"Clickers" in The Classroom

Many students are passive in class, yawning frequently with eyes glazed over, mindlessly recording notes, and not really processing the content. Instructors may insert questions throughout the lecture, but most students won’t raise their hand to attempt an answer. Valuable in-class active learning opportunities are being lost. What can the nurse educator do to encourage active class participation?

"Clickers" in The Classroom

Einstruction's classroom performance systems (cps) is an efficient way to elicit student responses during class and increase learner participation. CPS "clickers" are small handheld radio frequency response pads that look like a tiny TV remote and are easy to use during a classroom activity, lecture, or Powerpoint presentation.

Advantages include jump-starting class discussions, making large classes more interactive, encouraging student participation, providing instantaneous feedback, saving time grading, and gauging student understanding of course content (especially those difficult-to-understand "trouble spots").

The "clickers" may be used to take attendance or provide instant feedback to polling or questions. Quiz questions may be posted in class through an overhead or powerpoint presentation slide.

The responses from the class are gathered and compiled via a wireless receiver and instantly analyzed. That way, the instructor can adapt lecture content to conform to the immediate feedback. Clickers can also be integrated with online learning systems, such as blackboard or webct.

Examinations can be given using the "clicker" system, with instant feedback for instructors. This makes grading a cinch. Troublesome scantrons are no longer needed. Test items need to be either multiple choice or true-false. "clickers" do not readily accommodate the "select-all-that-apply" format questions.

CPS permits students to:

  • Respond anonymously to in-class questions
  • Participate in every class response
  • Evaluate their understanding immediately
  • Identify difficult course content
  • Actively participate during class

CPS permits educators to:

  • Evaluate student understanding before teaching a concept
  • Evaluate student understanding instantly after teaching a content
  • Adapt lecture content based on identifiable needs

Einstruction offers online training for the CPS system, including a video series and instructor-led, online seminars. Phone support is available Monday-Friday until 5pm at 888-333-4988. More information is available at Einstruction's customer support site.

The clickers cost approximately $22 each and can be used for multiple classes during multiple semesters. The clickers are purchased at participating university or college bookstores. Each semester, the student will be charged a one time fee of $13.00 by Einstruction. Paying this fee enables the student to use the clicker for all classes during that semester. If the student uses the clicker over multiple semesters, the per semester registration fee will cap out after three semesters or $39.00. Each subsequent semester is then free.

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VickyRN

About VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN

VickyRN, PhD, RN, is a certified nurse educator (NLN) and certified gerontology nurse (ANCC). Her research interests include: the special health and social needs of the vulnerable older adult population; registered nurse staffing and resident outcomes in intermediate care nursing facilities; and, innovations in avoiding institutionalization of frail elderly clients by providing long-term care services and supports in the community. She is a Professor in a large baccalaureate nursing program in North Carolina.

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Specializes in Emergency.

we had clickers. i liked them they gave a very "critical thinking" type questions with answers. it wasnt your standard what is microbiology. good deal. but we didnt pay for them they were given to us in class. cant say if id pay for them though.

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I had to purchase the "clicker" for my chemistry class and had to pay $50 for it at my school bookstore. I found this to be ridiculous but I can understand a professors use for them in class. But $50 bucks for it? PLEASE!!!

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

Fifty bucks is awfully steep. Our clickers cost ~ $22 each.

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Specializes in Trauma/Burn ICU, Neuro ICU.

We used them in my Evidence-Based Practice course. Unfortunately, the instructors chose to use them to take attendance: we were assigned the same number clicker each week. That also rendered our responses non-anonymous. Part of our grade was determined by how many weeks we had input with the clickers - taking attendance! More significantly, because we were assigned a certain clicker, our responses were contrived, especially when they asked us every week about how useful the class was. Sheesh.

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Fifty bucks is awfully steep. Our clickers cost ~ $22 each.

Yes, $50 is very steep. And then when I turned it back in during the book buy-back at the bookstore, I only got like between 20 or 30 dollars back for it. But I guess the bookstore has to make its profit.

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Specializes in neurotrauma ICU.
We used them in my Evidence-Based Practice course. Unfortunately, the instructors chose to use them to take attendance: we were assigned the same number clicker each week. That also rendered our responses non-anonymous. Part of our grade was determined by how many weeks we had input with the clickers - taking attendance! More significantly, because we were assigned a certain clicker, our responses were contrived, especially when they asked us every week about how useful the class was. Sheesh.

I was thinking it was a pretty cool idea until I read this. Leave it to some jerk teacher to mess up a good thing!

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My program uses what we call iClickers weekly. We use them for quizzes whether they be graded or not. I find them extremely useful. It allows for instant feedback as to whether or not you got the question right AND it shows what the rest of the class voted in a chart format. I love having them in the class. They also are useful when we needed the class vote on where to hold our graduation ceremony. The other use for them is surveys for our clinical site evaluations. The instructors use them to gain feedback instead of using web sites like survey monkey. This provides for greater participation and instant feedback.

Overall the price was a little high BUT we use them throughout the program and it's not much different than written quizzes. It streamlines our program and I love it.

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.
My program uses what we call iClickers weekly. We use them for quizzes whether they be graded or not. I find them extremely useful. It allows for instant feedback as to whether or not you got the question right AND it shows what the rest of the class voted in a chart format. I love having them in the class. They also are useful when we needed the class vote on where to hold our graduation ceremony. The other use for them is surveys for our clinical site evaluations. The instructors use them to gain feedback instead of using web sites like survey monkey. This provides for greater participation and instant feedback.

Overall the price was a little high BUT we use them throughout the program and it's not much different than written quizzes. It streamlines our program and I love it.

Thanks for sharing your experiences and the varied ways they were used in your program.

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i haven't had to buy a clicker yet because i haven't had a professor who required it. to me it an extra fee on top of all the other costs especially for teacher who only use them for attendance taking purposes. the good thing is you only have to buy one once.

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We had clickers. I liked them they gave a very "critical thinking" type questions with answers. The instructors were able to make therir won questions up as well. Not a "standard" method of getting participation but helpful to thoses students that are not outspoken. Unfortunately it only allwed for one selection for mutiple choice questions not a "select all that apply".

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My Micro teacher required a clicker. It costs about $30, and I was given $20 from the book store during buy-back at the end of the semester. The instructor gave a quiz at the beginning of each class, which would count if someone were late, a cell phone went off, or she had stated before hand that the quiz would count, and this was how she took attendance. I liked it and when she said that I missed a day we were able to sit down and look it up together.

Hope this helps

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