Using a student response system to provide formative feedback in large classes : a phenomenographic study at the University of Cape Town

Includes abstract.The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of students' conceptions of the use of a student response system to provide formative feedback in large university classes. The main aim of formative feedback is to increase a student's knowledge, skills, and understanding of specific subject matter, by indicating a gap between the actual knowledge of the student and the required standard. However, in large classes the opportunities for formative assessment are limited, often resulting in little or no immediate feedback given to the students on their learning. One way of addressing this lack of assessment of students' understanding in the classroom is to incorporate a student response system into the lecture in order to facilitate learning and provide immediate formative feedback. A student response system is a tool that enables students to wirelessly send their responses to questions presented by a lecturer, using a small hand-held remote-controlled device