The Trial of an Audience Response System to Facilitate Problem-Based Learning in Legal Education

Abstract

This chapter provides a case study of how a lecturer in the School of Law at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) used an audience response system (ARS) in a lecture for a second-year, core, undergraduate law subject to facilitate problem-based learning. It identifies the positive student response to the use of an ARS, and explores the main benefits, for example, active engagement of students in the learning process, facilitation of formative assessment where the students develop initiative and peer relationships, and the provision of timely and worthwhile feedback. The chapter also identifies some of the problems that the author faced in the trial, and provides some suggested solutions and recommendations. The author hopes to encourage other lecturers to take advantage of an ARS to enhance student learning, and identifies some future ARS research opportunities.