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Resources: Clickers: A Manual for Library Instructors
clickers@umd.edu
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Email: infolit-team@umd.edu
Clickers at the University Libraries
What are clickers?
Clickers are a popular technology used in education and industry that allows an instructor to capture user responses to questions using PowerPoint slides, and to instantly display those responses to the entire class. Clickers are more formally known as Audience Response Systems (ARS), Classroom Response Systems (CRS), or Personal Response Systems (PRS), or Electronic response System. There are a number of companies that support and sell this technology (i.e., Meridia, Poll Everywhere, Fleetwood Reply, eInstruction). The University of Maryland is currently collaborating with Turning Technologies to bring this technology to you.
Why use this technology?
Clickers enable an instructor to test student knowledge or to gather information from students in order to assess their learning. Clickers have been found to increase student engagement in instruction, because clickers are interactive and students need to pay attention in order to participate.
The University of Maryland is moving toward a culture of assessment that seeks to determine whether students are learning what they need to succeed academically as well as after they leave the University. By articulating learning outcomes, and then assessing whether students have mastered them, instructors can improve student learning.
Clickers have been successfully used in many subject areas, primarily the sciences, at UM and other institutions. Libraries have begun to embrace clicker technology as a way to find out what students already know about research and library use, and assess how well they are learning while participating in a library instruction session. Clickers give students instant feedback on a question, and offers anonymity compared to the traditional “raising a hand.” Library uses clickers to get immediate feedback on student understanding.
In summary, it works like this:
- The library instructor develops a question that is displayed on a PowerPoint slide;
- Students use the v-pad clickers (a virtual keypad on their machines in a library instruction lab) or a hand-held clicker to answer the question(s) posed;
- The system immediately processes the students response, and displays the results on the PowerPoint slide;
- Instructors can then proceed with the session, reiterate information, or add new information to enhance student learning.
Integrating Clickers into Library Instruction
Integrating clickers into your library instruction sessions doesn’t mean that you will need to completely revise what you do. Insert clicker questions in places where you usually ask questions. But, don’t over do it. If you want to use clickers for assessment purposes, design the questions so that they directly relate to your student learning outcomes.
Clickers can be used for different purposes:
- Diagnostic surveys (what do students already know?)
- Discussion prompts
- Think-Pair-Share exercises
- Student generated responses/capturing student language
One important decision is whether to use multiple choice questions or open-ended questions to capture student responses in their own words.
If you want to use clicker questions for pre/post testing, it might be better to use multiple choice questions – either the same questions at the beginning or end of class, or slightly different wording. If your purpose is to stimulate discussion, open ended questions might be best.
Take the time to test your questions before you use them in a library instruction session. Testing may help you eliminate ambiguity and jargon. If you don’t have time to test them before a session, be prepared to revise them before the next session.
Contact the Libraries’ Learning Outcomes Assessment Pilot Team if you have a question about clickers and about composing good assessment questions: lib-learningoutcomes@umd.edu
Clicker technology is available in all four (4) McKeldin Library instruction labs:
MCK 2109: All 18 student workstations have v-pads installed.see each monitor
MCK 6101: All 24 student workstations have v-pads installed; see each monitor.
MCK 6107: All 30 student workstations have v-pads installed; see each monitor.
MCK 6103: There are 10 hand-held clickers available to borrow. Send your request to User Education Services.
