Clickers are wireless personal response systems that can be used in a classroom to anonymously and rapidly collect an answer to a question from every student; an answer for which they are individually accountable. This allows rapid reliable feedback to both the instructor and the students. Clickers are not a magic bullet – they are not necessarily useful as an end in themselves. They become useful when the instructor has a clear idea as to what they want to achieve with them, and the questions are designed to improve student engagement, student-student interaction (on-topic), and instructor-student interaction. Below are some resources to help instructors use clickers effectively in a classroom.
All videos produced by the University of Colorado Science Education Initiative (CU-SEI) and the University of British Columbia Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI)
Mazur Group Project Galileo Video FAQs on Interactive Teaching
Short videos addressing FAQs about interactive teaching techniques, such as clicker ConcepTests, on Eric Mazur's Group's Project Galileo portal.
Interactive Learning Toolkit
Developed by Eric Mazur's group, contains "ConcepTest" database for a variety of areas. Registration required (free).
Concept Tests from CU Boulder Physics Courses
Clicker questions and course materials from a variety of lower division and upper division physics courses at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Chemistry ConcepTests from the University of Wisconsin
For General, Organic, Analytical, Inorganic, Physical, and Biochemistry. Also includes explanations on how to use them effectively, and experiences of educators.
Chemistry ConcepTests from Brandeis University
For General Chemistry, created by the Herzfeld Group.
Math and Statistics Questions — resource list from Project MathQUEST at Carroll College, Montana
This website has links to question collections for many college/university level math and statistics courses, as well as other related resources. Project MathQUEST is developing and testing questions for Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Series, Sequences, and Difference Equations, Multivariable Calculus, Integral Calculus, Differential Calculus, and Precalculus.
Tips for Successful “Clicker” Use by Douglas Duncan, University of Colorado
A nice 2-pager with Practices that lead to Successful Clicker Use and Practices that lead to Failure.
Classroom Response System ("Clickers") Bibliography (Vanderbilt Center for Teaching)
A very extensive bibliography on clicker use and research (with links to digitally available papers).
Multiple Choice Question Writing Guidance, Brigham Young University Testing Center
Several guides for the creation of good multiple choice questions, including the excellent "How to Prepare Better Multiple-Choice Test Items: Guidelines for University Faculty". Also has guidance documents on writing other types of test questions.
Derek Bruff's Blog: Teaching with Classroom Response Systems
An active Blog "Teaching with Classroom Response Systems: Resources for engaging and assessing students with clickers". Derek teaches math and statistics at Vanderbilt University and has written a book on teaching with classroom response systems
Peer Instruction: Engaging Students One-on-One, All At Once
Catherine H. Crouch, Jessica Watkins, Adam P. Fagen, and Eric Mazur, Research-Based Reform of University Physics, 1 (1) (2007).
This is a thorough article that covers techniques of peer instruction, design principles and practices, and lots of data on results.
Clickers in the Large Classroom: Current Research and Best-Practice Tips
Jane E. Caldwell, BE—Life Sciences Education, 6(1), pp. 9-20 (2007).
A good review of research on clicker use, particularly in the context of teaching in the life sciences, including a set of guidelines for writing good questions and a list of best-practice tips.
Designing effective questions for classroom response system teaching
Ian D. Beatty, William J. Gerace, William J. Leonard, and Robert J. Dufresne, American Journal of Physics, V. 74, N. 1, pp. 31-39 (2006).
This is a good paper discussing different types of clicker questions and the cognitive processes they can tie into.
Why I like clicker personal response systems
Eric Ribbens, J. of Coll. Sci. Teaching, pg 60, Nov. 2007.
One Professor's account of what happened when he started using clickers: "I wandered into clickers expecting them to become
another tool in my toolbox. Instead, I’ve found that clickers have somehow taken over my toolbox, rearranged my other tools, and started acting as an expert assistant."
Why Peer Discussion Improves Student Performance on In-Class Concept Questions
Michelle Smith, William Wood, Wendy Adams, Carl Wieman, Jenny Knight, Nancy Guild, and Tin Tin Su, Science, Vol. 323 no. 5910, pp. 122-124 (2009).
When students answer an in-class conceptual question individually using clickers, discuss it with their neighbors, and then revote on the same question, the percentage of correct answers typically increases. To test whether this was truly due to increased understanding, the researchers followed the exercise with an isomorphic question that students answered individually. Their results indicate that peer discussion enhances understanding, even when none of the students in a discussion group originally knows the correct answer.
UBC Clicker Information
Information and advice for instructors on using i>clicker systems in their classrooms at UBC.
CU Clicker Information
Information and advice for instructors on using i>clicker systems in their classrooms at CU.
Conference talk: Make Clickers Work for You: A Powerful Tool for Instruction and Assessment
and ZIP folder containg materials from talk
Presenters: Kelly Lancaster; Patricia J. Loeblein; Stephanie V. Chasteen, University of Colorado-Boulder
Materials from talk at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Nov. 12, 2009 (One-hour presentation for K-12 teachers on using clickers effectively).
4 hour version part 1 and part 2
and ZIP folder with associated materials
Conference talk: Clickers in Upper-Division
Courses
Stephanie Chasteen, Kathy Perkins, Michael Dubson, and Steven Pollock, Physics Dept. & SEI, University of Colorado
Presentation given by Stephanie on February 16, 2009 at the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) Meeting in Chicago.
Video clips associated with this talk:
Upper Division Clickers in Action (approx. 3 minutes)
What Kinds of Questions do We Ask Upper Division? (approx. 2 minutes)
Writing Upper Division Clicker Questions (approx. 1 minute)
Explain to Your Students (approx. 1 minute)
Poster: Student behavior, attitudes, and learning using in-class questions with “clickers” vs. a show of hands in a large introductory geology course
Andrea Bair, Jennifer Stempien, and David Budd, Dept of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder
Poster presentation given at the 2007 Geological Society of America meeting by Science Teaching Fellows at the University of Colorado.
CWSEI Seminar: Confessions of a Converted Lecturer
Eric Mazur, Professor of Physics, Harvard University
CWSEI Seminar: Creating a Highly Interactive Classroom for All Courses
Mike Dubson, Senior Instructor, Department of Physics, University of Colorado-Boulder
Conference workshop: Making clickers work for you (ZIP file)
Stephanie Chasteen, SEI, University of Colorado-Boulder
Materials from workshop at the Rocky Mountain Technology in Education conference, Copper Mountain, Colorado, June 24, 2009
CWSEI workshop: Using Clickers Effectively
Sara Harris, Earth & Ocean Sciences Dept, University of British Columbia
Workshop at the CWSEI End-of-Year Event, April 29, 2009
Curious about clickers? Not sure how to use them most effectively? Clickers can be a useful tool for student learning, but success depends on good implementation. This workshop will give you practical experience to help you (1) articulate why you might choose to use clickers in YOUR class (or not), (2) write thought-provoking clicker questions, and (3) respond to student answers in real time. We will also discuss logistical issues and effective planning.
