Electronic Voting Systems, Polling, Clickers, Audience Response Systems
What are they?
Electronic voting systems (EVS) consist of a number of handsets, one per participant, which are connected via wireless technology to a computer with special software. They allow participants in a meeting or lecture to express their opinions anonymously by selecting one item from a range of choices given to them by the teacher/presenter. The computer then tallies the choices and displays the results, optionally in chart format.
The Educause Learning Initiative’s (ELI’s) 7 Things You Should Know About... series contains a useful guide to voting systems under the title Clickers (PDF). There are also extensive resources on Electronic Voting Systems developed Steve Draper at the University of Glasgow.
How can I use them with my students?
An EVS “can add a dynamic interactive element to large group teaching contexts” (JISC Innovative Practice in E-learning Guide) by capturing a snapshot of students’ current factual knowledge, conceptual understanding or opinions in the following ways:
- As a diagnostic tool. For example, you might ask a true/false or multiple-choice question at the beginning of the lecture in order to find out students’ initial level of understanding. You can then adapt your teaching according to the nature and extent of the misconceptions that their appear to hold. Then, you can poll them again later in the lecture to see whether their understanding has developed. As with multiple-choice quizzes, it’s important to design the alternative answers carefully so that they reflect - and potentially capture - common misconceptions that students may hold.
- In a debate or discussion, to capture students’ “before” and “after” positions.
An extensive general review, Using Electronic Voting Systems in Lectures, by Vicki Simpson and Martin Oliver, is available from the Learning Technology Website of University College, London (UCL).
Steve Draper's Web pages on electronic voting systems and interactive lectures are another goldmine of information.
Examples
You can read about how voting systems have been used with students in these online articles and case studies:
- Panayiotidis, A. & Masikunas. G. (2005) Electronic Voting Systems: Increasing the “buzz factor” in first year business lectures. ALT Online Newsletter, Issue 2.
- University of Edinburgh School of Physics. Electronic Voting: Interactive Engagement in Large Class Lectures
- JISC Innovative Practice with e-Learning Guide. Active Collaborative Learning: University of Strathclyde (available in text or video format) (Mechanical Engineering)
- JISC Effective Practice case study, Apply concepts and skills, The Working Men’s College (WMC)
- A case study using voting in a learning design to teach literature to secondary school students from the eLIDA CAMEL project
Where can I get one?
Unfortunately, voting systems do not come free! There are a number on the market, some of which are included in Simpson and Oliver’s review. There is also a comprehensive account by Paul Burt of the process of selecting an EVS at the University of Surrey in the ALT Online Newsletter, Issue 9 (July 2007). This includes a detailed set of criteria for evaluating the different tools available, as well as a list of the actual tools evaluated. However, for an up-to-date list of voting systems, type “electronic voting systems” into your search engine.
You can also poll students via their mobile phones: see SMS Voting on the Website of CodeSegment.
