Dynamic CAA and peer supported learning in interactive classrooms

Advances in interactive classroom technology are opening up exciting, new ways of engaging students with CAA during face-to-face teaching. Project LOLA (Live and On-Line Assessment) is a 3-year national teaching fellowship project started in 2001, which has been exploring how one-way group response systems and two-way classroom communication systems can be used most effectively. The PRS (Personal Response System) is a popular group response system used as a means of promoting greater interactivity in the classroom, but there are many limitations in its standard use. These limitations are addressed in this paper and a system called RxShow, which overcomes some of them described. A significant benefit of RxShow is its integrated delivery with the option for dynamic display of results, which encourages “peer supported learning”. Assessment of students by the lecturer and feedback to the lecturer from students become more lively and interesting. Results from student evaluations of the improved approach are extremely positive.