In recent years, the use of student response systems (SRS, also known as clickers) in the classroom setting has increased considerably, and researchers have developed a growing interest in their effect on learning and student engagement. This review analyses trends in SRS research by providing a brief history of SRS technology and usage as well as a detailed review of research in this field. In addition, this review focuses on the pedagogical implications of SRSs for education and analyses common criticisms of this emerging educational technology. Finally, research identifying common trends in SRS development is compiled and areas for future research are identified. The outcome of this leads to an understanding of best practices for this technology in a university setting.

This study aimed to investigate how the use of a smartphone clicker app by a group of 390 Saudi Arabian male undergraduate students would impact their learning performance while participating in a computer science class. The smartphone clicker app was used by the students during peer group discussions and to respond to teacher questions. A conceptual framework identified teacher-student and student-student interactions, collaborative learning, and student engagement as three primary practices that could improve student performance when a smartphone clicker app was used. The relationships between these factors were tested empirically by participant completion of a self-administered online survey. This study found the use of a smartphone clicker app promoted increased teacher-student and student-student interactivity, leading to active collaboration learning by students and improved learning performance. No positive relationship was found between the smartphone clicker app use and increased student engagement. These results demonstrated the role of the smartphone clicker app in enhancing the learning experience of the Saudi undergraduate students included in this study, but not the overall student engagement. Further research into how use of a smartphone clicker app in classroom settings might promote student engagement to improve the overall learning performance is needed.

Smartphone clicker apps are increasingly used in university classrooms to facilitate teacher–student interaction and collaborative learning. This study aimed to identify the factors that influence teachers’ decisions to adopt smartphone clicker app technology to enhance teacher–student interactions in university classrooms in Saudi Arabia. A mixed-method study design was employed in this study. Thirty-three teachers from a Computer Science faculty completed a questionnaire and 14 of them participated in focus group interviews to provide their views. Two main findings emerged in this study: positive and significant relationships between teachers’ perceptions of the smartphone clicker app’s ease of use and its perceived usefulness; and a significant relationship between teachers’ perceptions of the usefulness of the smartphone clicker app and their attitude towards its use in the classroom. This study also identified that training on how to implement the smartphone clicker app effectively in lesson activities is a significant influence on teachers’ perceptions of the usefulness of, and their decision to use, the app. The main implication of these findings is that smartphone clicker app developers and user training coordinators must consider teachers’ perceptions of the suitability of the technology and their desire to design learning tasks to facilitate student participation and engagement.