Design
The Design and Use of Clickers in the College Classroom
by Eddie Mathews
If You Answer Yes to the Following Questions, Clicker Technology is for You!
- Would you like to increase student participation during your lectures?
- Would you like to invite more peer-to-peer interaction without risking the loss of their attention?
- Could you benefit from immediate feedback that your students are understanding the lesson?
- Could you and your students benefit from an easier method for giving and taking quizzes and exams?
- Is taking attendance too time-consuming due to the large number of students?
What is Clicker Technology?
"Clickers" is a common name for devices belonging to a technology category called Student Response Systems (SRS), Audience Response Systems (ARS), or Classroom Response System (CRS). The basic design of a clicker system involves each student having a transmitter device ("clicker") that is typically the size of a remote. Using special software that works with popular programs like PowerPoint, an instructor asks questions that were created ahead of time and the students use their clickers to provide a response. A receiver picks up the students' selections and creates real-time data that can be displayed for the whole class to view or saved for the instructor to process later.
Typically, most student response systems have the following three-step process:
1. The instructor will present a question or problem to the whole class
2. The students will input their answers via a remote-size clicker
3. The instructor and the students instantly view responses
View a 5 minute video, "The Design and Use of Student Response Systems," for a good overview:
http://www.screencast.com/t/dZXPCK835
What You Need to Know About the Design and Usage of a Student Response System
Several companies make student response systems and each company typically offers several products for colleges to consider based on their particular needs. It is important to have a clear sense of your classroom needs, clicker preferences, and budget realities before purchasing a system for your campus. Companies like eInstruction and Turning Point have emerged as leaders of clicker technology and their products are often used in the college classroom. Of course, there are other companies with new products coming out each year. So, it is best to do your homework before purchasing the system that will be used campus-wide for the next few years.
Perhaps it would be helpful to learn how colleges are using clickers in their college classrooms and what kind of products are helping them to accomplish their instructional goals? Watch the follow video made by Nancy Grayum, a faculty member of Western Washington University. It may provide you with some insights as you consider the best system for your classroom needs.
[video longer available]
What is Involved in Setting Up a Student Response System?
A good example of a popular student response system is eInstruction's CPS IR Response kit. The following video shows what comes in the kit, reveals a best practice approach for setting up the equipment, and demonstrates how to use the CPS software for the first time.
[video longer available]
Below are further video-related resources about clickers:
Teaching With Clickers
http://www.slideshare.net/SidneyEve/teaching-with-clickers
Using Clickers in the Classroom
http://www.slideshare.net/rnja8c/using-clickers-in-the-classroom-posted?src=related_normal&rel=1698741
Clickers in the Classroom
http://www.slideshare.net/drbexl/clickers-in-the-classroom-5200639
Clicker Technologies as a Tool to Increase Student Engagement and Motivation
http://www.slideshare.net/WSSU_CETL/clicker-technologies-as-a-tool-to-increase-student-engagement-and-motivation
References
Beatty, I. (2004). Transforming student learning with classroom communication systems. Educause Center for Applied Research, Research Bulletin, 2, 1-13.
Blood, E. & Neel, R. (2008). Using student response systems in lecture-based instruction: Does it change student engagement and learning? Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 16(3), 375-383.
Bruff, D. (2009). Teaching with classroom response system: Creating active learning environments. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 4-5.
Burns, A. (2008). A practical approach to question design for classroom response systems. Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2008, 3293-3297. Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
Caldwell, J. (2007). Clickers in the large classroom: Current research and best-practice tips. Life Sciences Education, 6(Spring), 9-20.
Fies, C. & Marshall, J. (2006). Classroom response systems: A review of the literature. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 15(1), 101-109.
Kaleta, R. & Joosten, T. (2007). Student response systems: A University of
Wisconsin system study of clickers. Educause Center for Applied Research, Research Bulletin, 10, 2-12.
Kenwright, K. (2009). Clickers in the classroom. TechTrends, 53(1), 74-77.
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