“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I may learn.”—Benjamin Franklin
For many teachers, particularly of large classes, creating an environment conducive to active learning can seem a challenge. Teachers may turn to technology-based solutions with the perception that students of today are not only tech-savvy, but are tech-engrained. In teaching strategic communication and advertising, fields in which technology is a dominant part of the conversation, I often feel compelled to present a high-tech show lest I appear behind the rapidly changing field. However, using technology simply for the sake of using it is not only unproductive; it is counterproductive and distracting. My students have taught me that when used well and when inspired by learning objectives, technology-based solutions such as i>Clicker encourage them to “show up” both physically and mentally—to involve them in learning 1.
Instructor Perspective: Live Dialogue
When I began using i>Clicker for a 350-student introductory course at the University of Illinois, I had the opportunity to learn from Tim Stelzer, one of the inventors of i>Clicker. He allowed me to observe his course and offered tips that have guided my approach to Clickers since. I learned three main lessons from this initial introduction and from subsequent experience:
Intellectual attendance. The value of Clickers is not fully realized when they are used solely for attendance (and given that one of the criticisms of the Clicker system seems to be cost of remotes, I am uncomfortable requiring purchase simply for attendance). In fact, students in classes in which I use Clickers are not graded on attendance, but rather on participation, professionalism and learning. To this end, Clickers can be used to involve students in multiple ways. For example, if there is little consensus on an answer I ask students to turn to their neighbor, come to a consensus and answer again (“think-pair-share”). I find this approach further communicates to students that benefits of class come not from inhabiting a seat or even in being a spectator; the value is in intellectual attendance and participation.
Encouragement not punishment 2. Credit allocated for Clickers should be enough to encourage students to feel invested in using them but not so much that it feels punitive (and should not be so much that students intent on cheating the system and themselves will be rewarded heavily for doing so). In my classes, i>Clicker accounts for between 4%-7% of the course grade. Students accumulate points for responding and additional points for responding correctly (when a correct answer applies) for a pre-determined semester maximum. Clicker questions are a part of every class period so participation is engrained in the class environment. Students are offered well over the number of questions necessary to reach the maximum (approximately 1.5 times). Therefore, I need not offer make-up opportunities; even with some missed classes, forgotten remotes or incorrect answers students still have a chance to achieve full credit.
Live Dialogue. Students who understand why Clickers are used will get more out of using them than those who do not. Therefore, clearly articulating to students how and why i>Clicker is used and connecting it to course objectives is important. I ask various types of questions from memory-based to analysis-based and use Clickers as one of several methods to engage students with multiple ways of thinking about information and multiple ways of knowing. I turn to student feedback on i>Clicker to explicate this point.
Student Perspective: “It helps me learn!”
While a few students have been critical of i>Clicker—they do not like having to remember their remotes every class or they feel slight anxiety about answering questions incorrectly—a significant majority indicate that i>Clickers help them learn and encourage their engagement. A qualitative content analysis of anonymous student feedback across three semesters reveals the following dominant themes, supported by student quotes:
- Students appreciate the immediacy of Clickers. Clicker use helps them “gauge their understanding of materials;” class discussions about right and wrong answers following a question help them understand concepts; they like knowing where they stand in relation to the rest of the class; and they like knowing their responses offer the instructor feedback on what concepts need more attention.
- Students feel it is a way to have a dialogue with the instructor and with their classmates, particularly in larger classes and particularly for students who may feel less comfortable speaking up during class-wide discussions; it gives them “an active voice” and “allows students to participate in class without being afraid they will get judged.”
- They indicate appreciating the additional incentive not simply to come to class but to pay attention. Some find they “love the course material, but in any large lecture class… it is easy to get distracted.” i>Clicker invites them to maintain focus.
- Students like receiving various types of questions through i>Clicker and appreciate opportunities to receive practice test questions. I cue students when I offer a sample test question and I try to teach them to distinguish various types of questions (e.g., memory-based, application-based from Bloom’s Taxonomy).
- Finally, while not a dominant theme, several students recently have requested more opinion-based questions. They like being asked and being able to give their opinions. They find these types of questions fun, and they enjoy seeing how their responses compare to those of their classmates. Opinion questions may have value in sparking broader discussions that can be related directly to course concepts.
Involvement is important for learning and, when well implemented and driven by course objectives, i>Clicker encourages involvement and may serve as one tool to awaken course content for students. Clickers provide educators with an efficient and interactive tool to involve students so they may learn.
1 Research on Clickers has demonstrated their effectiveness for objectives beyond taking attendance and checking students’ knowledge of facts (see McGowan and Gunderson 2010). They can encourage critical thinking (e.g., Mollborn and Hoekstra 2010) and advanced reasoning (e.g., DeBourgh 2008). This research has helped me articulate for students my philosophy in using Clickers, and has provided insights into new ways of employing this tool. Some of it is compiled on the i>Clicker website.
2 Unfortunately, there are some students who may want to circumvent the system. In fact, in user feedback on Clickers, this seems to be one of the more frequently cited concerns. Though I do not find this to be a prevalent problem, it does happen. There is never any reason that one student should be using two Clickers at once. I communicate to students at the beginning of the semester and in the syllabus that the misuse of i>Clicker, including having a classmate log responses in one’s absence or logging responses for an absent classmate, are violations of academic integrity and will be penalized with a zero grade on i>Clicker for the semester for all parties involved. In addition, i>Clickers are not the only measure I use of student participation. For example, students have in-class and out-of-class exercises that may come out of or feed into i>Clicker questions.
References
DeBourgh, Gregory A. (2008), “Use of classroom ‘clickers’ to promote acquisition of advanced reasoning skills,” Nurse Education in Practice, 8, 76-87.
McGowan, Herle M. and Brenda K. Gunderson (2010), “A Randomized Experiment Exploring How Certain Features of Clicker Use Effect Undergraduate Students’ Engagement and Learning in Statistics,” Technology Innovations in Statistics Education, 4(1), 1-29.
Mollborn, Stefanie and Angel Hoekstra (2010), “‘A meeting of minds’: Using clickers for critical thinking and discussion in large sociology classes,” Teaching Sociology, 38(1), 18-27.
This article was written by Catherine Coleman, PhD, Schieffer School of Journalism, for the Spring 2013 Issue of Insights Magazine.