Leveraging Classroom Polling and Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Learner Engagement and Metacognition in a First-Year Anatomy and Physiology Course

Abstract

This paper explores the integration and impact of a polling solution (EchoPoll) enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) in a first-year university anatomy and physiology course. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the student and instructor perspectives of integrating this new polling tool into this course. The overall aims for the integration of the tool itself were to increase student engagement, provide real-time feedback, and facilitate deeper understanding of complex concepts in a subject area that has historically been taught in traditional and often didactic face-to-face modalities. Anonymous feedback gathered from two different cohorts of students from 2023 and 2024 regarding their experiences using the polling tool was overwhelmingly positive – particularly in terms of enjoying the interactivity, opportunities to improve comprehension of difficult subject matter in real-time and overall learning. This paper discusses the features of the polling tool itself, its application in different classroom scenarios such as lectures, laboratories and workshops, and how it supported both the students and the instructor to change their approaches to exploring anatomical and physiological concepts based on shared understanding and experiences.