The Audience Response System (ARS) is a computerized system by which an audience is able to enter responses to questions on a hand-held keypad. At Duke University Health System, we have found that the ARS provides useful, informative, and instant feedback from participants in professional courses and organizational meetings. Presentations become more than lectures, classes, or forums--they become interactive experiences that encourage participation and discussion.

Duke University Health System Education Services utilizes the ARS in the classroom setting to:

  • Promote critical thinking through active learning and discussion in case-based scenarios
  • Identify areas of practice that need further reinforcement
  • Identify and discuss misconceptions
  • Elicit varied points of view or opinions
  • Provide instantaneous feedback to participants
  • Promote interactivity and group discussion
  • Assess mastery of content
  • To obtain and discuss varied view points, even when no one view is correct

In Action

Using a slide show format, the instructor presents content to the audience. At the beginning of the class, participants are given hand-held keypads that have a calculator-like appearance and provide anonymity. The hand-held faceplate contains the numbers 0 - 10 and the letters A - F.

During instruction, questions can be utilized to obtain opinions, decisions, or feedback from the audience. The questions in the presentation can be assigned up to 10 responses. Typically, we use questions that have four responses. After the question and answers are presented, a time clock embedded in the presentation is started. The respondents have a specified time limit to press a corresponding key on their hand-held keypad. The time limit varies depending upon the complexity of the content and whether the answer requires a critical thinking component or simply requires a quantitative response.

At the end of the time limit, the results are immediately calculated and displayed in a graph with percentages at the bottom of the slide. Instructors use the results in the graph to reinforce or clarify the information in the presentation.

Calculated group results are immediately available, allowing the instructor to identify how well the participants use critical thinking to identify the correct response. Depending upon the percentage of correct responses, the instructor can determine how well the participants understand information that has been presented. If a majority of the responses were incorrect, then the instructor can provide remediation to explain current practice and research findings.

Use with Case Studies

Clinical case studies are a popular use of this technology. Learners are able to proceed through a clinical scenario while remaining in a group setting. Critical information is presented and might represent a change in practice or reinforcement of information that has been documented to be out of compliance via quality data. The learners are able to answer questions regarding clinical choices in real time, indicating immediate retention of the content.

Use of the ARS in clinical case studies has increased participation and participant enthusiasm. The learner is able to do more than just listen to a lecture. As the case study is presented, the learner can use critical thinking, provide a response anonymously, and view the correct answer in a structured method. Because the ARS provides anonymity, participants are more likely to answer questions or express opinions. Learners have stated that being able to participate via the ARS increased the quality level of the presentation and speaker. By using an interactive approach, attention to the subject was maintained by the learners with greater participation.

Gaining Consensus

Another use of the technology has been with gaining consensus in a large group setting. The advantages of using the ARS in these instances include the ability for an individual to "vote" for their choice while remaining anonymous. In 2005, Nursing Leadership was challenged with developing a nursing strategic plan which would span the entities that comprised the health system. When the health system was formed in 1998, each hospital and unit was an island of nursing practices, nursing recruitment and nursing policies. Using the ARS, and bringing together over 150 representatives from across the health system, the leadership group identified practices that were alike, similar or dissimilar in the three entities. With the information immediately available, the leadership group was able to catalogue prioritize the issues that needed immediate change.

As educators and trainers strive for educational activities that involve the participation of the learner, the opportunity of using the ARS at Duke has been a positive experience. By having information and graphical data interpretation readily available, educators and leadership groups have been able to focus on identified needs or practice changes. The data and reports can also be archived for trending and analysis over time. Blended technologies provide facilitator/learner interactions that are interesting, appeal to a myriad of learning styles, and ensure the participation of all who hold a keypad.

2006 ASTD, Alexandria, VA. All rights reserved.