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).

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/

• 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)

• 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

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.

Professional Practice Coordinator

College of Pharmacy and Nutrition

University of Saskatchewan