One of my first charges when I became the Director of PETAL was to showcase the “clicker,” and since then I have seen and heard many testimonials about what a wonderful tool it is. I have also seen several complaints that is it nothing but a fancy (and expensive) way to take attendance. Of course, while the truth is undoubtedly somewhere between those extremes, I would contend that if you only use them to check attendance, then they are most likely a waste of students’ time and money.
However, it doesn’t take a lot of effort or creativity to find ways to use the clicker in other, more effective ways, such as to increase student engagement or keep abreast of where your students are in their understanding of the course content.
Clickers are also effective for fostering in-class interaction and administering quizzes. They can be used to create “teachable moments,” where you pique student interest by asking a question that leads to discussion or, more importantly, makes students realize that they don’t understand something and will therefore be more likely to pay attention to the explanation that is about to come. Clickers can be used for polling students with the added advantage of no one knowing how anyone else is voting (which can promote honesty and alleviate peer pressure). They can also be used to collect and grade homework assignments.
Of course, clickers are not ever going to be the savior of higher education; however, they can be a useful and effective tool in certain situations. And the more effort you put into finding ways to use them in your classes, the more your student outcomes are likely to improve.
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