Unfortunately this session has had to be cancelled. A second session is planned for January 2010, please see our online online booking system for more details.

Audience response systems are technologies which allow presenters to rapidly gain input from an audience. These systems usually consist of a special handset given out to audience members which they then use to select responses during the session, the responses are collected via a special receiver and the results can be displayed instantly to the audience. While this type of technology is not new, there has been increased interest in it in Higher Education over recent years and it is now often found to be an integral part of teaching spaces in many institutions.

This session will allow participants to experience using one particular audience response system (TurningPoint), demonstrating the different types of activities that are possible with such systems and how they can be used to increase student engagement. The session will also cover issues such as:

• The logistics involved e.g. how do students get their handsets?
• Integration with the College’s virtual learning environment, Blackboard
• Other emerging technologies such as voting via SMS (texting)

While this session uses a particular audience voting system, it is not intended to be an in depth training session for this product. Rather it is intended to show what can be done with these types of system, to discuss any logistical and pedagogical issues that are raised by their use but most importantly to give participants some real hands on experience in their use.

To book a place on the session, please visit our online course booking system on http://www.esdcourses.org.uk/

A second instance of the session is scheduled for 12th January 2010.

If you are interested in this session but cannot attend on these dates, please contact us on elearning@qmul.ac.uk as it may be possible to organise another date.

Links

Turning Technologies website. The makers of the TurningPoint system

Photo credit

sean dreilinger on flickr

For more information, visit the TurningTechnologies UK website

If you would like to attend, you can book onto this session at http://esdcourses.org.uk

Our three presentations are:

Sally Mitchell and James Taylor, from the Language and Learning Unit, will present on their use and development of Interloc, a Digital Dialogue Game, in collaboration with London Metropolitan University. The software is used to promote critical discussion and reasoned dialogue.

Brendan Curran, from the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, will present on a methodology to approach teaching practical skills to large student numbers. The method provides an individual learning experience for each student, uses small group sizes, and utilizes: on-line exercises hosted by Pearsons; in-house videos; and trained facilitators to teach lab techniques. It has been introduced very recently and has, to date, proven popular with staff and students.

Patricia Revest, from the School of Medicine and  Dentistry, will present on her use of the Audience Response System (ARS) TurningPoint on the undergraduate Medical Programme. This allows the presenter to receive rapid feedback during the class and quickly gauge learning while boosting student engagement.

Please get in touch if you have any queries about this session and feel free to forward it to anyone (internal or external to QMUL) who you think may be interested.

• Pedagogic implications of IWBs and voting systems
• Use within the curriculum, learning styles and good practice
• Producing exciting and dynamic lessons with these devices
• How these technologies can help with inspection by enriching learning and enlivening lessons
• Tips on finding and using online resources
• How the systems promote discussion and help reticent students

The workshop is repeated in March and June 2009. More information is available on the Netskills website