SUMMARY
Academic Technology has conducted short assessments of in-class clicker use across several 100 level courses in the sciences and social sciences in both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years. For all courses surveyed, the students agreed that clickers made class more engaging by helping them participate more openly, increase their attention in class, think more deeply about their answer, and hone their critical thinking skills. Here are a few more details:
CLARIFYING MATERIAL
- The anonymity of clicker responses increased participation, and offered comfort when they were able to see that others answered similarly.
- Questions written to clarify concepts and content covered in readings and discussion were identified as the most helpful genre of question.
CLASS PACING
- Clicker exercises helped break up the class period by offering a different type of engagement. Some students noted that transitioning in and out of an activity could be challenging and suggested increased connections to discussions or other exercises.
- The timing of the questions was noted by many students, with some asking for more time to read and absorb the question asked.
If you’d like to learn more about either the assessments conducted or how to include clickers in your course, please contact Janet Russell (jrussell) or Celeste Sharpe (csharpe) for more info! We also have several short survey that can be easily customized for your learning objectives and are happy to discuss options with you.
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