Real-time classroom feedback via a computer network

Classroom feedback constitutes an important diagnostic tool for a learner-centered classroom environment. Student access to a networked computer in class is becoming more commonplace, and offers an additional communications channel between the student and the instructor. A software system has been developed which simultaneously collects text messages from all students in the classroom in response to a question posed by the instructor, and immediately displays the students' responses to the instructor The process is fast and paperless, and can provide a wealth of detail about the thought processes of each student. The system was implemented using the Perl scripting language, and was used to support the activities of a sophomore-level electrical systems course conducted in a classroom containing a networked MeXT workstation for each of the 23 students. The system was used to administer quizzes and collect results from in-class projects, but proved to be most useful for collecting responses to short concept-oriented problems designed to expose misconceptions. The students would type a short answer or multiple choice selection followed by an explanation of their reasoning. The short responses were used in class to assess the learning status of the class as a whole, while the explanations provided specific and individualized diagnostic information useful for tailoring subsequent class sessions.