Audience Response Systems (ARS)

Audience response is the interaction between a lecturer/presenter and the students/audience. Audience Response Systems are tools that facilitate this type of interaction with the clicker as one of the more well-known examples.

At UCIrvine, we are fortunate to be able to integrate the use of an ARS that requires a digital device (rather than another hardware device such as clicker) because we know that all of our students have access to an iPad at the least. LiveClassTech, a web-based solution, is the ARS that has been selected to be used for improving participation during the lectures for the MS1 and MS2 courses. It is a simple tool that works within most browsers to allow lecturers to post questions and collect real-time feedback from students. Student responses can be accepted anonymously or with identification and are also presented in pie chart format for immediate summative or formative analysis by a lecturer. For more information on using LiveClassTech, visit the Faculty and Staff Resources page at meded.uci.edu: http://www.meded.uci.edu/toolsclassroom.asp.

Other ARS tools that we have piloted are i>Clicker, ResponseWare by Turning Technologies and ViaResponse (the latter two have iOS/mobile apps that turn a mobile device into a digital response card). We expect to pilot Poll Everywhere soon.

Contact Julie Youm at jyoum@uci.edu if you are interested in exploring the use of audience response systems in your clerkships.

Podcast: December 3, 2012 CCD Showcase: Audience Response Systems
(Note: there are some audio issues at the end.)