2012/05/03 by Diane Donovan, Birgit Loch
Engineering · Social Sciences · #Experimental Learning in Engineering #Innovations in Educational Methods #Innovative Teaching Methods
paper · doi:10.1080/0020739x.2012.678898
openalex publication_date 2012/05/03 · crossref created 2012/05/03 · crossref issued 2013/01/15 · crossref published 2013/01/15 · crossref published-print 2013/01/15 · crossref deposited 2019/06/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/28 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
How can active learning, peer learning and prompt feedback be achieved in large first-year mathematics classes? Further, what technologies may support these aims? In this article, we assert that test revision sessions in first-year mathematics held in a technology-enhanced lecture theatre can be highly interactive with students solving problems, learning from each other and receiving immediate feedback. This is facilitated by pen-enabled screens and synchronization software. We argue that the educational benefits achievable through the technology do outweigh the technological distractions, and that these benefits can be achieved by focused, targeted one-off sessions and not only by a semester-long, regular approach. Repeat mid-semester test revision sessions were offered on a non-compulsory basis using pen-enabled screens for all students. Students worked practice test questions and marked solutions to mathematical problems on the screens. Students’ work was then displayed anonymously for their peers to see. Answers were discussed with the whole class. We discuss outcomes from two offerings of these sessions using student feedback and lecturer reflections and show the impact of participation on self-reported student confidence. Pedagogical approaches that the technology allowed for the first time in a large class are highlighted. Students responded uniformly positively.