Daniela Gachago, Educational Technology UnitFundani Centre for Higher Education Development, CPUT

Clickers in HE – research and practice

Source: http://image.absoluteastronomy.com/images/encyclopediaimages/c/cp/cput_cape_town_campus.jpg

University of Edinburgh

Simpson V. & Oliver M. (2007).Electronic voting systems for lectures then and now: A comparison of research and practice. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2007, 23(2), 187-208.

Caldwell J. (2007). Clickers in the Large Classroom: Current Research and Best-Practice Tips. CBE—Life Sciences Education. Vol. 6, Spring 2007.

Interactive, instructing questioning as teaching method is nothing new…

New technology…CLICKERS!

Anonymous Instant feedback Variety of question

types Record of data

Assumptions*

1. Content transmission is not the most effective way of learning

2. Students active engagement with ideas and applications support learning

3. Quality feedback should be provided to students

* Simpson V. & Oliver M. (2007). Electronic voting systems for lectures then and now: A comparison of research and practice. Australasion Journal of Educational Technology 2007, 23(2), 187-208.

Main research areas*

* Caldwell J. (2007). Clickers in the Large Classroom: Current Research and Best-Practice Tips. CBE Life Sciences Education, Vol. 6, Spring 2007.

Channel Setting Instructions for ResponseCard RF

1. Press and release the "GO" button.

2. While the light is flashing red and green, enter the 2 digit channel code (i.e. channel 1 = 01, channel 21 = 21).

Channel is 41

3. After the second digit is entered, Press and release the "GO" button.

4. Press and release the "1/A" button. The light should flash yellow to confirm.

A boat carrying a large boulder is floating on a lake. The boulder is thrown overboard and sinks. The water in the lake (with respect to the shore)

1 2 3

0% 0%0%0 of 30

1. Rises

2. Drops

3. Remains the same

How many semesters of calculus have you had?

How many countries outside South Africa have you visited?

Icebreaking questions: how are you feeling today?

Quickly gathering information

Who am I?

Source: Dr R James, UGA, http://www.slideshare.net/rnja8c/using-clickers-in-the-classroom-posted

Recall questions: Beginning of class

Who has read the assigned material?

Source: Dr R James, UGA, http://www.slideshare.net/rnja8c/using-clickers-in-the-classroom-posted

Comparing class survey with survey results from

published studies

Source: Dr R James, UGA, http://www.slideshare.net/rnja8c/using-clickers-in-the-classroom-posted

How many Grade 11 students in Cape Town’s most deprived areas regularly access the Internet through their mobile phones*

1 2 3 4 5

20% 20% 20%20%20%

0 of 30

1. Less than 20%

2. 20-40%

3. 40-60%

4. 60-80%

5. Nearly everyone

Kreutzer T. (2009). Generation Mobile: Online and Digital Media Usage on Mobile Phones among Low-Income Urban Youth in South Africa

Predict the outcome of an experiment

Source: Dr R James, UGA, http://www.slideshare.net/rnja8c/using-clickers-in-the-classroom-posted

Steve Draper, University of Glasgow

* Draper S. (n.d.) Electronically enhanced classroom interaction.

“Possibly the most productive application, however, and the one with the largest body of existing research, is in using the equipment to initiate a discussion.* ”

Collect student opinions to start a discussion

The practice of getting the blessings of the ancestors is:A norm in many African countriesA description of a role among rural communitiesA sign that the nuclear family is considered most

importantAn example of acculturation amongst the

Lembani people

Source: http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0eMe6da2x14Lu/610x.jpg

Mazur Sequence

“You can forget facts but you cannot forget understanding” Prof. Eric Mazur, Harvard

Enter question text...

1 2 3

0% 0%0%

0 of 30

1. Answer1

2. Answer2

3. answer3

Source: Bates S., Howie K. & Murphy A. (2006).

Why bother*?

Ranked by importance, clickers seem to be most useful to…

incre

ase

inter

actio

n

get f

eedb

ack

on s

tude

nts’

unde

rsta

nding

reve

al co

mm

on m

iscon

cept

ions

help

stud

ents

und

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and

diffic

ult c

once

pts

help

stud

ents

pra

ctice

keep

stu

dent

s aw

ake

keep

stu

dent

s en

terta

ined

incre

ase

atte

ndan

ce0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Score (max 500)

Staff perception

Students perception*

Overall trend in literature: most students like using clickersMore consistent when asked about enjoyments than

helpfulnessMain benefit: instructor has improved awareness of

students’ needs and teaching style is viewed as more “immediate”

Features liked best: anonymity, potential to reinforce learning and possibility to compare your answer with rest of the class

However: students are also critical “stop messing around with technology and get back to

good basic teaching” (d’inverno, 2003)* Caldwell J. (2007). Clickers in the Large Classroom: Current Research and Best-Practice Tips. CBE Life Sciences Education, Vol. 6, Spring 2007.

Clicker fatigue?

Potential: extensive change of teaching practice

Towards a more discursive, segmented, tutorial style approach (Nicol & Boyle, 2003)

Contingent teaching (Draper & Brown, 2004)

Re-design of physical teaching spaces which allow collaboration / debate between students

References Simpson V. & Oliver M. (2007).Electronic voting systems for lectures then

and now: A comparison of research and practice. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2007, 23(2), 187-208.

Caldwell J. (2007). Clickers in the Large Classroom: Current Research and Best-Practice Tips. CBE—Life Sciences Education. Vol. 6, Spring 2007.

Nicol, D. & Boyle, J. T. (2003). Peer instruction versus class-wide discussion in large classes: A comparison of two interaction methods in the wired classroom. Studies in Higher Education 28(4), 457-473.

Draper, S. W. & Brown, M. I. (2004). Increasing interactivity in lectures using an electronic voting system. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 20, 81-94.

Bates S., Howie K. & Murphy A. (2006), Electronic voting systems; from one way transmission to two-way conversation, the Journal of the Higher Education Academy Physical Sciences Centre (ISSN 1740-9888) - Issue 2 Dec 2006.

Thank you!

Daniela Gachago

gachagod@cput.ac.za

www.edutechcput.wordpress.com/clickers