Further evidence needs
to be collected based upon the use of the PRS at the postgraduate level. For
example, the potential benefits of using the PRS for class tests are currently
unknown. It would also be useful to investigate student preparation for classes
in more depth by introducing more regular quizzes for material covered in
preparatory reading. Liebler (2003) suggests that this helps ensure that
students are adequately prepared for the class and highlights areas of potential
weakness. It will also be useful to explore whether similar results would
be obtained on other courses, whether related to this discipline or otherwise.
Also,more in-depth analysis of the student reaction to this technology could
be done through focus groups and a more detailed questionnaire.
The use of this system is pedagogically diverse: it may be used to assess
prior knowledge, introduce new concepts, check student understanding of
concepts discussed or re-emphasize certain concepts. It may also be used
to check whether students have completed and understood the preparatory
reading completed for the class. Questions may be phrased positively or
negatively and material from most subject areas could be adapted to use the
PRS. The clear advantage of the PRS is that it requires students to actively
engage with the subject matter during lecture time, preventing a passive
learning approach, often typical of the lecture setting (Synder, 2003). It
also allows the lecturer to respond to students’ needs by focusing questions
on areas of difficulty and provides immediate feedback to the individual,
and the student group as a whole based on both their own and relative peer
group performance and understanding. Above all the system is fun to use
and may, as a consequence, result in better student retention of key concepts
and more success in achieving learning objectives (Marston, 2003). The
disadvantage of the PRS is that it is not costless, although the cost depends
upon the number of handsets and receivers required. It does involve
additional time to set up and test the system, although I have found that it
only takes about five minutes to set up the system and it appears to be quite
reliable. Inevitably since this is computer-based technology, it could on
occasion break down or fail, leaving the lecturer to be distracted from the
main focus of the lecture (Marston, 2003).
Although the PRS will not suit all lecturers and learning environments,
this study demonstrates that the PRS has benefits in terms of increasing and
maintaining student participation and attention levels. If the PRS is used in
anonymous mode it has the added benefit of giving students the opportunity
to contribute to discussions anonymously, increasing their confidence to
participate more widely in class discussions.
B E E K E S : T H E ‘ M I L L I O NA I R E ’ METHOD