Learning gains associated with annotation and communication software designed for large undergraduate classes T. L. Wentling à w, J. Parkz & C. Peiper§ à Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA wNational Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA zLibrary Affairs, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL, USA §Department of Computer Science, Siebel Center for Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore the potential of annotation and communication software (eFuzion) developed for the improvement of students’ learning and to determine the effectiveness of the software. eFuzion is designed to be useful in a significantly large classroom by allowing instructors and teaching assistants to provide immediate responses to students’ questions and to provide a broader array of options for the lucid presentation of complex concepts. To determine the effectiveness of the software, two groups that took the same course were compared in terms of their learning scores, one group having used the software, the other having not used it. In the three measures of learning, the students who used the software showed significantly higher learning scores than students who did not use it. In addition, students indicated that they felt closer to the instructor and that their un- derstanding of the lecture material was increased by using the software. The results imply that the software has great potential for improving students’ learning when it is appropriately used and free of technical difficulties. Keywords annotation and communication software, eFuzion, engineering students, large classroom, wireless device. Introduction Higher education is rapidly approaching a critical threshold: burgeoning class sizes with a concomitant diversity of learning styles and the increasing inability for traditional pedagogical means to cope with such mass. The key element of successful teaching lies in the ability of an instructor to respond to individual students’ needs and perceptions efficiently yet in- dividually. However, effectively reaching each student on an individual level is not an easy task for an instructor to accomplish in a classroom, particularly when the class size is significantly large. In such an environment, student interaction is limited by a number of factors: the size of the class, the format of teaching, students’ reluctance to interrupt the lecturer by asking ques- tions, and students’ fear of asking stupid questions. Student questions are not only difficult to pose but also difficult for the instructor to address. Consequently, many students are reluctant to participate and are in- stead content to be spectators. This attitude grows more problematic in direct proportion to the com- plexity of the ideas being presented. Additionally, Correspondence: Ji-Hye Park, Library Affairs, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 605 Agriculture Drive, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA. E-mail: jipark@lib.siu.edu Accepted: 06 July 2006 36 & 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation & 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 23, pp36–46 Original article