MITE Monthly Tip
February 2024
Sarah Hipkens, MD
Audience Response Systems
Another PowerPoint?!?
Whether it is a lecture on hyponatremia or handwashing we have come to rely heavily on the use of PowerPoint in medical education. With lecture after lecture delivered in a very similar format we run the risk of losing people’s attention. One tool to “shake things up” during a presentation is the use of audience response software (ARS). These are programs like Poll Everywhere and Slido which allow presenters to engage with audience members via live polls, quizzes, Q&A’s or surveys. Multiple studies have demonstrated both improved learner engagement (Hatch et al, 2006) and performance (Benson et al, 2017).
How do I incorporate it into my next didactic presentation??
- If you have a Tufts appointment with a Tufts email you can access their Poll Everywhere
https://access.tufts.edu/poll-everywhere - Otherwise you can use Forms, one of Maine Health’s included Microsoft apps (found on the MH Intranet)
Creating a poll in Microsoft Forms
- Sign in to Microsoft Forms
- Click New Form
- Click on Untitled Form
- Add a description for your poll
- Click + Add New
- Select the question type
- Type in your poll question
- Type in the predefined answers in the Option fields
- Click Preview
- Click the More Form Settings
- Click Collect responses
References
- Beekes W. The ‘Millionaire’ method for encouraging participation. Active Learning High Educ. 2006;7:25–36.
- Benson J. D. Szucs K. A. DeIuliis E. D. and Leri A.(2017) Impact of Student Response Systems on Initial Learning and Retention of Course Content in Health Sciences Students. Journal of Allied Health. 46(3),158–163.
- Hatch J, Jensen M, Moore R. Manna from heaven or “clickers” from hell. J Coll Sci Teach. 2005;24:36–9.
- Schmidt, T., Gazou, A., Rieß, A. et al. The impact of an audience response system on a summative assessment, a controlled field study. BMC Med Educ 20, 218 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02130-4
Want to earn CE Credits? Click here
Download PDF