U N I V E R S I T Y  O F  P I T T S B U R G H

Volume X, Number 1

Interactive Response Systems for
Physics & Astronomy Lecture Halls

Chandralekha Singh and Peter Koehler Photo by Joe Kapelewski, CIDDE

Both Chandralekha Singh and Peter Koehler, Physics and Astronomy, are active in physics education research; one evolving area of this research conclusively confirms what Singh and Koehler have learned through their many years’ experience teaching large, introductory classes: actively engaging students helps them better understand course concepts and is also effective in correcting any preconceived misunderstandings that many students enter the course with. Therefore, they intend to employ their Innovation in Education grant to purchase and install Student Interactive Response Systems (SRS) for the Physics and Astronomy Lecture Halls in Thaw and Alumni Halls.

The SRS is relatively new technology comprised of small, hand-held transmitters and fixed receivers within the classrooms. Using the transmitters, students will be able to interact in real time with the instructor. For example, at any time during a class the instructor can pose a multiple choice question. Students’ responses are processed by a computer which enables the instructor to provide immediate feedback. Answers can be displayed in summary form and can also be saved for later, more thorough analysis.

Additionally, since each transmitter is coded with a unique student identification number, the instructor can monitor participation and comprehension of individual students. This real-time monitoring allows the instructor to immediately adjust the lecture to clear up students’ misunderstandings. It also allows students to become actively involved through small-group discussions initiated by SRS questions or responses (i.e., to engage in “peer instruction,” a teaching strategy espoused by both Singh and Koehler). As a bonus, the transmitter coding will also allow instructors to monitor attendance.

Singh and Koehler plan to purchase 540 transmitters and 8 receivers. The receivers will be installed in rooms 102 and 104 of Thaw Hall and room 343 of Alumni Hall. To facilitate distribution and collection of the assigned transmitters before and after each class, appropriate storage racks will be purchased for each of these lecture halls.

During the last fall and spring terms, Singh and Koehler report that almost 3,200 undergraduates took introductory physics and astronomy courses in the three lecture halls where the SRSs are to be installed. Based on feedback from their colleagues (many of whom are interested in using the new system), they anticipate that in the first year alone at least 2,000 students will benefit. By actively involving that many students, Singh and Koehler feel that this investment will have a strongly positive impact on their department’s teaching of introductory courses.

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