What are clickers?
In a classroom setting, clickers are the wireless remote transmitters students use to answer questions posed by faculty during a PowerPoint presentation. A student can use a clicker to respond individually or as a member of a group.
Clickers are part of an Audience Response System (ARS) which includes the software and hardware necessary to create questions and collect responses from audience members. At BCC, we adopted TurningPoint, an audience response system (ARS) developed by Turning Technologies.
Why use clickers?
According to the Center for Education Research and Evaluation at Colombia University’s Medical Center:
Research has shown that the ARS can substantially improve the effectiveness of learning and retention of concepts presented in lectures. (Copeland et al, 1998; Shackow et al, 2003; Stein, 2003; Gagnon and Thivierge, 1997). The ARS transforms lectures into stimulating, active learning experiences. Students interact, give immediate feedback through wireless keypads, and their responses to questions (presented in PowerPoint) are displayed graphically within seconds.
The clickers can be used to:
- Help monitor student understanding of material covered in a lecture
- Expose and clarify student’s misconceptions
- Promote interactivity and discussion in large group case-based learning
- Elicit and discuss diverse points of view when there is no correct answer (e.g. ethics)
- Test whether students complete assigned reading
- Conduct quizzes, exams, and surveys
- Take attendance
- Provide immediate feedback on the value of the learning session
- Facilitate “peer instruction”
How can I get started with clickers?
- Set up the TurningPoint software on your BCC and/or home computer. If you have TurningPoint 2006, we recommend that you uninstall TurningPoint 2006 and install TurningPoint 2008.
- Prepare your presentation using the TurningPoint software or Microsoft Office 2010
- Check out a clicker set from Bergen’s Library Media Center.
Printable Instructions for TurningPoint
If you have any questions, contact citl@bergen.edu.