Classroom Response Systems at NAU
How do I find out more about clickers?
- Step 1: Read this page
- Step 2: Sign up for a Clicker Training and Demonstration
- Step 3: Fill out this form if you decide to adopt clickers for your class.
What are clickers? Clickers are "audience response systems." They are an instructional technology designed for large face-to-face classes to gather instantaneous feedback and keep students engaged. Each student holds a clicker, which is similar to a TV remote control. The instructor has an RF (radio frequency) receiver attached to his/her computer. When an instructor brings up a clicker question in his/her classroom presentation (ie. PowerPoint or Keynote slide) students "beam" their responses using the clickers and the responses are immediately tabulated and graphed on the instructor's computer. Using an LCD projector, the instructor can share the results with the class. The power of the clicker is that the student can give his/her opinion and compare responses to the group's without being singled out in front of the class. Instructors can use them to administer quizzes and tests, take attendence, learn whether the students are "getting it," inform students about how well they are doing in the class relative to their peers, and engage students with challenging questions in a large lecture class. Participation rates with clickers are very high and clickers allow instructors to gather large amounts of student data very quickly and frequently.
The Transition: For several years, NAU has used eInstruction's clickers, but the software was frustrating, Mac support was poor, and the rate of adoption here at NAU was low. A panel composed of faculty using that system recommended a switch to i>Clicker beginning in Fall, 2012 based primarily on its greater simplicity. Currently enrolled NAU students who buy a new i>Clicker2 remote and who previously purchased an old eInstruction CPS clicker are eligible for a $10 rebate from i>Clicker. Students who purchased a perpetual license to the eInstruction CPS clicker system should contact elc-help@nau.edu for information about a refund, and will need to provide proof of purchase of the perpetual license.
Clicker Adoption: Instructors should notify Tracy Tanner, NAU's sales representative from i>Clicker, of their intent to adopt clickers for their upcoming class and i>Clicker will send them a test kit. Instructors should also notify the NAU Bookstore of their intent to adopt the clickers (this is a similar process to textbook adoption) for their class. The bookstore clicker contact is Jill Christensen. Instructors who wish to notify i>Clicker, the NAU Bookstore, and e-Learning all at once can use this form.
Student Pricing: Students will purchase an i>Clicker2 at the NAU bookstore for about $45.00. Clickers can also be purchased online. There are no additional charges for registration, and the license to use the i>Clicker is perpetual. Multiple students (roommates, for example) can share a clicker as long as they are not enrolled in the same class section and as long as they don't need to use it at the same time.
Registration: We hope to use Blackboard Learn to simplify the clicker registration process for students, which was always cumbersome with the old system. Students will log into Bb Learn with their NAU ID and password and will enter the clicker's serial number.
Software: Instructors can download the i>Clicker software from their website. You can download the latest updates to the clicker software from their Instructor Support page.
Training and support: e-Learning's Instructional Technologists and elc-help staff will provide all local faculty training and support for the clickers. View the upcoming workshop schedule for i>Clicker training at e-Learning. i>Clicker also offers its own training and support. The User Guide
also has lots of useful information.
Resources and Research on Clickers
Clickers in the Large Classroom: Current Research and Best-Practice Tips
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1810212/Peer discussion improves learning with clickers.
http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Learning-With-Clickers-/4456Seven Things You Should Know About Clickers
Clicker Resources from the University of British Columbia
http://www.elearning.ubc.ca/toolkit/clickers/Clicker Resources from Vanderbilt University
http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/docs/classroom-response-system-clickers-bibliography/Clicker Resources from the University of Colorado at Boulder
http://assett.colorado.edu/post/tag/clickersAudience Response System: Effect on Learning in Family Medicine Residents
Experiences of Using an Interactive Audience Response System in Lectures
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6920/3/12Clicker Resources from Ohio State University
http://ocio.osu.edu/elearning/toolbox/depth/clickers/clickers-resources/Elliot, C. (2003), Using a Personal Response System in Economics Teaching
http://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/iree/i1/elliott.htm
