Turning Tech's NYC Users Speak Out: How we use ARS

One of the questions we asked groups to consider was how they use (or for new users, how they plan to use) ARS in their instruction. During the discussion, many different perspectives were shared. After listing responses from each group and using the Priority Ranking feature in TurningPoint, participants ranked responses in order of preference.

 

As we all know, keeping students engaged can be a major challenge, and not just in large lecture environments. Participants felt engagement was the most important reason for using ARS, and they shared how ARS has helped keep students actively focused.

 

When I meet with faculty who are considering integrating ARS into instruction, I'm always curious to hear what they hope to accomplish with the technology. For many, they're simply looking for a way to take attendance or conduct quick quizzes with immediate feedback. But once they start using Turning Technologies ARS in their teaching, they usually report how student engagement has improved - even if the reports are anecdotal. Under constant pressure to produce data on academic progress, , we often forget about engagement.

 

Not only can ARS keep students engaged, but the reporting tools can also give instructors a good idea about which students are actively participating. 

 

Another hot topic among participants was using ARS for case- based learning. Many of the attendees were from medical, nursing and allied health schools, and other programs where case-based learning is popular. They found that the ARS technology lends itself nicely to this type of work.

 

Assessing prerequisite knowledge was identified as another important use of ARS. Participants discussed how ARS is an effective tool for not only uncovering what knowledge students bring with them, but also for on-the-spot identification of students comprehension of concepts, or formative assessment. 

 

There was even some discussion about using the immediate feedback to help instructors identify the effectiveness of their questions. It was very encouraging to hear faculty members talk about this type of self-examination. Having taught at both K-12 and college levels myself, I understand the reluctance to look at this. Many simply feel they don't have the time. And for some, it's a stone that is often easier, and less painful, to leave unturned. It was wonderful to hear colleagues from different institutions sharing about how they're using a tool intended to engage and assess students to help make themselves better teachers.

 

Other possible uses for ARS that we discussed included: garnering student feedback through town hall formats, record-keeping, social norms, gauging student interest and peer instruction.

 

The table below shows the feedback about ARS use from our Priority ranking.

 

 

 

Check back for future installments, where we'll look at difficulties and concerns users have about using ARS, as well as strategies for conveying the benefits of ARS to new or prospective users.

 

For us at Turning Technologies, among the most important feedback was that everyone who attended reported learning at least one valuable thing during the event. And an overwhelming majority of attendees want more events like this in the future. As we continue the discussions begun in November, we'll look into ways to make more opportunities for this type of collaboration available.

 

(To contact me directly:  ghartstein@turningtechnologies.com)