clickers: instant assessment for the classroom. clickers electronic devices that look like remote...
Post on 22-Dec-2015
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TRANSCRIPT
Clickers:
Instant assessment for the classroom
Clickers
• Electronic devices that look like remote controls
• Uses:– Interactive lectures– Assessment & evaluation– Keeping students awake!
Capabilities• The clicker shown on the previous slide uses an RF
signal to communicate with a device attached to the instructor’s computer
• Using the RF clicker, your students can respond to the following types of questions:– Multiple choice, true/false– Numeric– Series
• Responses are automatically recorded in the designated file on the host computer, and can be shown on the screen for immediate feedback
Before classes start
• Install PRS software on the computer you’ll be using in class– I have been using classroom computers, mostly successfully– I’ll be experimenting with a laptop this semester
• Important: specify the directory to which results should be logged – since I’m using a flash drive, I have to make sure the drive mapping is correct in different classrooms
• Need to install:– PRS software– PRS hardware driver for receiver (will be prompted to this the first
time you plug in the receiver)
Modes of Operation (My terminology)
• Lecture
• Test
• Homework
Example session
• The next several slides illustrate a typical question/response classroom lecture session
• Preliminary steps (assumes you’re using a PowerPoint lecture):– Attach the receiver and ensure it’s working– Start the PRS software– Start PowerPoint
Starting a classroom session
Starting PowerPoint
Specifying session parameters
Typical question
Response grid shows student answers have been registered
Results can be shown immediately
Setting up questions
• Questions can be created using the PRS Software or embedded directly in PowerPoint
• To date, I have only used the PowerPoint option, since I use this tool routinely with lectures
Using the PowerPoint add-in
• The add-in is installed automatically with the PRS software
• You will see a new toolbar when PowerPoint starts:
Creating a question
• Type the question on a blank slide– For multiple choice and series questions, I usually use
the “bullet” format, but change bullets to letters or numbers
– For short answer, numeric or true/false, I usually use either the “title” or “blank with title” format
– If you are going to display a response grid and/or immediate feedback, make sure you leave enough white space on your slide to accommodate these
Creating a question
• Click the “New Question” icon on the PRS toolbar
• The next slide illustrates the result
New Question/Edit Question Menus
Student feedback
• “The clickers made class interactive – keeps one’s attention.”
• “Use clickers more. Made class more interactive.”• “I think using the clickers was helpful in testing
for listening during lecture and also understanding, but I think that it would be helpful to give a short quiz with the clicker over the previous lecture to keep the new vocab embedded.”
Test Mode
• For operation in test mode, the same kinds of questions can be used
• The only real difference between lecture and test mode is in the session parameters:– When each question is created (number of tries,
amount of time allowed)– When the session is started (response grid,
results, feedback on the clicker)
Homework mode
• I haven’t used this yet
• Students respond to questions using their clickers off-site; responses are recorded in the clicker memory
• When students log in during the next class, they can transmit their responses for collection on your computer