TurningPoint ResponseWare is a live polling system* that supports active learning and increases classroom engagement. At the LSE, we support the licensed use of ResponseWare, which uses students' mobile devices to allow them to register their answers to questions in real time, and results being displayed instantly.
Teachers and students can then review, discuss, react to the results. While one of its favourite features for most teachers at the LSE is that the system integrates well with PowerPoint, it can also be used as a standalone system.
*Such systems are variously referred to as Electronic Voting systems (EVS), Audience/ Classroom Personal Response System (ARS, PRS, CRS), or live/ instant voting.
Turning Technologies Accessibility Conformance Report 2018
Why use instant voting?
Instant voting systems come into their own in large classrooms where class-wide discussions or Q&A style sessions are often impossible. Used creatively, they can be used to promote and enable creative and engaging teaching in large and small classroom contexts.
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Quick polls break up the monotony of one-way lectures (and gives teachers a break from speaking)
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Anonymity can put students at ease – the fear of being seen not to know or have understood something is eliminated, students are safe to express opinions, political and social preferences under discussion without admitting to it personally
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Diagnostic use allows teachers to gauge cohorts' initial level of knowledge and progressive understanding
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It allows teachers to use the so-called “Socratic" teaching method, progressing students’ understanding through questioning their preconceptions, reacting flexibly to their answers and thus progressing to a fuller understanding as a whole
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Instant voting systems can be used creatively, eg get students to react and interact with each other, to contribute to active learning and increased classroom engagement
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Teachers can collect post-session feedback to review their content, identify problem areas and track student progression.
Guides, Advice and Training
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To get an instructor account, please contact eden.digital@lse.ac.uk with your LSE email.
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For advice on how to create well-formed and relevant questions, or help on using the system, please contact eden.digital@lse.ac.uk
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We continue to review available alternatives, some of which may provide features that ResponseWare does not. We can offer advice on these as well as some support, please contact s.grussendorf@lse.ac.uk to find out which ones might better support your teaching methods.
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A workshop on classroom technologies with focus on instant voting systems will be offered in LT2020; booking will be made available on the Eden Atlas programme page nearer the time.
Further Reading
Bruff, Derek, One-Best-Answer Questions: Clickers, Critical Thinking, and Legal Education (2017), Blog post: https://derekbruff.org/?p=3187
Bruff, Derek, Thinking about Think-Pair-Share (2015), Blog: https://derekbruff.org/?p=3117
Kay, Robin and LeSage, A, Examining the Benefits and Challenges of Using Audience Response Systems: A Review of the Literature (2009), Computers & Education, 53.
Wong, Anson (2016) Classroom Response Systems and Student Performance Improvement: Local Versus International Students, Journal of Teaching in International Business, 27:4, 197-208, DOI: 10.1080/08975930.2017.1302393