"Clickers" in the Classroom

Based on a FaCET seminar presented on March 28, 2006 by Ms. Julie Dent, Gordon Ford College of Business and Academic Technology and Dr. Michelle Trawick, Economics

by Paul Bush, FaCET Faculty Associate

"Clickers" aren't just for changing the channels on televisions anymore. Now they can be used in classrooms to get immediate feedback from students-whether in response to a discussion question or as an answer to quiz questions. Currently, eleven WKU faculty and 800 students are piloting three manufacturers' Personal Response Systems (better known as "Clickers") on the way to creating a standard for the University. According to Julie Dent, choosing one company's remote for the whole university will make the students' lives easier as they move from one class to the next. All models either do or will soon work with Microsoft's PowerPoint presentation software. Currently, the model using radio frequency transmissions has gained favor since it requires only one receiver and has no line-of-sight complications. Academic Technology hopes to make its final recommendation by the end of the spring 2006 semester.

Why use "clickers" in the classroom? Two words: student engagement. Dr. Michelle Trawick, who volunteered to pilot the program, shared that she is interested in the appropriate use of technology in the classroom. Active learning for the students and the immediate feedback for the faculty seemed like a winning combination. Her textbook company drove her product choice; the small, flat remote system came with packaged PowerPoint slides for her course text (although, as often happens, she found that creating her own slides worked better for her).

Her usual pattern for using the system works as follows. First, one needs to match serial numbers on the remotes to class rolls in an Excel spreadsheet. Then one creates the PowerPoint slides and sets up the timer for each question (without a running clock, some mischievous student might drag out the class by delaying his or her answers). Gauging the appropriate time per question comes with practice-somewhere between 15 to 90 seconds, depending upon whether or not computations are required. On the day the "clickers" will be used, she begins with an ice-breaker/polling slide to ensure that all of the remotes are capable of responding (keeping an extra remote or two on hand in case of dead batteries or technical difficulties might be a good idea). Then she offers a couple of points for responding, but of course even more points for getting the correct Y/N, T/F, ABCDE answer. Report wizards will later reveal score results either by participant or by question.

While Dr. Trawick was enthusiastic about the use of the "clickers," as were her students, she offered the following reservations. Students should purchase their own inexpensive remotes to save the class time of distributing and collecting the units. Computer users with remote mice must choose a frequency which does not interfere with the units. Merging student scores across class sections takes some practice. And finally, faculty should expect to spend more administrative time setting up slides, dealing with technology blips, and juggling the increased paperless scores.

To Publish About Teaching

Many faculty have become engaged in researching or presenting on their teaching practices, but knowing where to publish is not always straightforward. Here is a list of suggestions for journals that are interested in publishing articles on the scholarship of teaching and learning, compiled from several lists posted to the POD listserv on March 15 and 18, 2006:

The International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning publishes an annotated list of web links to higher education teaching and learning journals, at http://www.isetl.org/resources/index.cfm?cat=0

Illinois State University publishes an extensive list of cross-discipline and discipline specific journals on teaching and learning, at http://www.ilstu.edu/~sknaylor/sotl.htm.

The Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network on Higher Education also publishes a listing of journals, some with web links, at http://www.podnetwork.org/publications&resources/list.htm.

Some additional suggestions include:

Academic Exchange Quarterly, http://www.rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/

Clinical Teacher, http://www.theclinicalteacher.com/

Innovate, http://www.innovateonline.info

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning (IJPBL), http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/ijpbl/

International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning www.isetl.org.

Inventio, http://www.doit.gmu.edu/inventio/

The Journal of Faculty Development, http://www.newforums.com/

The Journal of Student Centered Learning, http://www.newforums com/news_jccpage.htm

Mountain Rise, http://mountainrise.wcu.edu/issue.html, National Teaching and Learning Forum http://www.ntlf.com/

Classroom Environment Effects On Learning

How much do color, lighting and other classroom environmental factors affect learning? Evidence suggests the effects may be significant on attention, initiative, attendance, mood, behavior, and performance.

In a recent POD Digest posting, Dr. Jack Clemes linked lack of color in classrooms with learning problems and "an intellectual and emotional disconnect between the students and educator." "Educators have failed to understand the importance of color... students become more engaged and so do their minds," says Clemes.

Natural lighting also has been linked with improved attendance and academic performance. "Green" building design encourages natural lighting in classrooms not only for energy efficiency but also its effects in enhancing human performance.

Other classroom factors which are thought to affect student alertness, readiness to learn, and learning include acoustics, furniture, technology, arrangement flexibility, decorations and maintenance.

For more research on the benefits of color and lighting to learning, go to http://www.isu.edu/ctl/ and click on Ideal Classroom. For effects of lighting on human performance go to http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/daylighting.cfm. For a checklist on classroom design features and a list of additional references, go to http://www.wku.edu/teaching/db/cd/classroomdesign/checklist.html. For ideas on how to redesign your classroom with no money go to http://www.wku.edu/teaching/db/cd/classroomdesign/nomoney.htm.

References:

1) Clemes, J., posting to POD listserv, 2/10/2005.

2) Heschong, L., 1999. Daylighting in Schools, at http://www.pge.com/003_save_energy/
3) Mahnke, F. H., 1996, Color, Environment and Human Response: New York, John Wiley & Sons.

4) Ott, John N. (1976, August/September). Influence of fluorescent lights on hyperactivity and learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 9:7, 22-27.

Professional Opportunities

Call for Proposals: The 3rd annual meeting of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Washington DC on November 9 - 12, 2006. Proposals must be submitted by June 15. This year's theme is: "Making a Greater Difference: Connecting to Transformational Agendas." Go to: http://www.issotl.indiana.edu/ISSOTL/call.html. To find out more about the society or become a member go to http://www.issotl.org.

The annual Teaching Professor Conference will be held this year in Nashville, TN on May 19-21, 2006. For registration information and a conference agenda go to: http://www.teachingprofessor.com/.

For an updated listing of teaching and learning conferences worldwide,

including primary and secondary education, go to: http://www. conferencealerts.com/school.htm.

Resources/Equipment

Weimer, Maryellen, Enhancing Scholarly Work on Teaching & Learning: Professional Literature That Makes a Difference. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA (2006.)

Video recording of the Science Education seminar presented at Western on Feb. 6, 2006, Are You Really Teaching if No One is Learning? by Janelle Bailey, University of Arizona, Conceptual Astronomy and Physics Education Research Team.

These resources may be reserved for checkout from FaCET, at 745-6508.

Teaching Spirit

The Teaching Spirit is published by the Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching (FaCET). FaCET's purpose is to advance the University community's commitment to excellence in teaching and engagement in learning through exemplary ideas, activities, and resources. Its programs are available to all WKU instructors and GTAs.

Editor/Writer

Nancy Givens