Making it Matter: Teaching and Learning in Social Science Using an Audience Response System Dr. Cathy Gormley-Heenan Dr. Kenny Mc Cartan (University of Ulster - 7th annual elearning conference - Supporting the iGeneration)

What is ARS? Audience Response System PRS/CRS etc. Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Colour cards… … Keypad ‘clickers’ Receiver connected to PC Instant results Instant feedback Different systems available

Audience Response System

PRS/CRS etc.

Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Colour cards…

… Keypad ‘clickers’

Receiver connected to PC

Instant results

Instant feedback

Different systems available

Reasons for using it Student Interaction Improve attentiveness Engage passive listeners Improve knowledge retention Immediate formative feedback Identify struggling students Gain summative feedback Increase Retention

Student Interaction

Improve attentiveness

Engage passive listeners

Improve knowledge retention

Immediate formative feedback

Identify struggling students

Gain summative feedback

Increase Retention

What is Turning Point? Toolbar add-in for PowerPoint Infra-Red, or Radio Frequency Handheld transmitter USB receiver Display questions Collect results Display results immediately WebCT

Toolbar add-in for PowerPoint

Infra-Red, or Radio Frequency

Handheld transmitter

USB receiver

Display questions

Collect results

Display results immediately

WebCT

How do you use it? Design questions in TurningPoint 2008 Plug in USB receiver Point and click when the lecturer asks a question Results stored in Presentation Anonymous responses Student tracking via device ID Reports created in Excel Import/Export to WebCT

Design questions in TurningPoint 2008

Plug in USB receiver

Point and click when the lecturer asks a question

Results stored in Presentation

Anonymous responses

Student tracking via device ID

Reports created in Excel

Import/Export to WebCT

Context of the Case Study First year undergraduates in a politics module Need to foster interest in climate on increasing ‘political apathy’ Teaching model based on constructivist principles of engagement and social interaction in the class Questions were chosen with no ‘right’ answer in order to encourage debate and discussion

First year undergraduates in a politics module

Need to foster interest in climate on increasing ‘political apathy’

Teaching model based on constructivist principles of engagement and social interaction in the class

Questions were chosen with no ‘right’ answer in order to encourage debate and discussion

Results and Discussion Four main benefits were apparent in the student evaluations and focus groups: Student engagement and interaction Increased motivation to attend lectures Ability to contribute to learning experience anonymously Opportunity for self-reflection in confidence without others knowing their responses to the questions on-screen

Four main benefits were apparent in the student evaluations and focus groups:

Student engagement and interaction

Increased motivation to attend lectures

Ability to contribute to learning experience anonymously

Opportunity for self-reflection in confidence without others knowing their responses to the questions on-screen

Student Engagement “ Allows you to hear other people’s opinions” “ Opportunity to see how my opinions sat beside the opinions of my class mates” “ Allowed everyone to express their opinion” 100% of students agreed that using the handsets made the class more interactive and involved the whole class. 95% of students felt that they contributed more to the lectures using the ARS than they did in other classes. 5% neither agreed nor disagreed.

“ Allows you to hear other people’s opinions”

“ Opportunity to see how my opinions sat beside the opinions of my class mates”

“ Allowed everyone to express their opinion”

100% of students agreed that using the handsets made the class more interactive and involved the whole class.

95% of students felt that they contributed more to the lectures using the ARS than they did in other classes. 5% neither agreed nor disagreed.

One student summed it up: ‘I interacted more because in other classes when a teacher asks a question in other classes there’s silence but when this system is used everyone gives an answer. So in other classes the teacher thinks the students don’t have a clue when really they do, they just don’t want to say it out loud. Also, after the voting is done I’m really motivated to say my part, within seconds I have something on the edge of my tongue’.

One student summed it up: ‘I interacted more because in other classes when a teacher asks a question in other classes there’s silence but when this system is used everyone gives an answer. So in other classes the teacher thinks the students don’t have a clue when really they do, they just don’t want to say it out loud. Also, after the voting is done I’m really motivated to say my part, within seconds I have something on the edge of my tongue’.

Motivation and Maintaining Interest “ Caused the class to be more focused and interact more” Made the class more interesting and made me listen more as I knew I would be asked questions” “ It’s a two-hour lecture – you are bound to lose interest after 15 minutes so the AR system kept me awake, alert and interested” 100% of students agreed that using handsets improved their concentration in the class.

“ Caused the class to be more focused and interact more”

Made the class more interesting and made me listen more as I knew I would be asked questions”

“ It’s a two-hour lecture – you are bound to lose interest after 15 minutes so the AR system kept me awake, alert and interested”

100% of students agreed that using handsets improved their concentration in the class.

Anonymity ‘ I was very confident in using the response system because (if) I gave the wrong answer I was not embarrassed as the class didn’t know who said what’. ‘ Yes because I would feel wick if I answered something wrong, especially at the start of the year when you don’t know anyone’; ‘ Yes, so if I got a question wrong I didn’t feel as stupid as I would have if it was in front of the whole class’.

‘ I was very confident in using the response system because (if) I gave the wrong answer I was not embarrassed as the class didn’t know who said what’.

‘ Yes because I would feel wick if I answered something wrong, especially at the start of the year when you don’t know anyone’; ‘

Yes, so if I got a question wrong I didn’t feel as stupid as I would have if it was in front of the whole class’.

Contact Details Dr Kenny Mc Cartan Project Co-Ordinator (Technology Adoption) Room 14G13 ICT Customer Services Jordanstown campus Ext: 68231 Email: [email_address] Dr Cathy Gormley-Heenan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy Room 03A13B School of Policy Studies Jordanstown campus Ext: 66132 Email: [email_address]

Dr Kenny Mc Cartan

Project Co-Ordinator (Technology Adoption)

Room 14G13

ICT Customer Services

Jordanstown campus

Ext: 68231

Email: [email_address]

Dr Cathy Gormley-Heenan

Senior Lecturer in Public Policy

Room 03A13B

School of Policy Studies

Jordanstown campus

Ext: 66132

Email: [email_address]