Students’ perceptions of lecturing approaches: traditional versus interactive teaching

Abstract

BackgroundThere is an increasing trend toward transcending from traditional teaching to student-centered methodologies that actively engage students. We aimed to analyze students’ perceptions of effective interactive teaching using PollEverywhere Audience Response System (ARS) as a worthwhile teaching methodology. It can be of great help in maintaining students’ attention and in facilitating the lecturer to pick up students’ misunderstandings and correct them.Materials and methodsThis system was introduced to the undergraduate dental curriculum to increase student’s motivation and attention, giving immediate feedback on student understanding during an anatomy module. Computer science (CS) students who were more familiar with the use of this technology were also involved in the study for comparison and validation of the findings. The lecturer strategically inserted questions using PollEverywhere ARS. Students’ perception of the effective interactive teaching using this technology was evaluated statistically using a questionnaire and focus groups.ResultsIt promoted interactivity, focused attention, and provided feedback on comprehension. A total of 95% reported that it increased their participation and found that it clarified their thinking and helped to focus on key points. Another 81.7% mentioned that it increased their motivation to learn. Students regarded it as a useful method for giving real-time feedback, which stimulated their performance and participation. Data from CS students echoed the findings from the dental students. Reports from focus groups demonstrated that this strategy was helpful in focusing students’ attention and in clarifying information.DiscussionPollEverywhere encouraged all students to participate during the learning process. This has proven to be an effective tool for improving students’ understanding and critical thinking.ConclusionStudents regarded PollEverywhere as an effective teaching innovation that encouraged deeper ongoing retention of information. It was found to be an effective teaching aid in monitoring students’ progress and identifying deficiencies. This is of benefit in a module where interactivity is considered important.

Using mobile audience response systems to enhance medical education: a medical student perspective

“…In conclusion, we agree with Abdel Meguid and Collins1 that when used effectively, ARS can have a significant role in higher education, and their study – together with our own experience in medical school – strongly supports this. While there are potential limitations to widespread ARS use in medical education, there is no reason why these cannot be overcome.…”

“…We agree with the importance of open-ended questions as mentioned in the Abdel Meguid and Collins1 article. For us, questions requiring critical thinking were much more beneficial than simple recall questions (although these also had value) and often sparked productive conversation surrounding the reasoning of responses.…”

Interactive Lecture in the Dissection Hall: Transforming Passive Lecture into a Dynamic Learning Experience

“…Dissection was made more effective by introducing team‐based tasks to promote collaborative learning (Kang et al, ). Lectures were made effective by making them interactive, that helped in developing problem‐solving skills and communication skills (Steinert and Snell, ; Mazur, ; Wolff et al, ; Abdel Meguid and Collins, ). Although numerous interactive techniques are available for small‐group teaching, effective interactive techniques for large‐group teaching are scarce (Chan, ; Wolff et al, ; Abdel Meguid and Collins, ).…”

Make learning fun to increase nursing students’ success: Formative feedback in communication learning

“…This way of teaching enables medical educators to assess students' progress, satisfaction and understanding to ensure that learning is achived. 9 However, many tutors report that students' performance is often not monitored or tested until the final summative exam. 10 Moreover, students state that a lack of formative feedback affects the teaching and learning process.…”

“…This gives educators a powerful advantage, enabling intervention and support at an early stage of study. 9,10 ARS technology is used to promote active learning within the classroom in numerous disciplines. 8 Researchers have identified that ARS use in combination with question-driven instruction make classroom teaching more student-centred, creating an environment for active learning.…”