Fergusson, Stuart J, Aka, Justine J, Hennessy, Catherine, Wilson, Andrew J, Parson, Simon H, Harrison, Ewen M, Finn, Gabrielle M and Gillingwater, Thomas H (2018) Examining the impact of audience response systems on student performance in anatomy education: a randomised controlled trial. Scottish Medical Journal, 63 (1). pp. 16-21. ISSN 0036-9330

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Abstract

Background and aims: Electronic audience response systems offer the potential to enhance learning and improve
performance. However, objective research investigating the use of audience response systems in undergraduate education
has so far produced mixed, inconclusive results.We investigated the impact of audience response systems on short and long-term test performance, as well as student perceptions of the educational experience, when integrated into undergraduate anatomy teaching.

Methods and results: A cohort of 70 undergraduate medical students was randomly allocated to one of the two
groups. Both groups received the same anatomy lecture, but one group experienced the addition of audience response
systems. Multiple-choice tests were conducted before, immediately after the lecture and again 10 weeks later.
Self-perceived post-lecture subject knowledge, confidence and enjoyment ratings did not differ between groups. Test
performance immediately following the lecture improved when compared against baseline and was modestly but significantly
superior in the group taught with audience response systems (mean test score of 17.3/20 versus 15.6/20 in the
control group, p ¼ 0.01). Tests conducted 10 weeks after the lecture showed no difference between groups (p ¼ 0.61),
although overall a small improvement from the baseline test was maintained (p¼0.02).

Conclusions: Whilst audience response systems offer opportunities to deliver novel education experiences to students,
an initial superiority over standard methods does not necessarily translate into longer term gains in student
performance when employed in the context of anatomy education.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Medical education, education methodology, education technology, audience response systems, anatomy
Schools and Departments:	Brighton and Sussex Medical School > Brighton and Sussex Medical School Brighton and Sussex Medical School > Division of Medical Education
Depositing User:	Elizabeth Renvoize
Date Deposited:	07 Aug 2018 12:43
Last Modified:	02 Jul 2019 15:01
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/77555

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