Clickers in the Classroom

Monday ModelsSpring 08

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

OverviewClickers • Clickers allow instructors to ask questions and gather

students' responses during a lecture. (Clicker systems are also commonly called Classroom Response Systems, Student Response Systems, or Audience Response Systems.)

• In clicker systems, each student uses a device (a "clicker") that looks like a TV remote to answer questions posed by the instructor in a specially-designed PowerPoint presentation. Summaries of student responses can be shown in real time to both instructors and students. Answers are also stored electronically for later viewing.

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

Why use clickers?• Use of clickers in the classroom has been shown to increase

students' attention and interest5 and to increase retention of information presented in lectures11.

• Using clickers to pose questions that require synthesis of information, such as asking for an opinion on a complex social or ethical issue, promotes critical thinking16 and helps make learning personal.

• Additionally, clickers can:– Transform large group instruction into an active learning experience.7,8

,13

– Provide a "safe" way for shy students to participate in classroom discussion.17

– Allow anonymous,10 simultaneous,4 and fast9 response to instructor questions on class material or learning preferences.

– Add a little fun to the classroom.17

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

Ideas for IntegrationIntegrating Clickers into Lecture Courses Here are some basic ways to use clickers in lectures: • Facilitate Class Discussion - Facilitate discussion by polling students'

opinions and discussing the reasons for their opinions.15

• Guide Lectures - Collect immediate feedback about students' understanding of lecture topics so confusion can be addressed quickly.11

• Encourage Peer Instruction - Allow students to share, discuss, and change their opinions before answering a question.1,2,17

• Collect Data and Perform Formative Assessment - Collect data on course topics or learning preferences throughout the cycle of a course.9

• Offer Quizzes and Exams - Decrease grading time by using clickers to collect student answers to quizzes and exams.14

• Take Attendance - Record attendance in large lecture courses.12

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

Tips on Integration• Provide clear instruction to the class.

Make sure everyone understands the process and how to use the technology. This may require extra time for the first couple uses. Be sure to allow time for instructions when planning your lesson.

• Encourage active discussion with students.Try posting the question and asking students to discuss their answers with each other before collecting answers. When most students have come up with an answer, enable voting. Before revealing the correct answer, discuss the answer options and allow students explain their reasons for choosing various answers. Be sure to allow time for discussion when planning your lesson.

• Test everything ahead of time.Check out the classroom location in order to identify any potential technical problems. Allow plenty time to set up and test the system before class. Rehearse the question presentation to ensure that it will run smoothly.

• Do not make questions overly complex. Keep questions short to optimize legibility in a slide, and offer no more than five answer options. Also, avoid requiring lots of complex calculations that may encourage students to guess rather than thinking through the question.

• Do not over use the system. Ask questions sparingly to highlight the concepts you most want to emphasize. Think carefully about the main points of a lecture and create questions to target them.

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

Clicker challenges• Using clickers takes more class time.17

Successful clicker exercises encourage thoughtful responses and active participation from the class and can take more class time than traditional lectures.

• Effective use requires good timing – not too slow, not too fast!4

Pacing is very important -- give enough time for students to consider a question and enough time to discuss any questions that arise. Using clickers well may take practice for both the instructor and the class.

• Technical problems can occur.4

Test everything ahead of time, but be prepared to improvise if a technical problem occurs.

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

Designing Questions:Assessment Stages and Objectives Clickers can be used to assess student learning at different stages in the learning process, as

summarized below. (This information is adapted from materials prepared by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.)

• Pre-Assessments: At the beginning of a quarter or before a new topic – What do students already know? – What are students' misconceptions?

• Mid-Topic Assessments: In the middle of mini lectures or before another concept – Do they understand this principle? – Can they connect this principle/idea to the previous one? – Can they apply this concept? – How is their thinking changing?

• Post-Assessments: At the end of a quarter, topic, or class session – What is their overall conceptual framework? – Can they synthesize the concepts to solve problems? – How had their understanding changed?

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

Bloom’s TaxonomySample Questions for Different Cognitive Levels Multiple-choice questions can assess a range of understanding, from basic

recall to higher-order thinking. The cognitive levels described below are based on Bloom's taxonomy. (The descriptions and example questions below are excerpts or variations from several sources on question development using Bloom's taxonomy. See the Sources section below.)

Click each cognitive level to go to explanations and sample questions. • Knowledge - Remembering facts, terms, concepts, definitions, principles • Comprehension - Explaining/interpreting the meaning of material • Application - Using a concept or principle to solve a problem • Analysis - Breaking material down into its component parts to see

interrelationships/hierarchy of ideas • Synthesis - Producing something new or original from component parts • Evaluation - Making a judgment based on a pre-established set of criteria

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

Ok…What’s Next?

• Let’s build some questions

– Start with Power Point

– Then use the question author software

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

Let’s get started:

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

Engage the PowerPoint

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

Building a lesson with CPS software

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

Let’s run the lesson

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

In action

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Running Reports—who knows what?

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

And share that info with the kids

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

Resources:

• The Ohio State University Technology Enhanced Learning Research Clickers

• Clickers in the Classroom: An Active Learning Approach

• Welcome to FridayLive!

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

Resources:

• http://www.crlt.umich.edu/inst/clickeractivities.html & http://www.crlt.umich.edu/inst/clickersrecommendations.html

• http://www.einstruction.com/WhatisCPS/Research/index.cfm

• http://media.www.theorion.com/media/storage/paper889/news/2007/12/12/Opinion/Commentary.Turningpoint.Clickers-3142103.shtml

• http://www.einstruction.com/WhatisCPS/MAP/index.cfm

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

Clicker Vendors

• eInstruction• Quizdom• Turning Point

• The ITS Department has eInstruction (3) and Quizdom clicker (1) sets available to demo—call us!

source: http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/