Clickers in the Classroom

John Bansavich

June 7th, 2012

What are Clickers A personal response system designed to

increase student interaction Making inroads in colleges and universities

since 1998 A tool to keep students motivated and

engaged in what’s going on in class

Potential Uses of Clickers in the Classroom

Ask questions in class Give on-the-spot-quizzes Review class material Take attendance Maintain a gradebook Use in large lecture halls

Pedagogical Applications Engage students Promote collaboration, peer instruction Provide instant feedback Increase communication Collect data, attendance and quizzes

i>Clicker Background

i>clicker began when a team of University of Illinois physicists, inspired by a major curriculum reform based on physics education research, began experimenting with many solutions that facilitated student polling—from flash cards to their very own hand-crafted clickers.

I>Clicker at USF The i>clicker system consists of i>clicker

software, radio frequency (RF) receiver base (USB), RF i>clicker remote. RF receiver will handle up to 1500 responses collected in seconds, 200-300 feet transmission distance, battery life of 200 hours with normal usage.

The remote will automatically turn-off after 90 minutes of inactivity.

Cost of I>clicker (Standardization Pricing)

$44.00 with no registration fees. $33.00 used; $21.00 one-semester rental Order your clickers from the USF

Bookstore. Contact Greg (x2882) or email bookstore@usfca.edu, provide your course number and the potential number of students needing a clicker. Please provide minimum of 2 week lead time.

I>Clicker Checklist Attend a CIT training Receive your instructor kit, which includes:

One i>clicker base (also known as a receiver) and USB cable

One envelope containing an instructor’s remote sticker

One thumb/flash drive (contains the i>clicker software and user documentation)

Two blue instructor remotes

Links to More Resources I>clicker: http://www.iclicker.com Sign-up for i>clicker training:

https://iclicker.webex.com support@iclicker.com or by phone at

1-866-209-5698 Support is available 5 days a week,

6:00am-8:00pm PST

References Boston College’s Use of i>clicker:

http://stream.bc.edu/ramgen/webct/ides/clicker.rm

7 things you should know about…Clickers. Educause Learning Initiative, May 2005. http://www.educause.edu/eli

Review Question 1 The brand of clickers that USF has

standardized on is: A. Clickers for U B. eInstruction C. I>Clicker D. RFclicker

Review Question 2 USF has standardized on an IR (infrared)

clicker? A. True B. False

Review Question 3 The cost of a clicker at USF is

approximately: A. 100.00 B. 45.00 C. 70.00 D. 88.00

Review Question 4 Would you like to see clickers used in your

classroom? A. Yes B. No