Engaging students in lectures through personal response systems clickers

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Engaging students in lectures through personal
response systems (clickers)

• Stephen Gomez, Karen Croker
• Holger Andersson
• School of Life Sciences, UWE, Bristol, UK
• Lund University, Sweden

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Overview
Introduction to PRSs
Use by universities
Our use
Student evaluation
Demonstration
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Introduction
Personal response systems

• Voting system
• Clickers

• 1947 first reported use in Holland
• Yes button, put by each lecture room seat

First reported use
Modern electronic systems
Participant remote
Presenter remote
Software
Receiver
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Place of clickers in HE

• Mixed practices
• Some universities require all students to
  purchase a handset
• Other universities loan out handsets through
  the library
• Students expected to have a handset with them
  for spot tests in lectures

• Expectation of student involvement in lectures
• VCU Honors College

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Our application of clickers
Drivers for change

• Involve students in lectures
• Assess student understanding

Frustrations

• No evidence of engagement with the lecture
• Extremely difficult to get students to respond
• No feedback on level of understanding
• Students are passive consumers
• Real world responsibility expectation to
  interact

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Case study 1 Brain Biology Behaviour (BBB)
Semester 1 Brain Biology
Assessment point 1 Essay 1 25
Semester 2 Human Behaviour
Assessment point 2 Essay 2 25
Assessment point 3 Written exam 50

• Episodic
• Students spend inordinate time on CW
• Students only study for assessment
• Separates learning from assessment

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Case study 1 Brain Biology Behaviour (BBB)
Semester 1 Brain Biology
Continuous assessment
Semester 2 Human Behaviour
Continuous assessment

• End of lecture test on that lectures material
  on previous weeks.
• Record of attendance
• Feedback to student on their understanding
• Feedback to lecturer on effectiveness of
  lecturing
• Opportunity for revision

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Brain Function Disorder (BFD)

• Purpose increased student engagement
• L3 poor level of engagement
• High reliance on being told
• Continued parent-child approach to learning
• Individual handsets group handsets
• Questions more integrated into lecture
• Questions of a more discursive nature

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Student culture
Why attend lectures?

• Expectations
• Being a student
• Social aspect

What do you do at the lecture?

• Test of endurance
• Occasional note-taking

Responding to questions

• Dont stick out!

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BBB evaluation

• Essays replaced by continuous assessment 100
  in favour
• All liked the clicker approach
• Fun
• Instant results
• Behavioural effects
• Near perfect attendance
• Paid attention
• Interacted
• Interest in results and position in the group

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BFD evaluation

• Group interaction
• Residual effect

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Handset