Assessing the Effectiveness of Using Interactive and Real-time Classroom Engagement Technology in Higher Education in Hong Kong

Abstract

It is often observed in higher education that students are so shy that they are not willing to actively engage in classroom activities. In this situation, a conventional way of gauging students’ comprehension and inviting students in knowledge-discovery often fails to provide timely feedback that would allow teachers to adjust their teaching, either contents or delivery styles, to support students’ active classroom engagement effectively. Therefore, this project aims to measure the effectiveness of using an interactive and real-time classroom engagement tool, which uses smartphones to synchronize teaching and learning activities in a classroom, in higher education in Hong Kong. Specifically, this project conducts the following research tasks: (1) developing metrics for determining the effectiveness of classroom engagement technology, (2) conducting statistical analyses to determine whether or not this technology is effective in higher education in Hong Kong, and (3) interviewing students to supplement the feasibility study.