Professors in some classes aim to make their lectures more
interactive with the introduction of clickers in the classroom.
The clicker is a remote control-like keypad with numbers that
students can press to transmit their responses to a receiver
connected to the professor’s computer.
Starting this quarter, students taking Life Science 1 and some
other classes are using this keypad device to answer
multiple-choice questions in class in an attempt to increase the
effectiveness of lectures.
The clicker, a standard teaching device in other universities
and at some University of California campuses, is making its
official debut at UCLA, though it was tried for the first time in
winter quarter of 2006 in LS 1, said Rob Rodgers, assistant
director at the Office of Instructional Development.
The clicker system, officially named the Personal Response
System, is designed to enhance the lecture experience, which
studies have shown can be effective in student learning, said
Martin Simon, director of lecture demonstration in the UCLA physics
department.
“Research has shown (the clicker system) significantly
increases student learning and involvement. It keeps them
engaged,” he said.
Debra Pires, the instructor of LS 1 in winter 2006 and an
academic coordinator for the life sciences core curriculum
department, used the system as part of a teaching method that asks
students to answer a question, discuss the answer with other
students in class, and then answer the question again after
collaboration.
Using the keypad, students are able to answer the question
anonymously and the professor will know instantly what proportion
of the class answered the question correctly the first time as
compared to the second time after the discussion.
Some students in LS 1 this quarter anticipate that the clicker
can be helpful in their learning.
“I guess it’s a good idea. (The instructor)
won’t move on in the lecture if the input from the clicker
shows that we’ve missed the question,” said Tania
Martinez, a third-year Latin American studies student.
Pires said using the clicker system helps both students and
instructors track their progress.
“Students are able to feel success. It can help focus the
studying. (The instructors) learn whether or not we are doing a
good job teaching. I can stop and spend more time on a concept if
many students are not getting the right answer,” she
said.
Pires said she included the clicker response questions on her
exams as well, and students tend to do well on those and other
similar questions.
The participation rate of students using the clicker system is
around 70 percent to 80 percent in her LS 1 class, and most
students responded positively to the system, Pires said.
The clicker system builds on a previous form of in-class student
response program.
A few years ago, flash cards were introduced to increase student
participation and thinking during lectures. Instead of clickers,
students would hold up cards with numbers on them indicating their
response to multiple-choice questions. But the responses were not
anonymous and visually tallying responses was more tedious for the
professor.
Though the clicker system has been widely used on other campuses
and shown to be effective in studies, UCLA has been slow to adopt
it for a number of reasons that include sensitivity to
students’ budgets, installation costs and the slowness in
making major changes in a large research university, Simon
said.
The clickers are sold in the UCLA bookstore for $46.75 and
students keep them from class to class. Some students, though, may
qualify for rebates if their textbooks’ publishers offer
them.
The LS 1 students this quarter are using clickers on loan from
the life sciences core curriculum office. The office received
approval from the dean of life sciences to purchase 300 clickers in
support of the student response system.
Students from other classes do have to purchase them.