What are clickers?

Clickers are the common term for Student Response System (SRS), a technology used to promote active learning in classrooms. The system allows groups of people to vote on a topic or take a survey or answer a question. The responses are tabulated and displayed back to the participants.
 
Student Response Systems have been around for several decades but have gained increasing popularity in educational classrooms in the last several years. These systems are not only used in education but also used in other settings, such as the television industry and within corporations as a conference/meeting utility. There is no standard term for this technology; consequently it is referred to by several different terms and acronyms by manufacturers and in news and research articles. For consistency within this documentation the terms Student Response Systems, SRS or clickers are used.

What are the benefits of using clickers in the classroom?

Recent research on student SRS found using clickers in the classroom had a measurable increase on students in the following areas:
 

• Attendance - Students who know they will be assessed attendance points via clicker input are more likely to show up for class.

• Preparation for class - When instructors give regular checks for understanding or quizzes over course reading material students come to class prepared to answer questions and having completed assigned homework.

• Enthusiasm – Clickers have been found to improve the atmosphere in the classroom and increase student enthusiasm for learning. This is especially trued with incorporated use of peer activities, games and evocative discussions that arise as a result of polling questions.

• Attentiveness - Students will stay more attentive throughout the entire class as question are posed and answered. Using clicker polling questions regains the attention of students whose mind have wandered off topic and refocuses them onto the material presented.

• Participation – Entire classes can participate in a safe environment. This allows shy or quiet students to answer questions as easily as eager students and gets the whole class participating in the lesson.

• Confidence in learning – When there is no stigma of being incorrect all students can answer questions with a greater degree of confidence.

• Student understanding of presented material - Students can use questions presented to the class to gauge their own understanding of the material and focus on the points that they need to review. If they miss a question and the majority of the class gets it correct they know what material to study.

• Collaboration – Clicker activities that encourage peer instruction will get the students to interact with each other more. Having polling questions without clear correct answers can stimulate discussion among the students in the class.

• Active Learning – As students interact through answer questions with their clickers, participate in collaborative discussions with their peers, and become more engaged in the instruction they are increasing their level of activity in the learning process.

Does ASU have a recommended clicker?

Arizona State University recommends the following clickers:

TEMPE & DOWNTOWN (DPC) -   Beginning in Fall 2009, the Tempe and Downtown campuses will begin their clicker transition from CPS/eInstruction to TurningPoint.  Please see the Clicker Transition Plan 2009 listed below for more details.

POLYTECHNIC & WEST - Turning Technologies (TurningPoint) for higher education. For more information about this student response system visit the Turning Technologies website.
 
CLICKER TRANSITION PLAN 2009
This year ASU is transitioning to a new classroom clicker system, TurningPoint. TurningPoint, already in use at the West campus, is far more stable and reliable than the CPS system and will soon release software allowing a mobile phone or computing device to be used as a clicker. We expect to have more than 100 classrooms outfitted with TurningPoint clicker systems within a year’s time and full conversion to TurningPoint by fall 2010. Students can purchase TurningPoint clickers through the ASU Bookstore. The University Technology Office is also coordinating information sessions and Turning Point demonstrations for faculty. 
 
More information on the clicker conversion is available in the attached document and at clickers.asu.edu.
 
Thank you for your assistance in transitioning to the new system. We expect it will make teaching with clickers much easier for both faculty and students.
 
Elizabeth D. Capaldi
Executive Vice President and Provost
 
 
Please click here to read Dr. Capaldi's Clicker Transition Plan Letter