Use of Clickers for Assurance of Learning in Introductory Financial Accounting

Enhancing student engagement in large management accounting lectures

“…However, there are also some caveats in the use of ARS found by Jain and Farley (2012) such as the overuse of ARS may lead to loss of interest and some technical problems with the use of mobile phones or the signal received. Regarding the association between the use of ARS and learning outcomes, there is no clear evidence in the literature that supports or does not support an association between ARS and performance on examinations (Caldwell, 2007;King and Robinson, 2009;Chui et al, 2013;Eng et al, 2013). Following Addison et al (2009), we agree it is difficult to evaluate the effects of technology, in this case the use of ARS, on classroom learning because of the complexity of the many variables involved in teaching practice and in assessment of learning.…”

“…However, there are also some caveats in the use of ARS found by Jain and Farley () such as the overuse of ARS may lead to loss of interest and some technical problems with the use of mobile phones or the signal received. Regarding the association between the use of ARS and learning outcomes, there is no clear evidence in the literature that supports or does not support an association between ARS and performance on examinations (Caldwell, ; King and Robinson, ; Chui et al ., ; Eng et al ., ). Following Addison et al .…”

“…Participation was evaluated from (i) data collected from ARS system, which provides the number of students participating in class meetings by answering questions; (ii) students’ perceptions of the usefulness of ARS collected from an end‐of‐semester students’ survey, which is a key predictor of the belief that the use of a new technology enhances learning achievement (Mohr et al ., ); and (iii) observations and reflection regarding students’ participation during class meetings, which according to Bennet () is also an appropriate method to evaluate participation. Concentration . Concentration in lectures is defined as students staying alert focusing their attention to the topics covered in the lecture (Eng et al ., ). Concentration was evaluated from (i) results of lecture MCQs related to the lecture content collected from the ARS system, which is appropriate for measuring a basic level of understanding and therefore concentration (Caldwell, ); (ii) students’ perception of the effect of PLM and ARS on their concentration in the lecture, collected from the students’ survey, which are deemed to be consistent with the actual effect of the elements of the innovation (Kember, ; Richardson, 2005b); and (iii) observation of students’ concentration by the lecturer‐researcher's perception of the level of attention of students while explaining the topics of the lecture, which according to Bennet () is an appropriate measure of in‐class concentration because the lecturer is in a privileged position to assess the level of concentration of students in the lecture. Effort .…”

“…For example, Eng et al . () found ARS provides immediate and valuable feedback for instructors and students regarding their understanding of the lecture topics, encourages interaction and active learning and improves motivation, focus and understanding. Addison et al .…”

“…Research has shown that there are many benefits of using ARS in lectures. For example, Eng et al (2013) found ARS provides immediate and valuable feedback for instructors and students regarding their understanding of the lecture topics, encourages interaction and active learning and improves motivation, focus and understanding. Addison et al (2009) found ARS enhances learning experience, attention, engagement and participation.…”