Uses and Benefits
Experience shows that the use of clickers transforms the classroom, mostly in very positive ways. Student involvement increases. Students are suddenly active participants in class, not merely passive listeners to a lecture.
Planning your use
Clickers work in-class with multiple-choice questions, and effective questions engage students in higher-level learning throughout a class session. Consider what questions might work well and when to present them. In addition to taking basic attendance, Clicker exercises can help:
- Quiz student knowledge and opinions at the beginning of a class
- Quiz (or re-test) student knowledge and opinions after learning activities
- Support peer instruction, wherein students discuss answers they gave to a question
- Find gaps in a class's understanding of course material
- Quiz students after a class
Showcase 1
Simon Lancaster's Keynote from Sheffield Hallam University's Learning & Teaching Conference 2015.
Prof. Simon Lancaster's keynote will chart progression from courses with rushed superficial interaction with a select few students to almost total engagement with conceptual problems. Simon practices what he preaches! However, ultimately the key is not technology but pedagogy and participants experience how peer instruction allows us to pose much more challenging conceptual questions of ourselves and our students. Simon advocates partnering students to move beyond flipping transmission and constructivism to flip ownership of the learning experience.
Showcase 2
A quick look inside Eric Mazur's class using peer instruction and clicker questions to help the students understand scientific concepts.
Further Reading
Books
- Bruff, D. (2009). Teaching with classroom response systems: Creating active learning environments. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. (Available at Main LibraryOpen Access(371.39 BRU ))
- Duncan, D. (2005). Clickers in the classroom: How to enhance science teaching using classroom response systems. San Francisco: Pearson Education.
Techniques, Models, and Advice
- Asirvatham, M. R. (2005). IR Clickers and ConcepTests: Engaging Students in the Classroom. Paper presented at the Winter 2005 CONCHEM: Trends and New Ideas in Chemical Education, online.
- Caldwell, J.E. (2007). Clickers in the Large Classroom: Current Research and Best-Practice Tips. Life Sciences Education, 6(1), 9-20.
- Corcos, E., & Monty, V. (2008). Interactivity in Library Presentations Using a Personal Response System. EDUCAUSE Quarterly, 31(2), 53-60.
- Cutts, Quintin, et al. (2004). Maximizing Dialogue in Lectures Using Group Response Systems. 7th IASTED Internat. Conf. on Computers and Advanced Technology in Education.
- Gauci, S. A., Dantas, A. M., Williams, D. A., & Kemm, R. E. (2009). Promoting Student-Centered Active Learning in Lectures with a Personal Response System. Advances in Physiology Education, 33, 60-71.
Research
- Banks, D. (2003). Using keypad-based group process support systems to facilitate student reflection. Paper presented at the 20th Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, Adelaide, Australia.
- Barnett, J. (2006). Implementation of personal response units in very large lecture classes: Student perceptions. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 22(4), 474-494.
- Freeman, M., & Blayney, P. (2005). Promoting interactive in-class learning environments: A comparison of an electronic response system with a traditional alternative. Paper presented at the 11th Australasian Teaching Economics Conference, Sydney, Australia.
- Gonzalez-Espada, W. J., & Bullock, D. W. (2007). Innovative applications of classroom response systems: Investigating students' item response times in relation to final course grade, gender, general point average, and high school ACT scores. Electronic Journal for the Integration of Technology in Education, 6.
- Graham, C. R., Tripp, T. R., Seawright, L., & Joeckel, G. L. (2007). Empowering or compelling reluctant participators using audience response systems. Active Learning in Higher Education, 8(3), 233-258.
- Lee, Justin B., Bainum, Charlene K. Do Clickers Depersonalize the Classroom? An Evaluation by Shy Students. Pacific Union College. Retrieved from the World Wide Web, December 5, 2008.
- MacGeorge, E. L., et al. (2007). Student evaluation of audience response technology in large lecture classes. Educational Technology Research and Development, online edition.
- O'Donoghue, M., & O'Steen, B. (2007). Clicking on or off? Lecturers' rationale for using student response systems. Presented at the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education Conference, Singapore.
- Woods, H. A., & Chiu, C. Wireless response technology in college classrooms. Accessed November 17, 2007.
- Graham, C. R., Tripp, T. R., Seawright, L., & Joeckel, G. L. (2007). Empowering or compelling reluctant participators using audience response systems. Active Learning in Higher Education, 8(3), 233-258.
Across the Curriculum
Biology
- Paschal, C. B. (2002). Formative assessment in physiology teaching using a wireless classroom communication system. Advances in Physiology Education, 26(4), 299-308.
- Preszler, R.W., Dawe, A., Shuster, C.B., & Shuster, M. (2007). Assessment of the effects of student response systems on student learning and attitudes over a broad range of biology courses. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 6(1), 29-41.
