i>clicker is a physical remote student response system (with an optional mobile app component called REEF Polling by i>clicker) with which an instructor is able to poll students in a variety of ways to help engage students and enhance learning.
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Karle Flanagan-Using i>clickers in Large Lecture Classes
Engage Students in the Classroom. i>clicker was originally designed as a tool to help engage students in large enrollment courses, but is being used increasingly in smaller 30-50 person courses.Students are vested in answering the questions posed and seeing how their votes compare with rest of class. Since humans are typically only able to maintain attention for periods up to 20 minutes at a time, i>clicker is a great tool to reset up to 20 minutes at a time, i>clicker is a great tool to reset student attention, when used at different points of the lecture. Julia Shapland, Accountancy, uses i>clicker in her 600-700 student intro course to better engage with students which would otherwise be nearly impossible to do with such a large course.
Encourage all Students to Participate. Instead of getting limited responses for what I call the “front five” students (the few students that always raise their hands), you are getting feedback from all students in the classroom. This really helps student participation in large enrollment courses.
Immediately Assess Students' Mastery of Content. i>clicker is a quick and easy way to gauge student’s comprehension of pre-existing knowledge to help determine what you need cover in class and what you don’t. It’s also a great way to measure the mastery of content that you’ve gone over in class or in the reading.
Improve Student Learning Using Peer Instruction. One of the more impactful ways of utilizing i>clicker in class is using it for peer instruction, typically using the Think, Pair, Share model. Students are asked to answer a question individually (Think). If the results are mixed and warrant more discussion, students are asked to pair up with a neighbor or two (Pair) and discuss the topic in small groups. The instructor visits the groups, providing some clarifying hints to lead the group toward the best answer. Finally, the students vote a second time and share their thoughts on the topics (Share).
Solicit Honest Student Feedback with Anonymous Polling. Lena Hann, Kinesiology and Community Health, teaches a Human Sexuality course of around 300 students each semester. She relies on anonymous polling for students to share their personal experiences with the class. Students report that the process is very valuable and they often see that the process is very valuable and they often see that they are not alone in their experiences.
Mark Smith-Creating Class Time with i>clickers