This study focuses on the use of Student Response Systems (SRS) (Hoon Han & Finkenstein, 2013), in formative assessment in Teacher Training lectures at a Norwegian University. Today’s students, the Net Generation, learn and interact with information and with each other in a different way (Tapscott, 1998). Their attention span is shorter (Bradbury, 2005; Wilson & Korn, 2007; Anderson, 2016) and they “crave interactivity, an immediate response to their each and every action: Traditional schooling provides very little of this compared to their world.” (Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005). While significant financial resources have been devoted to building the technical infrastructure at colleges and universities, less attention has been given to how to help students achieve the desired learning outcomes through technology. Eric Mazur was among the first to focus on the use of SRS to develop understanding of concepts in university classes. He named his formative assessment approach ‘peer instruction’ (Crouch & Mazur, 2001). The study reports on experiences using SRS in lectures, thereby combining the advantages and opportunities of SRS technology to meet the Net Generations’ world and learning styles. The focus hereby is on the development of conceptual understanding, critical thinking, and deep learning. The technological opportunities make the reflections of the students more visible and create an arena for collaboration between students, teachers and peers. This approach is based on the constructivist learning theory: feedback through dialogue and self-regulated learning, encourage reflection (Brady et al., 2013). The use of SRS enables the lecturer to interact with the students, to modify explanations, to adjust the focus, methods, progression and teaching strategies during the lecture and thereby influences both the lecturer and the students (Ludvigsen et. al., 2015). In this study SRS is used assessing prior knowledge, assessing understanding of what has been taught so far, and in probing opinions. However, it focusses on fostering deep thinking, and developing conceptual knowledge. Oblinger & Oblinger (2005) claim that the Net Generation typically lack information literacy skills, and that their critical thinking skills are often weak. Therefore, the focus on improving students’ information literacy and critical thinking skills may be much more critical than providing the technological bells and whistles needed to engage (Barnes et al., 2007). The study looks at how the use of SRS, with a focus on conceptual knowledge and deep thinking, influences the teaching practice and learning outcomes.

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