Student Response Systems

Basic Classroom Technology

The keypads are small, handheld transmitters, typically with five to 15 buttons or keys. They can transmit on radio waves (rf) or infrared light (ir). Other than the keypads, classroom SRSs require a computer, an rf or ir receiver, software, technical staff for system installation and maintenance, and training for instructors and students.

History and Contexts

The antecedents of SRSs were hardware-based audience response systems, first used in the early 1960s. Audiences in specially equipped theaters used hard-wired keypads to record their responses to various versions of unre-leased commercials or motion picture endings. By the mid-1960s educators began experimenting with their use in classrooms, but they were not available for general classroom use until early in this century. In the last few years, the popularity of SRSs, and the variety of vendors, has grown rapidly.

Use in Classrooms

The most basic uses of classroom SRSs are for student polling (including taking attendance) and learning assessment. Instructors can pose questions verbally or via a projection screen, and individual student responses are aggregated and analyzed and can be instantly presented to the class, either as tables or graphs. Results can be used for group decision making (e.g., choosing a test date) or integrated into lectures (e.g., “Do you think Statistics 1401 should be a prerequisite for this class?”). The most common format of SRS use for learning assessment is multiple-choice quizzes, with students allotted a specified time to answer each question. Some clickers have LCD screens and alphanumeric keyboards to allow composition of short answers.

Another common use of an SRS is for enhancement of student participation. Students can use their keypads to ask questions or respond to questions during a lecture, with aggregated or anonymous responses displayed on a large screen. This can increase participation by overcoming student fear of asking a silly or stupid question or publicly answering a question incorrectly. Students can be required to respond to questions in order to increase attention.

Smartphones, laptops, tablet computers, and other multipurpose computing devices can be used, with appropriate software, to achieve many of the functions of dedicated keypads. However, these devices also present some limitations. First, all students do not own smartphones or portable computers. Their cost is much higher than the cost of designated classroom keypads, and the students most likely to lack these devices are those who can least afford them. Second, these devices [Page 684]are multifunctional, so students are more likely to be tempted to play games, tweet during class, or look up answers to quiz questions.

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