Improving knowledge retention using KEEpad

Knowledge retention following didactic teaching decays at an undesirable rate. The use of audience response systems (ARSs) has been suggested to improve and facilitate learning in a didactic lecture setting by increasing student participation, giving instant feedback, and improving knowledge retention. METHOD: 93 undergraduate medical students attended lectures incorporating the use of the ARS KEEpad. KEEpad was used to ask the students an MCQ before the lecture to assess prior knowledge; at the end of the lecture assessing understanding; and 5 weeks later assessing knowledge retention. Evaluation forms completed by students included 2 questions on the use of KEEpad; The KEEpad audience response system gives me feedback on my progress and The KEEpad audience response system supports the learning experience. RESULTS: 40% of the class selected the correct answer using the ARS, showing a moderate degree of prior knowledge. At the end of the lecture the percentage of students choosing the correct answer increased to 79%. Five weeks later the percentage of students selecting the correct answer was 60%. The evaluation forms showed student satisfaction regarding use of the ARS was 100% and 98% respectively. CONCLUSION: The use of the ARS allowed us to show that learning occurred during the didactic lecture and recall rate was 77% after 5 weeks, considerably higher than the literature suggests. Students' satisfaction on the use of the ARS for feedback and the learning experience during lectures was extremely high