Clickers In The Classroom

Clickers (Classroom Response Systems) have become one of the most widely adopted new classroom teaching technologies. This book provides information on how to successfully teach using clicker technology, looking at: the benefits of using clickers; the clicker experience at other schools; research on clicker usage; and more.

There is a need in the higher education arena for a book that responds to the need for using technology in a classroom of tech-savvy students. This book is filled with illustrative examples of questions and teaching activities that use classroom response systems from a variety of disciplines (with a discipline index). The book also incorporates results from research on the effectiveness of the technology for teaching. Written for instructional designers and re-designers as well as faculty across disciplines. A must-read for anyone interested in interactive teaching and the use of clickers. This book draws on the experiences of countless instructors across a wide range of disciplines to provide both novice and experienced teachers with practical advice on how to make classes more fun and more effective.”--Eric Mazur, Balkanski Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, Harvard University, and author, Peer Instruction: A User’s Manual “Those who come to this book needing practical advice on using ‘clickers’ in the classroom will be richly rewarded: with case studies, a refreshing historical perspective, and much pedagogical ingenuity. Those who seek a deep, thoughtful examination of strategies for active learning will find that here as well—in abundance. Dr. Bruff achieves a marvelous synthesis of the pragmatic and the philosophical that will be useful far beyond the life span of any single technology.” --Gardner Campbell, Director, Academy for Teaching and Learning, and Associate Professor of Literature, Media, and Learning, Honors College, Baylor University

With classroom response systems (or CRSs, also known as Student Response Systems, Individual Response Systems, or, informally, “clickers”) in use in higher education for some 20 years, there is now both ample research and a wealth of examples and ideas to draw on for faculty who are contemplating their use, or exploring new ways to integrate them in their teaching.The research demonstrates that, integrated purposefully in courses, the use of clickers aligns with what neuroscience tells us about the formation of memory and the development of learning. In addition, they elicit contributions from otherwise reticent students and enhance collaboration, even in large lecture courses; foster more honest responses to discussion prompts; increase students’ engagement and satisfaction with the classroom environment; and provide an instantaneous method of formative assessment.This book presents a brief history of the development of CRSs and a survey of empirical research to provide a context for current best practices, and then presents seven chapters providing authentic, effective examples of the use of clickers across a wide range of academic disciplines, demonstrating how they can be effective in helping students to recognize their misconceptions and grasp fundamental concepts.Like all pedagogical interventions, classroom response systems are no panacea, and the experienced contributors candidly describe avoidable pitfalls while demonstrating how clickers can deepen student learning and how, by providing instantaneous feedback, they enable teachers to make adjustments on the fly to better address student understandings or misunderstandings.The final chapter explores pros and cons of response systems that use mobile devices and smart phones, and the book concludes with an annotated list of further resources, such as books, articles, and videos.

This monograph examines the nature of active learning at the higher education level, the empirical research on its use, the common obstacles and barriers that give rise to faculty resistance, and how faculty and staff can implement active learning techniques. A preliminary section defines active learning and looks at the current climate surrounding the concept. A second section, entitled "The Modified Lecture" offers ways that teachers can incorporate active learning into their most frequently used format: the lecture. The following section on classroom discussion explains the conditions and techniques needed for the most useful type of exchange. Other ways to promote active learning are also described including: visual learning, writing in class, problem solving, computer-based instruction, cooperative learning, debates, drama, role playing, simulations, games, and peer teaching. A section on obstacles to implementing active learning techniques leads naturally to the final section, "Conclusions and Recommendations," which outlines the roles that each group within the university can play in order to encourage the implementation of active learning strategies. The text includes over 200 references and an index. (JB)

Are you looking for new ways to engage your students? Classroom voting can be a powerful way to enliven your classroom, by requiring all students to consider a question, discuss it with their peers, and vote on the answer during class. When used in the right way, students engage more deeply with the material, and have fun in the process, while you get valuable feedback when you see how they voted. But what are the best strategies to integrate voting into your lesson plans? How do you teach the full curriculum while including these voting events? How do you find the right questions for your students? This collection includes papers from faculty at institutions across the country, teaching a broad range of courses with classroom voting, including college algebra, precalculus, calculus, statistics, linear algebra, differential equations, and beyond. These faculty share their experiences and explain how they have used classroom voting to engage students, to provoke discussions, and to improve how they teach mathematics. This volume should be of interest to anyone who wants to begin using classroom voting as well as people who are already using it but would like to know what others are doing. While the authors are primarily college-level faculty, many of the papers could also be of interest to high school mathematics teachers. --Publisher description.

Emerging technologies have enhanced the learning capabilities and opportunities in modern school systems. To continue the effective development of such innovations, the intended users must be taken into account. End-User Considerations in Educational Technology Design is a pivotal reference source for the latest scholarly material on usability testing techniques and user-centered design methodologies in the development of technological tools for learning environments. Highlighting a range of pertinent topics such as multimedia learning, human-computer interaction, and online learning, this book is ideally designed for academics, researchers, school administrators, professionals, and practitioners interested in the design of optimized educational technologies.

Since the prototype of clicker device was created and developed in 1990’s at Pennsylvania State University, there have been numerous arguments on its effectiveness. This book reveals a clear picture of studies on clickers and paves a solid foundation for future studies on the use of technologies in education. It is concluded that satisfaction is positively correlated with interaction, self-efficacy and self-regulation in clickers-aided EFL class without statistically significant gender differences. Learner attitude, technology anxiety, teachers’ prompt feedback, flexibility of Clickers-aided EFL Flipped Class perceive usefulness and ease of technology and exert significant influence on learner satisfaction. The flipped business English writing classroom brings about better academic achievements and causes more satisfaction than the traditional one. Males are significantly more satisfied and achieved higher with Clickers-aided EFL Flipped Class than females. Videos, initial EFL proficiency, learner attitudes and motivation could exert significant influence on EFL proficiency and learner satisfaction. The learning attitude, interest and intrinsic motivation are significantly and mutually correlated in both Clickers-aided EFL Flipped Class and the traditional class. The book is considered a wonderful exploration in the use of clickers in the EFL flipped class. Studies in this book are conducted in a cross-disciplinary manner and shows readers a fresh view. Hence, it is worth reading.