The Impact of Live Audience Participation Teaching on Medical Education at The Surgical Scousers, an Undergraduate Surgical Society

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Background: The use of Live Audience Participation (LAP) allows students to respond to questions anonymously and receive instant feedback. Electronic devices promote interaction and participation from learners which has the potential to further engage students and lead to an increased level of learning. It is important however to evaluate the affordances and limitations of such devices. Objectives: The aim of our study was to assess the aptness, utility, practicalities and acceptability of LAP during lectures. Methods: The interactive 'PollEverywhere™' tool was used during 5 extra-curricular lectures, organized by 'The Surgical Scousers' society, allowing student participation to anonymously answer questions. Live results were displayed instantly and data was collected prospectively in 2013. Results: Out of 523 responses, 417 were correct. Students were also able to ask questions and give live feedback. Students gave positive feedback highlighting how LAP maintained their attention. The majority of students expressed that they would not have asked the same questions in a conventional set up. Conclusion: We have demonstrated that the use of LAP holds the attention of students, provides opportunity to ask questions, and facilitates ironing out any misconceptions within subject areas. However, interactive devices have certain inherent limitations, namely cost and potential to go wrong. The majority of literature focuses on students' views towards interactive devices therefore. Further studies are required to assess the impact of interactive devices on learning outcomes in medical education.