- Suchman, E., Uchiyama, K., Smith, R., & Bender, K. (2006). Evaluating the use of a classrom response system in a microbiology course. Microbiology Education, 7, 3-11.
Business
- Carnaghan, C., & Webb, Alan. (2007). Investigating the effects of group response systems on student satisfaction, learning, and engagement in accounting education. Issues in Accounting Education, 22(3), 391-409.
- Guthrie, R. W., & Carlin, A. (2004). Waking the dead: Using interactive technology to engage passive listeners in the classroom. Presented at the Tenth Americas Conference on Information Systems, New York, NY.
Chemistry
- Woelk, K. (2008). Optimizing the use of personal response devices (clickers) in large-enrollment introductory courses. Journal of Chemical Education, 85(10), 1400-1405.
Communications
- Rice, R. E., & Bunz, U. (2003). Evaluating a wireless course feedback system: The role of demographics, expertise, fluency, competency, and usage. Presented at the 89th National Communication Association Convention, Miami, FL.
Computer Science
- Fan, K.-Y. D., & van Blink, C. D. (2006). A comparison and evaluation of personal response systems in introductory computer programming. Paper presented at the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference, Chicago, Illinois.
- Lopez-Herrejon, R. E., & Schulman, M. (2004). Using interactive technology in a short Java course: an experience report. Presented at the Ninth SIGCSE Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, Leeds, UK.
Economics
- Elliott, C. (2003). Using a personal response system in economics teaching. International Review of Economics Education, 1(1), 80-86.
- Salemi, M. K. (2008). Clickenomics: Using a classroom response system to increase student engagement in a large-enrollment principles of economics course. Accessed March 5, 2009.
Engineering
- Roselli, R. J., & Brophy, S. P. (2002). Exploring an electronic polling system for the assessment of student progress in two biomedical engineering courses. Presented at the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Montreal, Canada.
- van Dijk, L. A., van den Berg, G. C., & van Keulen, H. (2001). Interactive lectures in engineering education. European Journal of Engineering Education, 26(1), 15-28.
English
- Jenkins, A. (2007). Technique and technology: Electronic voting systems in an English literature lecture. Pedagogy, 7(3), 526-533.
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Mathematics
- Bode, M., Drane, D., Kolikant, Y. B., Schuller, M. (2009). A clicker approach to teaching calculus. Notices of the American Mathematical Society, 56(2), 253-256.
- Cline, K., Zullo, H., & Parker, M. (2007). Using classroom voting in mathematics courses. Paper presented at the 19th Annual International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics, Boston, MA.
- Lomen, D. O., & Robinson, M. K. (2004). Using ConcepTests in single and multivariable calculus. Paper presented at the 16th Annual International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics, Chicago, IL.
- Miller, R.L., Santana-Vega, E., & Terrell, M.S. (2006). Can good questions and peer discussion improve calculus instruction?, PRIMUS, 16(3).
Philosophy
- Stuart, S. A. J., Brown, M. I., & Draper, S.W. (2004). Using an electronic voting system in logic lectures: One practitioners application. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 20(2), 95-102.
Physics
- Byrd, G. G., Coleman, S., & Werneth, C. (2004). Exploring the universe together: Cooperative quizzes with and without a classroom performance system in Astronomy 101. Astronomy Education Review, 3(1), 26-30.
- Len, P. M. (2007). Different reward structures to motivate student interaction with electronic response systems in astronomy. Astronomy Education Review, 5(2), 5-15.
- Meltzer, D. E., & Manivannan, K. (2002). Transforming the lecture-hall environment: The fully interactive physics lecture. American Journal of Physics, 70(6), 639-454.
- Reay, N. W., et al. (2005). Toward the effective use of voting machines in physics lectures. American Journal of Physics, 73(6), 554-558.
Political Science
- Kam, C. D., & Sommer, B. (2005). Real-time polling technology in a public opinion course. Accessed November 15, 2007.
- Peterson, G. D. (2007). To click or not to click: The impact of student response systems on political science courses. Paper presented at the American Political Science Association Teaching and Learning Conference, Charlotte, North Carolina.
Psychology
- Mayer, R. E., Stull, A., DeLeeuw, K., Almeroth, K., Bimber, B., Chun, D., Bulger, M., Campbell, J., Knight, A., & Zhang, H. (2009). Clickers in college classrooms: Fostering learning with questioning methods in large lecture classes. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 34, 51-57.
- Stowell, J. R., & Nelson, J. M. (2007). Benefits of electronic audience response systems on student participation, learning, and emotion. Teaching of Psychology, 34(4), 253-258.
Statistics
- Wit, E. (2003). Who wants to be... The use of a personal response system in statistics teaching. MSOR Connections, 3(2), 14-20.