Got large lecture hall classes? Use clickers.
2006; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 27; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1943-4685
Autores Tópico(s)Online and Blended Learning
ResumoI HAVE TO ADMIT IT. I teach online courses in our graduate program in health care informatics exclusively and rarely enter a classroom. HOWEVER, I periodically guest lecture in health policy and undergraduate professional nursing courses and have noticed that over the last few years, classes are becoming larger and larger. Some classes top 150 students or more! * It is also getting more complicated in the classroom environment to keep students' attention. Students are preoccupied by a lot of tech toys that can facilitate learning but often serve as a distraction from learning. Students use their laptops to connect to the Internet, to shop, send email, and surf the web. They use their PDAs to send instant messages to their friends. Those students who are cleverly hidden in the last rows of an auditorium conceal their white earplugs and listen to their iTunes or watch the latest episode of Desperate Housewives. * Sometimes I do not blame the students. Although very few nursing students use their Game Boys to seek their next adventure, they zone out on PowerPoint slides where faculty reiterate facts directly from the text. SO, GIVEN THESE CONDITIONS, how can we possibly think about using Chickering and Gamson's best practices (1) to facilitate learning? How do we engage students to become active learners? How do we facilitate interactive learning and foster critical thinking skills? How do we provide meaningful feedback to the hundreds of students in the room? There is help! More and more faculty are learning about clickers. No, I am not talking about a movie or a form of electroshock therapy. Clickers keep students involved and allow faculty to run a class like a game show (2). Response Systems Audience response systems (ARS), personal response systems (PRS), student response systems (SRS), or just plain clickers are a new tool used by corporate America, Hollywood game shows, and many faculty teaching in large lecture halls. Simply put, this is a system in which the instructor uses a computer with a projector to interact with students, who use their clickers to make selections. According to Wikipedia (3), the response system consists of three major components besides a computer and a projector: a base or receiver, a keypad for making selections, and computer software. Most systems use wireless technology that employs either radio frequency or infrared technologies to transmit the selection from the keypad to the receiver. Newer products use browser-based software that allows one to connect through an Internet protocol address with students' PDAs or laptop computers. So, how does an ARS work? Students are given clickers as they enter the class, or they may purchase their own clickers that they bring to class. Using response software, the faculty member projects questions on the video screen and asks students to select an answer. All students use their clickers to select their responses, which are transmitted automatically. Answers are tabulated by selection and can be immediately projected to the class. Some response systems work in collaboration with PowerPoint, textbooks, or course learning management systems such as WebCT or Blackboard. Think of it as an electronic, interactive, question-and-answer (Q&A) session - or an electronic game show. If you need help visualizing this system, check out how Professor Martin Hahn uses clickers in his biology class at William Paterson University (www.njedge.net/documents/njexample wpu.html) or visit the website of the University of Delaware (www.udel.edu/ present/tools/clickers). Instructional Value This may seem like a lot of equipment and gadgets just to get students to answer some questions in class. Yes, clickers may seem like a technologist's dream, but, as Chris Johnson, an instructional designer, states, there are four good reasons for using a responder system (4). First, students are not fearful about providing an incorrect answer. …
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