June 2000–December 2001
Large lecture halls may inhibit student participation in class discussions if they fear a negative reaction from other students. Given this common behavior, faculty often have difficulty gauging student comprehension levels in their biggest classes. Using a cell phone equipped with a Web browser, students could communicate more comfortably with their instructors.
During breaks in class, instructors could access a frequently asked questions (FAQ) report generated by the Classroom Communicator software. The system also gave lecturers real-time quantitative measures of how well students understood the material presented, through quick evaluations like mini-quizzes. This provided lecturers the ability to focus their class time to best address the needs of the students.
Student Participant: Eric Brittain