliability and validity, as well as evaluate student performance to adjust and improve questions.

Educators should consider how information will be used. Will responses be anonymous, recorded, and tracked, or used to compare student performance within or between cohorts.

Premkumar and Coupal (2008)

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The attention span of most students begins to diminish after the first 15–20 minutes into a lecture. Using a SRS to prompt a discussion or ask a question every 20 minutes provides an opportunity for the instructor to re-capture the attention of students (Middendorf & Kalish 1996).

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Microsoft Forms

create online surveys, forms, quizzes

Top Hat

create polls and discussions, present lecture material and track attendance with this web-based SRS

Clickers

rapidly collect student responses to questions using this handheld SRS

Kahoot

create quizzes, word clouds, games, and interactive course materials using this web-based SRS

Poll Everywhere

create polls, questions, quizzes, and collect student feedback using this web-based SRS

Mentimeter

create polls, questions, and word clouds to gather student feedback using this web-based SRS

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In this episode of Teach Better, hosts Doug McKee and Edward O'Neill discuss classroom response systems with Jenny Wissink, Bonni Stachowaik, and Susan Reilly. This is a fun episode with many examples of how these educators are using technology, specifically iClicker, PollEverywhere, and Kahoot, in their classrooms. This podcast offers information, tips and tricks, how to find your best fit in different situations and how to get started with each tool.

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In our first Summer 2017 edtech episode, we talk about classroom response systems, aka clickers. We're joined by three guests who have each used a different product extensively in their classes. First, Jenny Wissink (Cornell) shares how she uses iClicker to assess students' understanding of pre-class video. Next, Bonni Stachowiak (Vanguard and the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast) explains why and how PollEverywhere gets students engaged. Finally, Susan Reilly (Florida State, Jacksonville) talks about how much fun her students have with Kahoot! Along the way we tell you what tools might be the best fit in different situations and how to get started with each tool.

You can subscribe to the Teach Better Podcast through your favorite podcast app or simply subscribe through iTunes if you don't have one yet.

Show Notes

3:33 ⏯ What are clickers? Or more generally, what is a classroom response system?

6:19 ⏯ Why not just ask students to raise their hands?

7:09 ⏯ About our guests and our goals.

12:48 ⏯ Jenny Wissink on using iClicker to teach introductory economics courses. Trying to flip the classroom-in part because there was a library of video content for the course. Challenges in getting the students to watch the content beforehand.

18:06 ⏯ Why choose iClicker? Good on-campus support is not a bad reason. iClicker is currently a hybrid hardware software solution. If you want students to use hardware clickers, the instructor needs to bring and connect a base station to the classroom. With iClicker Cloud it's a mobile app, too. Jenny didn't want students distracted by their mobile devices. And students can log in from elsewhere.

22:25 ⏯ iClicker Cloud lets you restrict answers to a specific physical area (like your classroom). Things get complicated when students mix-and-match clickers and apps.

24:24 ⏯ The pleasures of motivating students and even helping them make mistakes and chang their minds. iClicker advantage: ease-of-use. How the process actually works. The software version allows a variety of question types, but students with hardware clickers are stuck with multiple choice.

29:24 ⏯ Getting started. Students can find the clickers on Amazon, for instance. You can also simply engage and interact with the students about social or topical matters. You can use it for attendance.

33:50 ⏯ Doug used iClicker: It was supported and easy to integrate-there's no need to set up the questions on the iClicker website. Why stop using it? To reduce his hardware setup to an iPad Pro and a stylus. The iClicker base station doesn't plug into a tablet or phone.

37:40 ⏯ Bonni Stachowiak from the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast on using PollEverywhere to help students retain information. Trying to focus students' attention and building stronger neural connections: RetrievalPractice.org. Getting information OUT of students' heads, not just into them.

46:40 ⏯ Bonni likes the question type which lets learners pick a spot on an image. Bonnie doesn't mind her students having their devices out. Since students have their own screens, you don't need a room with a projector-you can teach outdoors.

51:10 ⏯ How to get started. Pro tip: Pick a memorable user name.

54:11 ⏯ Doug didn't have the time to get into PollEverywhere's tools for creating questions using mathematical notation.

1:01:32 ⏯ Why not use another tool? Susan found PollEverywhere harder to use than Kahoot! And Kahoot! is just more fun. Students like the music-and earning points, though these can both be turned off.

1:04:28 ⏯ Susan would like more question types-like open-ended questions. Her students don't notice the class is over, they're so involved. And it's free.

1:11:40 ⏯ Our next topic in #edtechsummer: digital textbooks. Faculty can also author their own ebook-e.g., instructors in the USC French department collaboratively created a digital workbook. Future topics include games and simulations. Send us suggestions!

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In our first Summer 2017 edtech episode, we talk about classroom response systems, aka clickers. We're joined by three guests who have each used a different product extensively in their classes. First, Jenny Wissink (Cornell) shares how she uses iClicker to assess students' understanding of pre-class video.

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Cost and Limited Access to Premium Services

Learning to Use and Trouble Shoot

Technical Malfunctions

Increased Educator Prep Time

Denkewicz (2019)

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Bates, A.W. (2019). Teaching in a Digital Age – Second Edition. Vancouver, B.C.: Tony Bates Associates Ltd. Retrieved from https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev2/

Denkewicz, R. (2019). Pros and Cons of Audience Response Systems in the Education of Health Professionals. MedEdPublish. https://mededpublish.org/articles/8-182

Iskander, M. (2018). Systematic review of the implementation of audience response systems and their impact on participation and engagement in the education of healthcare professionals. BMJ Simulation & Technology Enhanced Learning, 4(2), 47–50. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjstel-2017-000245

McKee, D. and O'Neill, E. (2017–present). Teach Better [Audio podcast]. https://teachbetter.co/blog/2017/06/27/tbp-episode-57/

Middendorf J. & Kalish A. 1996. The ‘‘change-up’’ in lectures. Natl Teach Learn Forum 5(2). Available online at: http://www.ntlf.com/html/pi/ 9601/v5n2.pdf (accessed 28 February 2008).

Nelson, C., Hartling, L., Campbell, S., & Oswald, A. E. (2012). The effects of audience response systems on learning outcomes in health professions education. A BEME systematic review: BEME Guide No. 21. Medical Teacher, 34(6), e386–e405. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2012.680938

Premkumar, K., & Coupal, C., (2008). Rules of engagement–12 tips for successful use of “clickers” in the classroom. Medical Teacher, 30(2), (pp. 146-149). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5387746_Rules_of_engagement-12_tips_for_successful_use_of_clickers_in_the_classroom

Professor with his Students. (Photograph). Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/professor-with-his-students-8197544/

Students Inside Classroom in the University. (Photograph). Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/students-inside-a-classroom-in-the-university-8197545/

Students Studying in the Classroom. (Photograph). Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/search/university%20students/