University of Otago

Learn how Yuki Watanabe boosted lecture engagement with Vevox in her large classes to turn passive learning into active learning.

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Lecturer: Yuki Watanabe
Institution: University of Otago
Subject Area: Media, Communication & Indigenous Studies
Class Size: Up to 220 students
Integration: Vevox via Blackboard

“Students like to see their contributions on screen. It makes the lecture feel more interactive and meaningful”.

Yuki Watanabe Lecturer

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Challenge: Encouraging Attendance and Engagement in Large Lectures

Yuki Watanabe, a lecturer at the University of Otago, faced a common challenge in higher education: maintaining student attendance and engagement in large, in-person lectures. With class sizes reaching 220 students, traditional teaching methods often left students passive and disconnected. Yuki wanted a way to make lectures more interactive and meaningful, while also incentivizing students to show up and participate.

Solution: Importing Vevox Results into Blackboard for Active Participation

Yuki turned to Vevox, importing student results into Blackboard which created a seamless experience for students. She used live polls during every lecture, assigning participation points for meaningful engagement. Rather than simply rewarding attendance, students earned credit by actively contributing to discussions and responding to questions, whether they got the answers right or not.

To ensure quality participation, Yuki enlisted a tutor to moderate responses and adjust scores accordingly. This approach helped maintain academic integrity and encouraged cognitive engagement.

Impact: Higher Attendance and Positive Student Feedback

Yuki’s use of Vevox had a noticeable impact. While many of her colleagues saw attendance drop to 20-30% by the end of the semester, Yuki consistently maintained rates close to 50%. Students reported feeling more motivated and engaged, with many citing the interactive nature of the lectures in their evaluations.

“Students like to see their contributions on screen. It makes the lecture feel more interactive and meaningful,” Yuki shared.

Even in her smaller third-year class, where Vevox was used to assess engagement with film screenings, participation remained high. In that course, Vevox contributed 10% to the final grade, reinforcing its value as a learning tool.

Looking Ahead: Transitioning to Brightspace

With the university transitioning from Blackboard to Brightspace, Yuki is eager to continue using Vevox. With Vevox’s recent update which allows students to join LMS authenticated sessions using the QR code, the experience for Yuki will only get easier with all grades being passed back to Brightspace automatically.