Interactive voting systems as promoters of the transformation of individual and collective activity in master classes in higher education

Abstract

Many studies show that the introduction of interactive voting systems in higher education favors the transformation of the pedagogical activities of teachers with an increase in the involvement of students during the class. In this context, the objective of this study is to account for the way in which these systems, specifically clickers, modify the collective dynamics of masterclasses or lectures. Mobilizing the theoretical and methodological contributions of the “course of action” research program, the degrees of convergence/divergence of the activities of two teachers and seven students in moments of Peer Instruction were analyzed during two classes, one of physics and another of mathematics, carried out in an amphitheater. The results show the transformation of individual and collective activity caused by these new technologies. In addition, these technologies develop confidence in the observed teachers that their students are participating in the class and give insights into the support for novice teachers in university contexts.