Authors:
L. Mediero
1
;
A. Lastra
2
;
1
and
J. H. García Palacios
1
Affiliations:
1
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Department of Civil Engineering: Hydraulics, Energy and Environment, ETSI Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Profesor Aranguren, 3, 28040, Madrid, Spain
;
2
Canal de Isabel II. Research, Development and Innovation Department. Calle Santa Engracia 125, 28003, Madrid, Spain
Keyword(s):
Audience Response System, Electronic Voting, Poll Everywhere, Civil Engineering, Smartphones.
Abstract:
Traditional teaching techniques based on either chalk and board or PowerPoint are usual in civil engineering schools, fostering a passive behaviour in students. Active learning techniques based on audience response systems can overcome such passivity. Currently, most undergraduates and postgraduates own a smartphone. Therefore, lectures based on polls with smartphones can help to improve student learning. This study presents the benefits of a lecture based on an audience response system compared with a traditional teaching technique. A poll related to smartphone-use was applied to a lecture in hydraulics delivered in a civil engineering school to solve a complex open-channel flow problem. The results showed that student learning and understanding about the procedure to perform the exercise correctly improved highly by means of active learning activity. The number of students that failed a similar exercise after the class halved because of the mobile-based poll. In addition, the stude
nt satisfaction survey highlighted that the activity led to a more active class. The survey also found that most of the students felt that the activity is interesting and useful to understand how to address such exercises.
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