Hapster: Using Apple Watch Haptics to Enable Live Low-Friction Student Feedback in the Physical Classroom
Journal:
arXiv
Published Date:
Jul 8, 2025
Abstract
The benefits of student response systems (SRSs) for in-person lectures are
well-researched. However, all current SRSs only rely on a visual interface to
relay information to the instructor. We describe the design and evaluation of
Hapster, a prototype system that uses an Apple Watch to deliver live,
aggregated student feedback to the instructor via both visual and vibro-tactile
modalities. We evaluated this system with 6 instructors and 155 students at a
U.S. university. Participants reported that the system was effective at
delivering live student feedback and facilitating better engagement from both
the instructor and the students. However, instructors also noted several
challenges with differentiating and perceiving the haptic sequences while
lecturing. We conclude by discussing the tradeoff between system flexibility
and abuse potential while identifying opportunities for further research
regarding accessibility, content moderation, and additional interaction
modalities. Our results suggest that haptics can be used as an effective live
feedback mechanism for instructors in the physical classroom.
