Audience Response System, an Instant Application based Interactive Evaluation Tool in Medical Lectures

Author(s): Mathis Wegner, Thorben Michaelis, Ibrahim Alkatout, Sebastian Lippross

Objective: Audience Response Systems (ARS) are resources to individually and simultaneously involve the audience in lectures. Well perceived by students and lecturers it represents a valuable instrument of quality assurance and student participation in academic teaching. Our controlled study investigated whether ARS in evaluation of medical lectures has an impact on evaluation results. In addition, we investigated if ARS use in medical lectures enhances student learning and motivation.

Methods: The study was conducted at the University medical center of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, as part of lectures of the curricular teaching program in orthopedics over the course of one year. 198 students who participated voluntarily were included. At the beginning of each lecture the evaluation process was briefly explained. In alternating lectures a paper questionnaire and ARS were offered as an evaluation tool to the audience. In both processes two items concerning teacher’s behavior, three items concerning lecture’s design and two items concerning lecture’s content were investigated by using a seven-item questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale. In addition, two multiple-choice questions were posed at the end of each evaluation to assess knowledge transfer.

Results: 128 students took part using the traditional paper and pencil format, 70 students agreed to use ARS. Participants not using ARS rated the quality of teaching in both items and the structure of the lecture in one item superior to participants using ARS (p < 0.001, p < 0.003, p < 0.001). The screening for participation in the additionally asked MC- questions showed a higher rate of participation in students using ARS.

Conclusion: The results of our study show significant diffe