University of Pennsylvania
School of Arts & Sciences
SAS Computing servicesstaffsearchFAQ
   



Instructional Technology Home

Services

Course Resources

Resource Centers

Classroom Technology

Staff


 

Using "clickers" in the classroom
Information for faculty

Introduction

  • What are clickers/audience response systems?
    Audience response systems (which we call "clickers") include 3 components:

    The hardware: a handset and receiver     		1. small handsets that students use to vote on a multiple-choice survey or quiz question projected in the classrooms
    2. a small wireless receiver attached to the classroom computer to collect the responses sent from student handsets
    3. software on the computer which displays the question and tabulates student responses, displaying a histogram of the responses when voting has finished.
  • Why do teachers use them?
    • Teachers use these systems to informally assess students' knowledge of a topic before lecturing, to see whether students understand a point after it has been explained, and to ask survey or opinion questions. 
    • Links to a variety of articles on the pedagogy and applications of clicker systems are available at http://tags.library.upenn.edu/project/21851


What system is available at Penn?

  • We have standardized on the ResponseCard RF system from TurningPoint because it is a good, reliable product. 
    • Although several clicker systems on the market provide very similar functionality, by standardizing on just one, we have built experience and expertise in supporting it.
  • The Bookstore will sell the TurningPoint ResponseCard RF clickers in the textbook area
    • Your students can purchase a clicker and their choice of a new or used textbook for your course. 
    • At the end of the semester, the Bookstore will offer a buy-back program for the clickers, much as they do with used textbooks.
  • The TurningPoint system integrates with Blackboard's gradebook
    • You have the option of tracking individual student responses, and recording the in the Blackboard gradebook. This allows you to use the clickers for in-class quizzes, or other applications where you want to know how individual students responded to your questions.


How does it work?  A typical scenario

  • Before class, the instructor uses the free TurningPoint software to create questions in PowerPoint.
    • This software adds buttons to the PowerPoint menus so that you can add questions to slides.
         tools
    • Software for Windows or Mac can be downloaded from http://www.turningtechnologies.com/groupresponsesystemsupport/downloads.cfm to your office or home computer as many times as you would like, so you can build question slides wherever it's convenient for you to work.
    • Questions can be a variety of styles of multiple-choice, such as True/False, Yes/No/Abstain, Likert scales, or standard multiple choice questions with up to 10 possible answers.  You can add a count-down timer and/or a correct answer indicator if you'd like.
         TrueFalse

         likert
    • There's also a "user feedback" box on the information bar at the top of the screen when you're running a slide show.  The counter in this box increments every time a student presses the question-mark button on the clicker, so you can tell if students are confused as you go along.
    • The Weigle Information Commons Clickers Page also has templates for "Jeopardy" and "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" educational games using the clickers.
    • Detailed guides and manuals are available on the TurningTechnologies website, and we'll be happy to assist you in learning to use the software.

  • In class, the instructor has the USB receiver plugged into the classroom computer or laptop, and then runs the PowerPoint presentation from that computer. 
    • When you reach a slide with a question on it, students send a response from their handsets.  Only the last response a student enters counts.
    • As the students vote, the receiver on classroom computer or laptop registers the responses and tabulates them.
    • After the voting is finished, a slide comes up with a chart of the responses.
         TrueFalse

         Likert

         horizontal
    • You can also easily add another slide after that indicating the correct response (in this case, with an arrow).
         correct answer
  • After class, you can export the results from PowerPoint
    • You can analyze the results in Excel if you'd like to look at the details
    • You can upload the results to Blackboard's gradebook for your course

How can I get started using clickers in my class?

  • How do I get started?
  • What about the systems that publishers offer bundled with text books?
    • We use the ResponseCard RF system from TurningPoint.  Some publishers offer packages that include clickers - if you're considering one of these, please be sure that the clicker is this model we use.  If you have any concerns about evaluating what the publisher is offering, please just contact us. 
  • Is there anything my students or I have to buy?
    • In most cases, students will have to buy a handset, which they will be able to sell back to the bookstore at the end of the semester, like a textbook, if they don't want to keep it.  Sometimes the clickers are shrink-wrapped with the textbook, but students can purchase clickers separately if you want to use a different book, or if they buy a used textbook.
    • For small classes or very limited uses, we may be able to provide handsets that can be loaned to students for the duration of the class meeting.
    • As the instructor, you'll need to install free software on the computer that you will use to build questions.  The software can be downloaded from http://www.turningtechnologies.com/groupresponsesystemsupport/downloads.cfm  Detailed guides and manuals for using the software are available on the TurningTechnologies website, but we'll be happy to assist you in learning to use it.
    • SAS Computing will provide the receiver that you'll need in the classroom, and will install the software on the classroom computer.
      • If you prefer, you can use your own laptop in the classroom, and project the questions from there.

What do students think of the clickers?

  • Response from students has generally been very positive.  Students' survey responses indicate that they find the use of clickers engaging.
  • Clicking toward a better education, a front-page article in the February 25, 2008 Daily Pennsylvanian, interviewed faculty and students about the use of clickers in SAS courses.

Is there somewhere I can try out the system?

  • The Weigle Information Commons has a classroom set of 35 clickers for faculty use in the Van Pelt Dietrich Library Center.
  • For more information, please check the WIC Clickers Page (http://wic.library.upenn.edu/multimedia/clickers/) or email wic1@pobox.upenn.edu

Are there resources to help me learn to use the system?

Instruction manuals are available from TurningPoint's website
SAS Computing is developing a series of short instructional videos, linked below:

What version of the Clicker software is installed on classroom computers?  

For Fall 2008, the following software is on classroom computers:
  • PCs
    TurningPoint 2008 for PC
    MS Office 2007 Pro Plus, SP1 / Vista Business SP1
    - TurningPoint integrates with Blackboard
    - TurningPoint automatically calls PowerPoint
     
  • Macs
    TurningPoint Anywhere for Mac
    MS Office 2008, SP1 / MacOS Leopard 10.5.4
    - TurningPoint Anywhere integrates with Blackboard
    - TurningPoint Anywhere can be used with questions in any software - PowerPoint, Keynote, Word, etc.
    - TurningPoint Anywhere does NOT automatically call Powerpoint
     
  • Why we selected these versions
    TurningPoint 2008 for PC is a mature, stable release

    TurningPoint for Mac 1.1 was rejected because it ONLY works with MS Office 2004, and it does not include Blackboard integration, so TurningPoint Anywhere for Mac was selected


Please send mail to clickers-help(at)sas.upenn.edu  if you'd like more information or a demonstration of this system.





Last modified: Friday, 29-Aug-2008 23:09:13 EDT
Contact us