Abstract:
University instructors have long struggled to incorporate problem solving exercises and meaningful question/answer sessions into the traditional lecture format, particularly in large-enrollment courses. One promising alternative for creating a more interactive, student-centered classroom is provided by electronic response systems (ERS). Similar systems have been used for several years, primarily in physics and engineering departments. A number of recent publications have analyzed ERS and their efficacy in this setting (e.g., Hake, 1998; Crouch and Mazur, 2001). However, the use of ERS has not spread widely to other disciplines and there is little research on its effectiveness in these other disciplines. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the experiences with implementing ERS in an Agricultural Intermediate Microeconomics course and to further the body of literature analyzing the effectiveness of using ERS in college classrooms. In general, the burden of using ERS remains somewhat heavy due to software inadequacies, but the response from students has been quite positive, with a large majority of students considering ERS-enhanced lectures to be more enjoyable and effective than traditional lectures.
Keywords:
interactive learning, electronic system
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