Student Response Systems (SRS)

No matter how interesting your topic is, if you teach just by lecturing, you will lose the attention of  most of your students within the first twenty minutes. This is simply one manifestation of the limits of human's working memory capacity and attention span. Student response systems (SRS) such as Poll Everywhere, combined with active learning techniques such as peer instruction, can combat this memory "fade" and are proven to increase student engagement and test results.

Peer Instruction

See the Techniques & Resources at the bottom of this page for ConcepTest question sources  and guidance on writing your own.

How to Use Student Response Systems

• Asking Questions, discussing with peer(s), & re-polling
• Conducting ConcepTests (assessing understanding of concepts in practical applications)
• Conducting anonymous opinion surveys
• Assessing and activating students prior knowledge of a topic at the start of a lecture
• Converting paper/pencil or Cougar Course quizzes to SRS questions. Students receive immediate feedback and misconceptions can be immediately corrected
• Collecting demographics, including major, career goal, and math preparation
• Creating SRS questions as a followup to students' group presentations to get feedback for presenters or review material presented.

Tools in Use at CSUSM

Poll Everywhere harnesses the power of the web and gives students a legitimate reason to use their mobile phones and laptops during class. Using the Poll Everywhere app or browser, you can ask students a multiple choice question or let students respond freely. There are three ways to respond: through the Poll Everywhere app, using a web browser, or sending a text message. Polls can be inserted into PowerPoint and responses displayed live. Responses can be automatically graded and synced into Cougar Courses. Please see our Poll Everywhere help guide for instructors to learn more.

Techniques and Resources