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Journal of Medical Education

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of the audience response system (ARS) on medical students' learning outcomes and teachers' performance in a traditional lecture-based pathology course. Methods: We introduced the ARS to teachers in the Department of Pathology in a medical school and invited them to use it during pathology lectures voluntarily. Those not using the ARS were non-ARS controls. Each student had a clicker to vote for questions or count attendance in classes conducted using the ARS. Student attendance for classes not using the ARS was counted by a research assistant. Student's opinions regarding ARS use in classes, attendance, examination performance, and perceptions of teachers' performance in 2 years were collected, analyzed, and compared between the ARS and non- ARS groups. Results: Most (73%) students agreed that the ARS was helpful for learning during lectures. The ARS enhanced students' active participation and learning in class, and the vast majority (94%) agreed that the ARS facilitated concept integration. A total of 84% of the respondents agreed that the ARS provided instant feedback of classmates' performance during lectures. The ARS group had higher attendance (85.4 ± 10.9% vs 69.5 ± 11.3%, p ＜ .01) for the same year and written examination scores (80.0 ± 9.9 vs 71.6 ± 8.2, p ＜ .0001) compared with those who did not use the ARS in the previous year. Conclusions: The ARS enhanced students' active participation, engagement with teachers, and class learning. It helped improve teachers' teaching performance and students' attendance, which resulted in improved academic performance in a lecture-based pathology course.

First Page

237

Last Page

244

DOI

10.6145/jme.201912_23(4).0006

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