Live interest meter: learning from quantified feedback in mass lectures

Abstract

There is currently little or no support for speakers to learn by reflection when addressing a big audience, like mass lectures, virtual courses or conferences. Reliable feedback from the audience could improve personal skills and work performance. To address this shortcoming we have developed the Live Interest Meter App (LIM App) that supports the gathering, aggregation and visualization of feedback. This application allows audience members to easily provide and quantify their feedback through a simple meter. We conducted several experimental tests to investigate the acceptance and perceived usefulness of the LIM App and a user study in an academic setting to inform its further development. The results of the study illustriate the potential of the LIM App to be used in such scenarios. Main findings show the need for motivating students to use the application, the readiness of presenters to learn retrospectively, and distraction as the main concern of end users.