Tips for Using a Peer Response System in a Large Introductory Physics Class

Teaching a large introductory physics course can be a challenge for a young physics instructor, and making a large physics lecture interactive may seem almost impossible. The most difficult part about the large class is that due to its size there is very little real-time interaction between the students and the lecturer. The instructor often does not know how well the students understand the lecture or how actively they are involved in it. The lack of real-time communication might make it very difficult and misleading for both the students and the instructor. Fortunately, recently we witnessed the proliferation of technological tools that can help the instructor get instantaneous feedback during the lecture. One of these tools is the peer response system (PRS).1