Clickers @ SDSU

Clicker Quick Links

• eInstruction website - excellent source of information via live training sessions, training videos, and more
• CPSUniversity website - also good source of online training videos and documentation
• Online form to fill out to indicate your interest in using clickers in your course

FAQs

• What are clickers/response systems?
• Why clickers/response systems?
• What support is available for clickers/response systems at SDSU?
• Do we have prior experience with clickers/response systems at SDSU?
• What are the technical requirements for using the eInstruction system?
• What is the cost for the eInstruction system?
• How do I get started?

What are clickers/response systems?

"Clickers" enable more interaction between students and faculty in classroom learning situations. Clickers are keypads which wirelessly transmit student input to a receiver connected to a computer used by an instructor. Typically, instructors use this sort of response system to present questions interspersed throughout a presentation, receiving immediate feedback about student skills and knowledge. Clickers may also be used for attendance, quizzes, group activities, and more.

Why clickers/response systems?

The challenges of maintaining the attention of college learners during lectures have been demonstrated in many studies, and can be anecdotally confirmed by any instructor. An increasing body of research documents incompatibilities of the lecture format with findings from cognitive science on how people learn.

One technology (well known from at least the time of Socrates) to address this challenge is the question. However, asking questions and involving students in actively processing information presents logistical challenges in large lecture halls. Classroom response systems are a technology designed to help instructors overcome this challenge and engage students in more effective learning.

Assessment results from class clicker use can easily (even seamlessly) be imported into Blackboard or spreadsheet programs.

What support is available for clickers/response systems at SDSU?

In Summer 2006, SDSU standardized on the eInstruction CPS radio frequency (RF) response system after a selection process which included input from SDSU faculty and students, as well as from other universities with more experience with response systems. Over 2500 students used this system in Fall 2006, and over 4500 are using it in Spring 2007.

The eInstruction system enables students to purchase their clickers in the bookstore and use them in any class where the faculty member wants to use a response system. The necessary software and a receiver with a USB connection are free to any interested faculty member. The eInstruction system interfaces with Blackboard, the campus learning management system, meaning that any attendance or assessment data collected in class can be seamlessly transferred to the Blackboard gradebook.

eInstruction consultants John Burgess and Jim Knight provide individualized support to SDSU faculty. Additionally, Instructional Technology Services (contact Jim Julius, x45852) provides workshops and technical support, as well as facilitating a community of practice among faculty using CPS 

Do we have prior experience with clickers/response systems at SDSU?

SDSU has had a permanently installed OptionPower radio frequency (RF) response system in ENS 280, SDSU's first 500-seat classroom, since it opened in 2003. Each seat has a response keypad tethered to it. One faculty member has conducted research indicating that students rated the use of this system for responding to "concept check" questions in class as the most important contributor to their learning, aside from the lectures themselves. Though this system was free for students, it was costly for the university to install and maintain, and did not enable faculty to associate assessment or attendance/participation data with individual students.

Over the years, a few SDSU faculty have used their own classroom response systems acquired independently, often in partnership with textbook publishers.

What are the technical requirements for using the eInstruction system?

You can run eInstruction CPS on a standard PC or Mac computer. Some faculty use a laptop, while others use a computer built into a smart classroom podium. eInstruction provides the software and the RF receiver free of charge; the receiver plugs into the instructor computer via USB. CPS information including questions, responses, student information, and so on, are kept in a single CPS database file. Faculty using the classroom computer to run CPS usually transfer this file back and forth on a USB flash drive between their working computer and the classroom computer. Faculty and students will register to use CPS either via Blackboard or via the CPSOnline website. Once registered, faculty "sync" their CPS software with their course information online (roster information is downloaded to the faculty computer, and student response information is uploaded to Blackboard or CPSOnline).

What is the cost for the eInstruction system?

The software and hardware required for faculty are provided free of charge. Students purchase the clicker in the bookstore. The clickers cost $35 for one semester usage, or $49 for unlimited usage. One-semester clickers can be upgraded in later semesters to lifetime status for $15.50. The bookstore will buy clickers back from students for a small amount (around $5). Once enough used clickers are available, they will be resold for about $10 less than the new clickers.

How do I get started?

If you're ready to use the eInstruction system in a course, you need to fill out an online form or download this form (Word format) and fax it to the number on the form. This will allow you to receive free software, the RF receiver (which plugs into a USB port on a computer), and a free clicker. The eInstruction representatives will coordinate with SDSU ITS to ensure that the SDSU bookstore is notified and an order placed for your students' clickers. You will also receive support directly from the eInstruction representatives.

Do you still have a question? Please contact ITS Associate Director Jim Julius, jjulius@mail.sdsu.edu