E-Learning

Audience Response Systems

Audience Response Systems / Clickers

The PowerPoint presentation has largely replaced the overhead projector in the role of sharing materials with groups of students in lecture halls and seminar rooms. PowerPoint allows us to draw upon and incorporate a wide range of media formats; using websites, video clips, images, diagrams and animations to support and enhance teaching is now commonplace.

However, engaging with each and every student in a way that allows the tutor to test their understanding, interact easily, and respond to student experiences, is still challenging. It is in this area that Audience Response Systems, or 'Clickers', can revolutionise the way we communicate with students in this setting.

With Clickers, each student is issued with a radio transmitting keypad at the beginning of the lecture, and can use it to respond quickly and anonymously to pre-prepared questions incorporated into the PowerPoint presentation.

Using Clickers, lecturers are able to:

• quickly measure students' comprehension,
• painlessly test problem-solving skills and performance
• provide prompt feedback to students
• invite, capture, share, and display student opinion
• if appropriate, record and export results for further analysis and/or discussion.

With Clickers, students are able to:

• provide anonymous feedback to the cohort and lecturer
• receive instant feedback on their understanding / performance
• participate in a familiar 'interactive' or 'game-based' environment

The questions can be a simple Yes/No, agree/disagree, or in multiple choice format. A participation monitor is displayed during voting so the lecturer can make sure every student has responded, and can then close the voting. The results are shown instantly, through a choice of histograms that the lecturer can use to gauge understanding or opinion, and can then redirect, review, or carry on the direction of the lecture based on this. The crucial difference here is that all students are interacting and and can feel more engaged with the lecture.

Please read the case study on the use of Clickers in Lectures in the Psychology Department. Click on the following link to access more, constantly-updated information in the form of websites, articles and research concerned with the use of Clickers

Training & support in the use of Audience Response Systems at Royal Holloway is offered by Learning Technologists Martin King, and David Thurlby. Please visit the e-learning training & support pages to find out more and enrol upon a session.

Why use Clickers?
Feature	Description / Benefits
Powerpoint plug-in	Uses established technology Existing content can be quickly and easily repurposed Short & shallow learning curve
Demographic questions	Participants can be (anonymously) divided into smaller groups based on feedback, opinion or understanding; or simply to create teams who could compete in a live, interactive quiz
Multiple choice questions	Easy to create - small preparation overhead Easy to respond to - engage every student Clear & rapid results - democratic and fast-paced
Graphic display of results	Communicate results quickly and clearly - maintain pace and flow of lecture Engaging content created by students, for students - increases interactivity and feelings of participation
Results exportable to Excel, PDF, Moodle	Results (both tabulated and graphical) can be analysed using Excel Uploading results to a Moodle course extends the boundaries of the classroom, and further engages the students
I would like to book my Clickers training session
I would like to discuss my Clickers requirements

 back to top