An investigation into the use of interactive technologies in teaching quantitative courses

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of an investigation into the use of the latest interactive technologies for teaching in the classroom. Two leading technologies were adopted, used and tested by the author for teaching of two different quantitative courses in a Business undergraduate program at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) in Australia in 2005. These state-of-the-art systems included Classroom Performance System (CPS) by eInstruction (www.eInstruction.com) and TurningPoint by Turning Technologies (http://www.turningtechnologies.com). Both systems allow students to provide responses in an anonymous manner. Hence, students are protected from feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed about giving incorrect answers. As a result, student participation in discussions and class activities is further encouraged and all students become active members of the session. Survey results on students’ perceptions and their performance in the assessments have demonstrated the effectiveness of these interactive technologies in classroom teaching.