Student response systems, or “clickers” are wireless systems that can be used to collect responses from a group of people in real time. When a question is posed, each individual with a clicker enters a response.  The results are instantly aggregated and displayed in a graph that can be projected to the front of the room.

Clickers can be excellent tools for engaging students and sparking class discussion.  Research suggests that using clickers can:

• Help students assess their own knowledge
• Encourage students to respond to sensitive or difficult questions
• Deepen student understanding of course material
• Increase student interest in the course
• Increase the quality and quantity of class discussion
• Give instructors more insight into student comprehension and allow them to tailor the class accordingly

You can borrow clickers from Classroom Technology Services or have students purchase their own.  TTLG educational technologists can help you determine which of these models is most appropriate for your class.  We can also make recommendations about:

• Active learning techniques
• Types of questions that are suitable for clickers
• Follow-up classroom activities
• Classroom management techniques related to clicker use

• Clickers have been used to give quizzes and encourage interaction in an 800 student introductory psychology class.
• Clickers have been used to support peer instruction in an introductory physics class.

• 7 Things You Should Know About Clickers
• Eric Mazur’s web site on peer instruction