DMP

Clickers Pedagogical Benefits

During the clicker pilot semesters (2005-2007), the Ryerson clicker pilot group has found the following pedagogical benefits:

1. Students are engaged in thinking; cognitive involvement.
2. Students are more willing to participate in responding to questions, because it is anonymous, or it is marked.
3. Students are able to self-assess and review their understanding in class.
4. In combination with peer-training, students are active participants in group discussions.
5. Instructors are able to do more qualitative and conceptual problems in class.
6. Instructors are able to set the pace of their lectures accordingly, just in time.

Resources for Clickers Use in Class

1. Instructor testimonial from Beth Swart, Nursing professor from Ryerson School of Nursing
2. Eric Mazur, Physics professor from Harvard University (video): Clickers: To Teach by Questioning, from Questions to Concepts: Interactive Teaching in Physics by Eric Mazur
3. Tom Haffie, Biology professor from University of Western Ontario (video):
   • Implementation of Personal response Technology in Large Classrooms
   • Presentation to the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen University
4. Jane Caldwell, Biology professor from West Virginia University (article): Clickers in the Large Classroom: Current Research and Best Practice Tips (CBE-Life Sciences Education)
5. Clickers (In-Class) question database, hosted by the Physics Department in the University of Toronto: http://cinqab.physics.utoronto.ca
6. Educause: 7 Things You Should Know About Clickers
7. Martyn, Margie; Educause Quarterly Volume 30 Number 2, 2007; http://www.educause.edu/apps/eq/eqm07/eqm0729.asp- Retrieved May 30, 2007