Student Clickers?

[arbor-vitae]

Anyone familiar with the Student Response System? Along with all the required texts and software I had to purchase, there was a student clicker as well. It's put out by Turning Technologies for the classroom. Is this any good for nursing school. Costs about $56.00

[LiLev]

We have them but the school owns them and just hands them out before class and picks them up after. We didn't pay anything for them and the school changes the batteries, too. Also, I got to a community college, not an expenseive private school so I'm surprised other schools charge for this.

[umcRN, BSN, RN]

This was a requirement at my school and I had certain professors use it as attendance...and he would walk around and make sure that no one had two! (in the larger pre-req lectures it would be easy to skip without no one noticing, not my smaller nursing classes though)

The cost is a pain though, at one point I had to have two different ones for two different classes/software. ugh!

[kima84]

We had them in some of our nursing courses. It was more like trial and error. Our professors wanted to use them for actual grades but they could not figure out how to use them half the time, so our answers in class were never graded. I wasted $35 on that. At the end on our senior year they asked us to donate them to the school. I refused because it irked me that they required us to buy them and we never really used them and then they asked us to give them away. So annoying.

[CarrieGL]

[ckh23, BSN, RN]

I used one in pharm. I actually liked them because it keeps you involved in the lecture and you can participate by answering questions anonymously. I was able to buy mine off of Amazon for $15.

[Joe N635DC]

Our school used these but they were handed out each class, not purchased. Each student had a clicker with our name on it. The computer knows exactly who everyones clicker is and can keep statistics on each students answers. That being said they would have to load the classroom profile after they loaded the powerpoint which 99% of the time they didn't. No classroom profile=no ability to track answers. We primarily used them for a learning tool and the instructor even told us that she was not collecting individual statistics so that we would answer honestly. Whenever she saw the answers trending in the wrong direction it helped her to know where the class needed clarification. All in all they greatly enhanced our learning. We used these in several classes though the BSN program and most of us looked forward to the classes that had them as they helped us build confidence in ourselves, our answers and our practice.

[peanutsauce]

We used these in many nursing theory courses. Our professor would have multiple choice Q's interspersed frequently in lecture, and we would answer for participation points... Then someone would get called on to provide their thinking process/rationale. It was a good way to get everyone to participate, and think critically. Ours were less expensive than yours (~$35)... and using them in 6+ classes proved to be, in my opinion, worth it.

[chaka_1709]

We used those in one of my nursing classes. We didn't have to buy for them though. We were assigned a number so I guess if it was missing you would be held accountable.

[Katie71275]

We use them in all our classes. The entire university has gone to this system and I believe requires that they use them a certain amount of time in the classes.

I will say that I really like it!

[BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN]

Wow....what happened to real life class participation and a show of hands?

You kids aren't into that kind of stuff anymore

my students love them! We give NCLEX style questions, and it sparks some very good dialogue. The prof is there to answer questions about why the answer is what it is.

And yes, students walk off with them. News flash: colleges are not loaded, equipment and supplies don't magically appear. We have been able to provide them to our students through grant moneys, but our school is very big into that. We are a community college who really tries to keep costs down.

[Abigail612]

We had clickers for my Micro and my Chem class they were kind of nice because some times the instructors would make questions that were similar to the ones that would be on the test so that we knew if we were ready for the exam or not. Plus it got everyone involoved not just the same few who answer all the questions.

[DisneyNurseGal, BSN, RN]

I love the clickers! My teacher uses them in fun ways, like Jeopardy games, and for interactive learning. That is a teaching method that I really respond to!