The days of sleeping through lectures and having teachers not know that you skipped their 300-student classes are long gone. Interactive clickers are the wave of the future and are increasingly being used in large lecture halls since their debut at UB in 2003.
UB faculty members are taking advantage of these clickers, making it easier to gage pupils' understanding of course material and to know who actually comes to class.
"The clickers allow faculty to get an idea of their students' level of knowledge about the topic being covered or poll the opinion of the students," said Robin Sullivan, an instructional designer and program coordinator for Computing and Information Technology.
This semester, Sullivan, along with other faculty members, held "Clickers in the Classroom" seminars for faculty and teaching assistants looking to learn the basics about using Turning Technologies clickers in their lecture halls and classes.
"Clickers facilitate learning if they're used properly. Instructors generally present questions though screen presentations or PowerPoint presentations, which students answer, often in the form of multiple choice questions," Sullivan said.
According to Sullivan, Turning Technologies clickers have made lecture halls a more interactive environment for students. Currently, UB uses Turning Technologies clickers as the standard.
Rick Lesniak, director of Academic Services and Computing and Information Technology, estimates that there are about a dozen professors on campus using Turning Technologies clickers.
"What once used to be a very passive learning environment is now a very active one," Sullivan said. "Students feel that it makes them a part of the lecture and that their feedback really matters."
Despite many faculty members' enthusiasm to introduce clickers as a part of their lectures, many students oppose making the tools mandatory. Katie Wangerman, a junior geology major, has never used the clickers and students like her would avoid a lecture class if they knew clickers would be a compulsory part of the curriculum.
"Books cost too much," Wangerman said. "We already get ripped off so badly, I wouldn't want to spend any more on something like that."
According to Lesniak, clickers allow teachers to get immediate feedback as to whether or not students are understanding material being taught. Clickers can also be used to give students sample test questions, allowing them to better prepare and know what to expect on exam day.
"The technology works very well in large lecture halls because it's pretty difficult to keep student involvement on a higher level," Lesniak said. "We expect more instructors to begin using these."
Other professors, like Clyde Herreid, a biology instructor and distinguished teaching professor, have been using different brands of clickers in their classrooms for years. Herreid uses Interwrite clickers because of the advantage of having a screen on each clicker. Students are able to see their answers and confirm that their submission has been received, according to Herreid.
Herreid, who teaches hundreds of students each semester in BIO 200 (evolutionary biology), is now able to get an idea for how effective his lessons are as a result of using clickers in his classes.
"I immediately get feedback," Herreid said. "I have a chance to clarify and a chance to sort out misconceptions. I can have a discussion and ask why (students) choose a particular answer."
According to Herreid, using an active learning method like the clickers make students realize that their opinions count and allow them to actively participate in the learning process.
"I know what students are thinking right away and if they're thinking the wrong thing," Herreid said. "They're talking, checking answers - that's good stuff. I welcome (students) talking and comparing notes - that's good teaching."
One of the most noticeable benefits of using clickers is that students will attend class more regularly, according to Herreid.
"Attendance rises," Herreid said. "In classes where attendance is voluntary, even with superb lecturers, attendance drops through the semester. Learning, particularly in large classrooms, is anonymous."
Herreid has found that with the use of clickers, about 85 percent of his students regularly attend class.
Instructors strive to make students' purchase of clickers worthwhile, using the clickers to replace traditional quizzes and to give students who consistently participate additional points to their overall grades. Many students who have experience using clickers oppose when professors mandate the devices as a part of the course curriculum, only to be used lackadaisically or only for attendance purposes.
"It was just a way to quickly see how the class felt or ask about whatever we were doing in class," said Kristina Szostek, a junior nursing major.
Szostek had purchased a clicker as part of packaged course materials the University Bookstore offers, unaware of the price. Concurrent with other college bookstores, UB's University Bookstore charges $55 for Turning Technologies Clickers. Like textbooks, students can sell a clicker at buyback prices when they no longer need them.
Jeremy Smith, a sophomore undecided major, found that using clickers in large lecture halls was merely a way for teachers to take attendance, and didn't add anything to the learning environment.
"It's not interactive. Interactive is talking to students. That's hard with big classes, but that's also why some people like taking bigger classes - they like being anonymous," Smith said. "Even though it's useful to see who's there, it's not worth the cost to students. It's too expensive for little quizzes and attendance."
Lesniak admitted that the best use of the technology is somewhat wasted when it isn't used to make large classes more interactive and to reinforce class concepts.
"I don't think that's the best use," Lesniak said. "I think that's purchasing technology and not really utilizing it."
While some instructors choose only to use the clickers for attendance purposes, Herreid records students' clicker responses as a part of each student's overall grade. Additionally, Herreid believes that there is some evidence that student performance improves with the use of clickers.
"Students have to pay attention, not just be there," Herreid said. "Also, it impacts attendance and participation, because students know they're getting points for this."
While some students were reassured that they would be able to use the same clicker throughout their undergraduate education, students like Smith have found that there will soon be new clickers required for classes.
"It makes sense because technology is always changing, but to have us buying a new model of a clicker every year or semester is really wrong," Smith said.
According to Sullivan, Turning Technologies will release a newer model of the clicker system now used, the XR Response Card. Students who purchased the older clickers will be eligible to upgrade for free at the University Bookstore from mid-December until Jan. 31.
"The technology does tend to change. The clickers currently being used are on the way to becoming obsolete," Lesniak said. "The new clickers have the same keyboard on them, but they have a display on them so you can have immediate visual feedback for keys you press, (as well as) other capabilities."
The new features of the XR clickers provide many advantages over the older technology, Sullivan said. Unlike the older clickers, the XR Response Cards will have many of the benefits of Interwrite and other brands of clickers.
"It's about participating, assessment and fun," Lesniak said.
Lesniak recommends that students who feel that their teachers are having them purchase technology that isn't being used appropriately, should speak up. Students and professors should strive to make their classes more interactive, and to utilize technology to contribute to each lesson.
"If you think about it, every student is a consumer, and each of your instructors actually delivers you some sort of product in the course, so it's okay to speak up," Lesniak said. "Speak up any time."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
