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New Research in the Pedagogy of Learning with Clickers
Stefanie Mollborn
Angel Hoekstra
University of Colorado at Boulder
Acknowledgements
We thank the President’s Teaching and Learning Collaborative at the University of Colorado for their support of our research.
Learning goals
Goals-driven pedagogy What do you want your students to
have learned after taking one of your courses?
Brainstorm
Learning goals in sociology
Attending class and participating Understanding/applying concepts and
theories Critically evaluating concepts and
theories Using them to understand the life
experiences of self and others Other goals in other disciplines
How to make students’ learning “stick”?
Problems with retention of material in traditional lectures, listening fatigue
Active learning as a solution Practical issues with getting students
to attend, keep up with readings, and participate in large classes
“Clickers” (audience response systems)
Increasingly popular as a way to increase active learning, monitor attendance, motivate reading
Audio and visual stimulation Emerged in the natural sciences Flexible pedagogical tool, but they
are not themselves a pedagogical strategy—you have to do that
Sample question
Have you taught using clickers in the past?
A. No
B. Yes, and I’ve used i>Clickers
C. Yes, and I’ve only used other types of clickers (e.g. infrared)
D. Don’t know/other
Sample question
If you are considering trying clickers in your classroom, what is your most important concern about using them?
A. I am already using clickers or don’t want to use them
B. I’m worried about technical issuesC. I’m worried about how to use them to
achieve my goals for the classD. I’m worried that they will make my
preparations too time-consumingE. Other/don’t know
Prevalent clicker strategy
ConcepTests (Mazur, 1997) to encourage problem-based learning
Proven pedagogical strategy Usually includes points for correct
answers Points for trying can also function as
attendance tracking
What would happen to the seasons if the earth’s tilt was increased from 23 degrees to 40 degrees?
A. Seasons would be less extreme.
B. Seasons would be pretty much the same as now
C. Seasons would become much more extreme.
D. None of the above
What would happen to the seasons if the earth’s tilt was increased from 23 degrees to 40 degrees?
A. Seasons would be less extreme.
B. Seasons would be pretty much the same as now.
C. Seasons would become much more extreme.
D. None of the above
Amending clicker use to address other learning goals
Moving beyond ConcepTest paradigm of understanding and applying ideas
Encouraging critical thinking Students as data points: past
experience of self and others Encouraging reading comprehension
and participation in whole-class discussion
Reading quiz question
What gender combination leads to the lowest likelihood of negotiating, as well as a poor evaluation if the candidate does negotiate?
A. Female evaluator-female candidateB. Female evaluator-male candidateC. Male evaluator-female candidateD. Male evaluator-male candidateE. There were no differences
Concept test
Does the “sex labeling” of occupations affect supply-side gender segregation, demand-side gender segregation, or both?
A. Supply side
B. Demand side
C. Both
D. Neither
E. Don’t know/other
Critical thinking question
How much do you think cultural factors explain the differences in violent behaviors that we see between men and women?
A. Not much at all
B. A little
C. They are sometimes useful
D. They explain most of what we see
E. Don’t know/other
Critical thinking question
How well do you think England’s findings match your own and/or your friends’ sexual experiences in college?
A. I’m female: Pretty/very wellB. I’m female: Not very/not at all wellC. I’m male: Pretty/very wellD. I’m male: Not very/not at all wellE. Don’t know/don’t want to answer
Past experience question
When you were growing up, which of your parents earned the most money?
A. Don’t have 2 parents/one or both don’t work/varied from year to year
B. Dad usually earned a lot more
C. Dad usually earned a little more
D. Mom usually earned a little more
E. Mom usually earned a lot more
Demographic question
What is your race?
A. White
B. Black or African American
C. American Indian or Alaska Native
D. Asian or Pacific Islander
E. Other or multiple categories
Comprehension question
How well do you feel you understand the reading assignment due today?
A. Very well—don’t go over it more
B. Pretty well, but wouldn’t mind more
C. Just OK—I’d like more review
D. I’m pretty lost and need help
E. I didn’t read the assignment
Students’ own questions
Can be an assignment or an open invitation
Submitted “on the fly” or ahead of time Learning to design hypotheses, figure
out what empirical information would test them, design an instrument to collect that information
Putting it all together
10-minute chunks of lecture Questions with small-group discussions Show histogram, then large-group
discussions Other active learning activities:
chalkboard lists, small group work Questions form transitions between
mini-lectures
Our study
How do students perceive that this combination of clicker techniques affects their class experiences and learning?
6 sections of 3 sociology courses 385 surveys, 456 free writes, 10
interviews, 100 pages of field notes Angel has even more data from other
disciplines
General findings
Most students have past experience using clickers, many already own one
A majority approve of this pedagogical strategy of using clicker questions for diverse purposes
Strong positive effect on attendance, but some backlash
Complicated effect on motivating students to keep up with readings
General findings
All of the students interviewed said that if they were the instructor, they would keep using clickers this way
Findings on question types
Love/hate relationship with reading quiz questions
Most find other question types (concept tests, critical thinking, and past experience questions) to be useful
Many enjoy getting immediate feedback on their own comprehension of readings and others’ opinions
Student quotes
“I think the clickers are very helpful in helping me to understand the material. I like how they stop and force me to think about the material that has just been presented to me, instead of just writing aimlessly throughout class.”
Student quotes
“I enjoy the clickers. It saves time and helps [with] participation. For some students, speaking or being called on in class is uncomfortable … Clickers enable every student to participate equally without being singled out.”
Student quotes
“It is cool to see your own experience in relation to the rest of the class. It allows us to gauge the differences between each other and opens our eyes.” (e.g., gender questions)
Classroom environment
Importance of explaining what you’re doing and why
Effects of a right/wrong answer vs. no right answer focus
Importance of encouraging discussions
Confidentiality and ethics
Benefits of asking confidential questions
Effects in the classroom What you can and can’t promise Ethical boundaries on what to ask
Conclusions
Clickers are a pedagogical tool, and it’s up to you to find a good pedagogical strategy
A variety of question types can address different learning goals
Can make students feel like they’re engaged and learning in large lectures
Thank you! Questions?
Stefanie Mollborn
Angel Hoekstra
Slides and handout will be posted at:
http://www.colorado.edu/ibs/hb/mollborn