UNC-CH

PilotDr. Kelly HoganDepartment of BiologyKelly_Hogan@unc.edu

Suzanne CadwellITS-Teaching & Learning/Center for Faculty Excellencecadwell@unc.edu

BACKGROUND

How Poll Everywhere worksOverview at

delivr.com/11y7t1. Create questions in

browser2. Deliver in browser

or PPT/Keynote3. Answer with

• text (22333)• tweet (@poll)• web (poll4.com)

Fall 2009:Pioneering Professor Pukkila

Heard elsewhere about Poll Everywhere

Asking open-ended questions to facilitate class discussion& peer-learning activities

Teaching 200-student course in Genetics

No wireless access in classroom

http://www.bio.unc.edu/faculty/pukkila

Fall 2009 results

Students reported in course evaluation that they were more likely to prepare for class and to engage in class discussion.Colleagues in Biology interested in trying Poll Everywhere in Spring 2010.

Spring 2010CFE purchased 5-instructor (pilot) licenseAsked Chair of Biology Department to send an announcement to faculty Enthusiastic and immediate response

Found current clicker system limiting

Interested in a solution that didn’t require purchase of “specialist devices”

Fall 2010Nine instructors total

Three Biology instructors who used previous Spring

Another colleague from Biology, one from Microbiology, and two from Statistics

Two other faculty (Sociology and Nutrition) purchase their own licenses

DR. KELLY HOGAN,THREE-SEMESTER VETERAN

Ways I have used poll everywhere this semester

A clicker but more…

Survey to build community or launch a discussion

They love to learn about themselves as a group

Which most closely resembles your current belief system?

God created man pretty much in his present form at one time within the last 10,000

years.

Man has developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process, including man's creation.

Man has developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life. God had no part in this process.

Conclusion about college students? Belief system Creationist view Theistic evolution Naturalistic evolution

Beliefs God created man pretty much in his present form at one time within the last 10,000 years.

Man has developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process, including man's creation.

Man has developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life. God had no part in this process.

Everyone 47% 40% 9%Men 39% 45% 11.5%Women 53% 36% 6.6%College graduates 25% 54% 16.5%No high school

diploma 65% 23% 4.6%

Income over $50,000 29% 50% 17%Income under $20,000 59% 28% 6.5%Caucasians 46% 40% 9%African-Americans 53% 41% 4%

Open-ended questions that don’t lead them to

answers.

How does the hump adapt the camel to its desert habitat?

Adaptation (Structure and Function)  On a long trip, the fat in their hump(s) will break down to supply their body with the energy it needs. By the end of a difficult trip, their humps may lay over on their side, emptied of the fat that filled them. When the camel finally reaches water, it can drink a huge amount very quickly to replenish itself, but it will take a little while to eat enough to rebuild its humps.

http://www.exploringnature.org/db/detail.php?dbID=5&detID=15

Fun/Games in the classroom

A: NAD+

C: NADH

B: oxygen

D: ATP

50:50

151413121110987654321

$1 Million$500,000$250,000$125,000$64,000$32,000$16,000$8,000$4,000$2,000$1,000$500$300$200$100

Which molecule is oxidized during fermentation?

What are they thinking?What misconceptions do they have?Can I learn how to write “distractor”

items in my multiple choice questions though their answers?

Data collection

Observation: Females articulate better than males.Question: Are females better at articulating than males?Hypothesis: Females perform better on tongue twister challenges than

males.Prediction: If told to repeat a tongue twister 5 times as quickly as

possible, then females will successfully complete the task faster than males.

Experimental Design: Students will work in groups of two to time each other. They will collect data for each person in their group.

Instructions:Say the following 5 times without errors and record

your gender and how long it takes in seconds:A box of mixed biscuits in a biscuit mixer.

http://www.online-stopwatch.com/full-screen-stopwatch/

My viewpointPros• Flexible question types• Rarely problems with

students answering in large lecture room

• Learn student misconceptions

• Very easy to make new questions and re-poll on the fly

• Free for now to students• Students have the devices

they need

Cons• Registration issues

– Students must list me on their registration to link with my grading

– Students don’t identify themselves logically through registration

• No gradebook (excel only)

• Requires a TA for grading unlike clicker programs

Will I use it again? No and Yes

• No: Not in class in which I want to quiz/grade accurately and use as attendance incentive

• No: Not in a class in which I don’t have a TA dedicated to grading

• Yes: As a bonus for exams with low stakes

• Yes: to survey and interact occasionally with no expectations to grade

SPRING 2010 STUDENT SURVEY RESULTS

Courses, instructors, roomsFive courses total, ~200 students each

One section of BIOL 201, Ecology & EvolutionAll three sections of BIOL 202, Molecular Biology and GeneticsOne section of BIOL 252, Anatomy & Physiology

Two instructors had used clickers; three had not.All classrooms had wireless access.

Student surveys

520 of 1020 students enrolledPaper, administered during class for four courses; online for fifth course.

Response rate for paper was more than double that of online.

What type of text plan does your cell phone have?

I have an unlimited plan.73%My plan is limited to a certain 19%number of texts sent/received. I pay for each text that I send 5%or receive.I don’t have a cell phone. <1%

What device do you use most often to answer Poll Everywhere questions?

Cell phone, using text message 78% Laptop or netbook 22% Cell phone, using web browser 0%Other mobile device that is not a <1% phone or a laptop or netbook (iPod Touch, PSP2)

Why did you decide to use this device? Circle all that apply.

a) Using it doesn’t cost me any extra money.

b) I carry it with me anyway.c) It’s lightweight.d) Entering answers on smaller devices

is awkward or slows me down.e) Other reason(s), please specify:

Why did you decide to use this device? Circle all that apply.

a) Using it doesn’t cost me any extra money.Laptop 39% (44)Text 49% (199)

b) I carry it with me anyway.Laptop 66% (75)Text 93% (378)

Why did you decide to use this device? Circle all that apply.

c) It’s lightweight.Laptop 6% (7)Text 46% (187)

d) Entering answers on smaller devices is awkward or slows me down.Laptop 25% (29)Text 1% (4)

Why did you decide to use this device? Circle all that apply.

e) Other reason(s), please specify:“Cell wouldn’t work.” For many students, laptops seemed to be Plan B.

When you didn’t respond to poll questions, what were the reasons?

Not enough time 19%To read question, formulate answer and submit, esp. open text answers.

Technical difficulty 16%Account registration and connectivity issues. Entering incorrect keyword.

Not being graded 8%Limited text plan 4%Difficult to bring laptop 4%

Should this course continue to use Poll Everywhere in future

semesters?Yes, as is 77%Yes, with changes 15%No 8%

Changes suggested were mainly pedagogical, with a few echoes of technical and logistical issuesLiked not having to buy/use a clicker (unclear to what extent because cost was subsidized or didn’t have to manage another device)

What can we conclude?Laptops remain a significant secondary device for students.If instructors have already used clickers with large-enrollment classes, they may find Poll Everywhere does not equivalently support graded quizzing.

Pilot will continueThrough Spring 2011, perhaps beyondFaculty have greater willingness to experiment with response system as a learning tool: open text, existing devices, CFE sponsorshipSupport issues no greater than with clickers, but existing classroom and network infrastructure affect connectivity

Current higher ed pricing

Current higher ed pricing

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