Clickers

What is a clicker?
The clicker is a student response system (SRS) that can encourage active student participation. Academic Technologies has standardized on the iclicker because it works seamlessly in Mac and Windows environments. Moreover, the iclicker software integrates with Powerpoint and most other computer applications. Clickers are very easy to implement in a class session. Very little up front training is required. The hardware is simple and consists of an instructor clicker, student clickers, and a base station that plugs into any podium or laptop computer. Clickers continue to establish themselves as a classroom technology at Skidmore as faculty continue to explore this solution as a means to elicit feedback from students. To learn more about clickers and classroom applications, please reference the ELI document: "7 things you should know about clickers."

How are faculty at Skidmore using clickers in the classroom?
Clickers have many potential applications and are used in diverse settings, from large lecture presentations to small group discussions. Most faculty who come to Academic Technologies borrow clickers for one or two class sessions to accompany either a Powerpoint lecture or a review session. These devices can provide immediate and anonymous feedback about how well students understand key concepts. While integrating clickers with an existing presentation can be as simple as crafting a few Powerpoint slides with multiple choice questions, faculty can also build this tool into their curriculum. Here, clickers can be used to monitor administrative functions such as recording attendance, participation, and also quiz results.

Most of the faculty I have worked with really like the "display results feature," which represents student responses in a large color coded bar graph. Visualizing data in this way can certainly stimulate in-class debate, especially if there is little to no consensus over what the right answer is or should be.

How do I get started?
If you are interested in clickers, please contact Ben Harwood to schedule a consultation. Ben will be happy to set up a clicker demo in the Instructional Technology Center or in your office. He will also help you identify and plan a learning activity where clickers can be effective and stimulating for everyone. Ben is also available to assist with the initial set up and answer questions students may have the first time you use them in class.

Here are essential how-to links from the iclicker support website:
PC Quick Start Guide
Mac Quick Start Guide
Instructor FAQ's

Additionally, you might refer to the Faculty Case Studies (organized by discipline) and Best Practices and Tips.

Recommended reading:

Tips for Successful "Clicker" Use - Dr. Douglas Duncan, University of Colorado, 2009

Clickers in the Classroom: An Active Learning Approach From a liberal arts college perspective, Margie Martyn teaches in the Mathematics and Computer Science department at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio.

Clicker U. This is a current and very good description of clickers across higher education. There are many comments at the bottom of the page by faculty using clickers. Also, there are links to other clicker related articles.

Clicker resource guide: An instructor's guide to the effective use of clickers in teaching.

Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt, Classroom Response Systems.

Published Articles on Using Student Response Systems:

Clicking with Students. The Boston Globe, April 2, 2009.

Best ways for Professors to Use Student-Response Systems. Chronicle of Higher Education, February 27, 2009.