Overview

The use of Student Response Tools in teaching allows for active student involvement in discussions, which supports the Griffith 2020 strategy of "placing students at the centre of our educational activities".

Student Response Tools can be used in online or on-campus classes to:

• Elicit student participation and engagement to prompt deeper thinking about a particular question or problem.
• Monitor students’ understanding of course content in real time, in order to identify and address areas of confusion and adjust the pace of the course appropriately.
• Provide students with instant feedback on their comprehension to help them monitor their own understanding.
• Spark discussion among students as they compare, justify, and (perhaps) modify their answers.

Enabling Technology

Below is a summary of some Student Response tools that are currently in use at Griffith to help you select an option that may best suit your needs. These include:

• Blackboard Collaborate Polls - polling feature available in this virtual classroom tool
• jPoll - polling tool built at Griffith for learning and teaching
• Yammer Polls - polling feature available in this private social network
• Poll Everywhere - online polls and brainstorming/crowd sourcing
• Answer Garden - online word cloud/crowd sourcing

There are many other Student Response tools available on the market. These tools can be fully online; require software and hardware (like clickers and receiving devices); or solutions that combine both. For tools that are not hosted and supported by Griffith, please ensure privacy and possible cost factors are considered when selecting an appropriate solution.

Implement

Student Response Tools in Practice

• Social, Peer and Collaborative Learning
  Students provide autonomous feedback which can show common issues or learning within a group. This can spark discussion in groups and allow for sharing of knowledge and experiences.
• Flipped Learning
  Traditional lecture-type content is delivered external to class time, essentially replacing time allocated previously to study or homework, to focus class time on discussion, activities and student interaction.
• Active Learning
  Students are provided with opportunity for anonymous feedback in the class environment to actively participate in focusing on the areas of need to assist their own learning.

Support Resources

• jPoll Showcase

  More information on using jPoll

• Blackboard Collaborate - Polling Quick Reference Guide

  [PDF 190KB]

• The Pedagogical Implications of Implementing New Technologies to Enhance Student Engagement and Learning Outcome

  Sue Monk, Chris Campbell

• Introducing a learner response system to pre-service education students: Increasing student engagement

  Alison Sammel, Katie Weir, Christopher Klopper

• Meaning Check Questions as an Active Learning Tool in the University Biology Laboratory assists International Students

  Hye-Jin Hawkes Aldo Armstrong Hawkes Kathryn Tonissen

• Student polling software: where cognitive psychology meets educational practice?

  McGivern, P. and Coxon, M. (2015)

Contributed by

• Learning Futures
  

Preferred Citation

Learning Futures (2020). Student Response Tools. Retrieved from https://app.secure.griffith.edu.au/exlnt/entry/3845/view