Collaborative Teaching and Learning through the Incorporation of Wireless Student Response Systems (SRS)
Shohreh Hashemi
Associate Professor of Computer Information Systems, University of Houston-Downtown
Gail Kellersberger
Director of English Language Institute, University of Houston-Downtown
Abstract
Student Response Systems (SRS), also known as Clickers, Audience Response Systems (ARS) and Personal Response Systems (PRS), are simple handheld control units that transmit signals to a receiving station. These devices have been used in education for the past two decades, allowing for easy incorporation of tactual and kinesthetic learning modes into the array of classroom teaching strategies.
Studies have shown that SRS improve student learning by shifting the classroom paradigm from lecture with passive listeners to collaboration with active participants, which encourages class attendance, promotes active participation in the learning process, provides question-answering safety through anonymity, and enhances clearer comprehension of the presented materials with the end result of higher student satisfaction and an increase in student retention.
Like the student, the instructor benefits from this technology, and does so in the immediacy of content delivery. In fact, in the hands of an experienced SRS instructor, the teaching process in all aspects – format, timing, delivery, intensity, example, practice, discussion, question, review, and so on – dynamically morphs as the instructor reviews continuous feedback from all students (not only the talkers), gauging attention and comprehension in real-time and shifting instructional strategies in response.
This paper describes interactive wireless Student Response Systems and how this technology fosters a collaborative teaching and learning environment. Current SRS usage is reviewed, focusing on its use in education and in corporate training. A demonstration of an SRS reveals the range of functionalities available for various educational applications.