Comparison of Classroom Participation Technology Uses in Higher Education

Abstract

Classroom participation is one simple activity that can promote students in active learning process. Research has shown that students who participate in class tend to have better learning outcomes. However, regardless of the encouragement from teachers, students rarely participate in class. Several technologies have been developed to promote participation. Web services such as Kahoot and Plickers allow student to answer multiple-choices questions in class without the need for specialized equipment. This paper presents a study that investigated the effectiveness of Kahoot and Plickers, compared to traditional classroom participation methods, in promoting learning outcomes in higher education classrooms. The results show that Plickers performed the worst and there were no differences in learning outcomes between students using Kahoot and traditional methods. The implication of this work is that teachers need to understand their classroom environment and choose the technology to use in class accordingly in order to achieve its potential.