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UNC-CH Pilot Dr. Kelly Hogan Department of Biology [email protected] Suzanne Cadwell ITS-Teaching & Learning/ Center for Faculty Excellence [email protected]
UNC-CH
PilotDr. Kelly HoganDepartment of [email protected]
Suzanne CadwellITS-Teaching & Learning/Center for Faculty [email protected]
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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