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Personal Response System Revitalizes Class Participation
10/01/2004
We all use remote controls to direct our televisions, VCRs, DVD players, and stereo systems. Now, that same infrared technology is being used to encourage student participation in the classroom. In the past, to get students to participate during a lecture, instructors might ask for a show of hands or a vocal response. The chatty students and know-it-alls were the first to answer, while other students remained quiet. It seemed impossible to get every student to voice her opinion. But with the recently developed Personal Response System, students use electronic ¿clickers¿ to voice their opinions. Instructors get responses to all their questions, and hardly anyone looks bored. This new approach to class participation was piloted on campus in Spring 2004. The trial run of the system revealed a few bugs that hindered its use, but those haven¿t stopped either instructors or students from giving the Personal Response System a thumbs up.
How it Works
The EduCue Personal Response System is designed to encourage every student to participate in class by way of a hand-held remote control or clicker. The instructor asks students a multiple-choice question; the students then decide their response, point their clickers at one of the small infrared boxes installed in the classroom, and click the button that corresponds to their answer choice. Software compiles the answers instantly, and a graph detailing student responses is projected onto the screen for the entire class to see.
Each student enrolled in a class using the response system purchases a clicker at the bookstore (prices range from $3-$30, depending on the vendor). Students then register their clickers at the vendor¿s Web site or with the professor (different vendors have different requirements) so their student ID numbers will be recognized and recorded when they answer questions. Individual responses are not displayed to the class, but are recorded for the instructor¿s use.
Enhancing the Learning Process
The Personal Response System has enriched the classroom experience for both instructors and students. The responses allow instructors to see if their students understand their lectures. ¿I can clarify things right away if they¿re not getting the right answers to the multiple choice questions,¿ explains Astronomy 10 professor Lori Lubin. A second quick poll and she can confirm that everyone is on the right track, or identify whether more information is needed to clear up remaining uncertainties.
Several professors have used the system for informal surveys, while others have utilized it as a grading tool. Professor Lubin gives her students extra credit for participating in the question-and-answer sessions. Physics 9 professor David Webb uses the system to grade his students¿ knowledge of assigned reading materials. Land, Air, and Water Resources professor Caroline Bledsoe primarily uses the system for informal polling.
For students, the response system ¿breaks up the lecture,¿ and keeps the instructor from talking the whole class period. ¿It keeps me awake most of the time,¿ says sophmore Guadalupe Reyes, ¿because sometimes I¿m just waiting to click!¿ She adds, ¿I hope it¿s used all over campus in the near future.¿ Some instructors speculate there has been a higher rate of attendance since they began using the system¿and a definite increase in class participation.
Availability of the Response System on Campus
Although the Personal Response System is not yet ready for large-scale campus implementation, it has been met with acclaim by students and instructors. The Physics, Astronomy, and Political Science departments will use the system in a few Fall Quarter classes. Systems are installed in two classrooms in Roessler Hall, and one classroom in Olson Hall.
Instructors interested in learning more about the pros and cons of using a Personal Response System in their classes should contact Tor Cross of the Teaching Resources Center at (530) 752-6050.
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