Crossover trial of an audience response system application for smartphone in undergraduate medical students

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Objectives: Audience response systems (ARS) using dedicated devices have been shown to enhance interactivity, leading to an increase in knowledge acquisition. ARS applications for smartphones are easier to use, but the benefits of these applications might be negated by deleterious effects of smartphone usage on concentration. We investigated whether an ARS smartphone application (Socrative ^TM) is feasible and increases student satisfaction and knowledge acquisition. Methods: We performed a crossover study in the setting of a hematology course for second-year medical students. Two hundred and forty nine students were included in the study and analyzed for their access to the ARS application through a smartphone. The same interactive lectures were proposed by the same teachers. The first group (n=119) was asked to answer questions with the ARS application during the first 3 lectures, and without the application during the last 3 lectures; and conversely for the second group (n=130). The analysis of the final results was restricted to 146 students having attended to at least 5 of the 6 lectures and having a smartphone enabling the use of the ARS application. Student opinion was measured through questions based on a Likert scale, and knowledge acquisition was measured at short and long-term through multiple choice questions assessing either the first three lectures or the last three lectures. Results: Most of the students (86%) had a smartphone enabling the use of the application. They were satisfied by the use of the application (93%), and found that it increased both interactivity (92%) and concentration (68%). There was no difference in knowledge scores at short or long term. Conclusion: The use of an ARS application for smartphone is feasible and increases the satisfaction of the students, their concentration and the interactivity of the lectures. However, this does not translate into a measurable increase in knowledge acquisition.