No Longer a Silent Partner: How Mentimeter Can Enhance Teaching and Learning Within Political Science

Abstract

New cohorts of students expect universities to meaningfully incorporate the use of technology-enhanced learning within their provision and they respond particularly well to an active approach to learning. One response has been for colleagues to make use of audience-response systems. The existing literature suggests that the use of these platforms allows for the adoption of active, student-driven pedagogy which creates a significantly enhanced environment in which to learn. This review explores one example of a new generation of fully online audience-response systems—Mentimeter. It outlines the range of new functionality offered by this new web-based platform which takes a significant step beyond existing card-based or clicker-based systems. It explores both the practical and pedagogical thinking necessary to optimize the introduction and use of Mentimeter, particularly surrounding the construction of pedagogically sound, higher order questions and impact of shifting away from instructor-focused to student-focused learning on the teaching session itself.

Keywords:

• Audience-response systems
• technology-enhanced learning
• interactive teaching

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Emma Mayhew

Emma Mayhew is Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations and Academic Director of the Electronic Management of Assessment Programme at the University of Reading, UK. Her research focuses on the use of technology enhanced learning to facilitate student engagement, learning, attainment and satisfaction. She focuses, in particular, on developments surrounding multi-media learning, screen capture, video feedback, online assessment and learning analytics.