Students’ perceptions of the use of Kahoot, Padlet and Poll-Everywhere applications on a Contemporary Sexuality Course at Walailak University, Thailand

Abstract

This paper discusses a case study where digital formative assessment tools were used on a Contemporary Sexuality course at Walailak University. The purpose of the study was to investigate students’ perceptions of the following tools: Kahoot, Padlet, and Poll-Everywhere. Twenty-five undergraduate students (purposive sampling) who had registered on the course in the second semester of 2017 completed a questionnaire. The three digital formative assessment tools were applied with an experiential learning (EL) approach to increase students’ engagement and enhance learning outcomes. The results showed students’ perceptions of using online digital tools as part of the EL approach was generally positive, with Kahoot being the most favorable application, followed by Padlet and then Poll-Everywhere. An overall evaluation of the use of digital formative assessment tools showed that the mean rating given by students on a five-point scale was 4.56 (n=25, SD=0.65). The course was therefore well received. The students found the digital tools very useful for mastering the content. Additionally, an analysis of open-ended survey responses clarified the different merits students perceived as arising from each activity. The variations provided by the experiential learning design of the course served to meet their learning needs and were experienced as fun.