Using internet-enabled mobile phones to enhance large class student engagement : lessons learned

The rapid proliferation of mobile phones amongst university students is providing unprecedented opportunities for their inclusion in the classroom to enhance interaction and learning amongst students. These opportunities have come about due to convergence of mobile phone and internet technology and the availability of internet enabled mobile phones and data packages. This paper outlines our experience in the use of this technology as an audience response system in a large first year marketing principles class. It has been suggested that large lectures are increasingly resulting in student disengagement as students are not challenged to think and participate (Cooper and Robinson, 2000). "The first crucial step in raising students¿ awareness of their own learning involves providing them with fast, accurate and individual feedback about their learning engagement in context" (Meyer and Shanahan, 2004, p.446). This system provided students with the opportunity to use their mobile phones to respond to carefully crafted multiple choice questions during a lecture. Students received immediate feedback on their understanding of the concepts and how well they have performed compared to their colleagues. The lecturer was also able to assess whether the majority of students had grasped each concept and was able to adjust the lecture content accordingly.