Abstract

This article presents a case study of the impact on student learning of introducing an electronic voting system (EVS) into large-group lectures for first-year undergraduate students undertaking degrees in marketing and business systems. We discuss the potential for using EVS-style interactive lectures in marketing and business programmes. We then describe how we planned the session and selected and implemented the EVS system. We go on to present an evaluative research project, which was undertaken on the innovation using case-study methodology, and assess its impact on student learning. Data for the evaluation were collected through questionnaire and focus groups with a sample of students. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings show how students perceived the use of EVS in large lectures and how their learning was affected. A ‘threefold typology’ emerged that explains how students related to the EVS and how their perceptions of EVS changed over time. The discussion links these findings to the literature on different paradigms of learning and teaching, using Renshaw’s framework, and examines how the EVS-style lectures promote deep and active learning within the constructivist, social constructivist and metacognitive learning paradigms identified in Renshaw’s model. The conclusions show how the use of a userfriendly EVS in large lectures motivates students, develops students’ cognitive and social learning skills, and improves learning effectiveness.DOI: 10.1080/09687760600837090

Highlights

  • Kingston University provides undergraduate degrees in business and marketing

  • electronic voting system (EVS)-style lectures contain features that promote active learning in lectures to large groups that were consonant with the beliefs of the two lecturers involved

  • ● Learning ought to be based on learning theory that is applied to the large lecture situation

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Summary

Introduction

Kingston University provides undergraduate degrees in business and marketing. A large numbers of students (500) undertake certain Year One modules at the same time, which have traditionally been delivered through lectures. A decision was taken to test the use of an electronic voting system (EVS)-style interactive lecture and PowerPointVote System (PPVOTE) in first-year marketing and business studies modules. The systems purchase did require certain additional hardware and software conditions to be met These were satisfied by the information technology provision in the lecture theatres across the university. There is a university-wide network linked to a proprietary virtual learning system, which feeds into classrooms where a data-projection system is run from a stand-alone computer linked to large screens or electronic white boards. This information-technology-enriched classroom met the hardware and software pre-requisite.

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