The Audience Response System: A New Resource in Medical Education

Taking advantage of user-friendly technology, audience response systems (ARS) facilitates greater interaction with participants engaged in a variety of group activities. Each participant has an input device that permits them to express a view in complete anonymity, and the composite view of the total group appears on a public screen. ARS can then be used to support summative and formative activities with groups ranging in size from as small as five through to large groups of several hundred. The data can be used to help the facilitator adjust the pace of teaching to match the requirements of the learners, gauge understanding, or trigger discussion and debate. Audience Response Systems in Higher Education: Applications and Cases reveals some of the history behind these systems, explores current theory and practice, and indicates where technology may move in the future. Cases are used to present the work of educators in a wide range of subject areas and with differing levels of experience with these systems