Some St. Thomas University students are being introduced to a new way of learning this semester – and it’s all thanks to the touch of a button.
‘Clickers’ are remote controls that allow students to anonymously have their say in a classroom, while allowing professors to translate complicated lecture material in more digestible ways. By pushing a button on the remote, students can choose from options on a screen in front of them.
Michael Dawson, a history professor, is attempting to integrate the technology with everyday lecture material in his classroom.
He’s using the remote controls on a trial run to conduct a series of quizzes and polls that “can help my students to think through a complex scenario.”
The results of the quizzes are posted about 30 seconds later to his grade book on Moodle.
“While larger universities have larger class settings, the big selling point is that they can encourage peer learning as instructors can use them to establish small working groups to think through complicated questions,” he said.
Dawson hopes to gain a better sense of what students are thinking while using the clickers.
“I can present the class with, say, three options that Wilfred Laurier was facing during the knock-down, drag-it-out debate about the prohibition of alcohol in the 19th century,” he said.
“The class can weigh in on what they think are the best options and we can discuss why they’re thinking what they’re thinking.”
This allows not only for insight on the progress a class is making, but creates a comfortable environment for students to open up conversation or weigh-in on a subject matter, Dawson said.
Professor James Whitehead is also test-driving the clickers in his science and technology courses.
Technology in the classroom is nothing new. Some professors use iPads to directly view and edit lecture material that can be sent instantaneously to Moodle and into students’ inboxes.
But there’s a cost to introducing new technology into the classroom.
Dawson said it could cost students if the clickers become fully integrated into classrooms in future years.
“The ones we’re using cost $42 and apparently have a battery life of four to five years,” said Dawson.
There is also an option of allowing students with smartphones to secure a clicker ID code for about $20, a thriftier option for students already under the pressure of student finances.
Second-year student Michael Doran said Dawson does an excellent job of making the experience interactive and fun.
“It allows students, who would otherwise not give an opinion, to voice their opinion anonymously.
“The sense of community created in his classroom is only going to be bolstered by the clickers.”
Dawson doesn’t mind being a guinea pig in the clickers test drive, because it’s an interesting and effective way to spice up a lecture, he said.
“I am fairly optimistic that I can find a way to make these things suit my particular purpose.”
