Investigation of audience interaction tools from the perspective of activity theory

Maintaining engagement of large audiences is not easy. Traditionally, lectures and presentations have relied on one-way mmunication from the presenter to the listening audience. Without receiving ongoing feedback, speakers cannot be sure that their delivery is at an appropriate pace, or that their message is being received and understood by their audience. This study suggests using a real-time audience engagement solution (Xorro-Q) to facilitate synchronous interaction between lecturers and their student audiences. Using activity theory as a theoretical framework we conducted a study to investigate student participation and engagement with an audience interaction tool in two undergraduate computing courses. In one classroom setting, the lecturer employed continuous informal discussion-based teaching activities with Xorro-Q tool. The other classroom setting used Xorro-Q to formally assess students’ subject knowledge by using traditional quiz type questions. The preliminary findings showed that audience participation tool has a promising direction for engaging students in both classroom settings. The class which adopted continuous informal discussion approach rendered more enjoyment among students, although the traditional formal assessment activities showed higher student participation. Thought these findings are at a very initial stage, they give some indication on how real-time audience engagement tools can be developed within classroom settings for assisting in teaching and learning practices.