In a classroom setting, a typical ARS provides a teacher the capability to instantly poll students in person or remotely during a presentation. The polling can take place within a slide presentation, on a stand-alone application or via mobile devices.
In 2006, the University of Wisconsin conducted a study of the use of classroom "clickers," a wireless response system that allows students to respond instantly to questions using a clicker or hand-held pad. Faculty respondents said they felt that students were more engaged, increased their participation and felt sessions were more interactive as a result of using clickers.
According to the Center for Education Research and Evaluation, the most effective uses of an audience response system are those where the use of ARS technology is linked to an overall educational objective. Among the purposes for using ARS are to expose and clarify audience members' misconceptions, promote interactivity, assess how content is being mastered and make a distinction between easier and more difficult concepts.