Impact of Audience Response System in Enhancing Teaching of Anatomy and Physiology for Health Sciences Students at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences

• Published in: Advances in medical education and practice Vol. 14; pp. 421 - 432
• Main Authors: Baashar, Ahmaed, Kumar, Raju Suresh, Akhtar, S M Irshad, Alyousif, Sarah M, Alhassan, Abdulaziz I, Townsi, Nada
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Zealand Dove Medical Press Limited 01.01.2023; Dove; Dove Medical Press
• Subjects: Academic achievement; active and engaging learning; Education; educational technology; formative assessment; knowledge retention; Medical students; Methods; Original Research; Sciences education; Study and teaching; Teachers; Teaching; Saudi Arabia; formative assessment; knowledge retention; educational technology; medical students; active and engaging learning
• DOI: 10.2147/AMEP.S397621
• ISSN: 1179-7258

Instructional methods that offer students' opportunity for engagement are essential to develop an active learning environment. This paper aims (1) to assess whether the use of an Audience Response System (ARS) during anatomy and physiology lectures improves students' engagement, knowledge retention and academic achievement and (2) to evaluate the feasibility of introducing ARS as a formative tool from both instructors' and students' perspectives. This quasi-experimental study was conducted across ten lectures for the second-year Pre-Applied Medical Science (PAMS) and Pre-Medical (PMED) students at the College of Sciences and Health Professions, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The ARS was integrated into five lectures, whereas the remaining were conducted without ARS. A comparison of the immediate post-lecture and prior laboratory session quiz scores between the lectures with and without ARS was performed using an independent sample -test. An online survey was completed by the students as well as informal feedback was taken from the instructors to assess ARS usefulness. A total of 65 PMAS and 126 PMED students participated in the study. Students achieved significantly better scores for ARS lectures than non-ARS lectures: PAMS ( 0.038) and PMED ( 0.018). Students and instructors agreed that ARS was easy to use, allowing students to engage and actively participate in the teaching process by responding to questions and receiving instant and anonymous feedback about their learning progress. Employing suitable interactive teaching methods facilitates students' learning and improves their retention of knowledge. Students and instructors positively view the ARS strategy as a means to promote learning in a traditional lecture setting. Increased practice on how to integrate its use into classrooms could lead to further utilization.