The eighth project in Strand B (Evidence and Evaluation) of the JISC Assessment and Feedback Programme is Evaluating Electronic Voting Systems for Enhancing Student Experience (EEVS), based at the University of Hertfordshire.  This one year project is undertaking an extensive review of the use of electronic voting systems (EVS) in a range of schools across the institution, gathering testimony from both staff and students on their experiences, insights and identified issues and success factors.

Hertfordshire has invested substantially in assessment and feedback in recent years, with an extensive programme of innovations including the purchase of nearly four thousand EVS handsets for use in teaching in eight schools.  The initial response to their introduction, from both staff and students, has been very positive, with the system seen as improving both classroom interaction and staff and student workloads.

The EEVS project will produce a thorough longitudinal study of the impact of EVS, including audio and video interviews, reflective writing and interviews over the course of the academic year.  This long term view will enable the project team to examine key periods in the academic year such as students’ initial encounters with the system, the perceived value and impact on exam performance of interactive revision lectures, technological issues around introduction in new classroom environments, and so on.

The project will produce a number of outputs, including valuable evidence to the sector on the impact of such large scale implementation, detailed guidance on the installation and deployment of EVS and subject-specific case studies, as well as a series vox pop snapshots from teaching staff, students and support staff on their experiences of EVS.  You can follow their progress on their project blog.