Clicking for credit in the classroom

Since they first became available in fall 2006, iClickers have been used in everything from religion and Wilson School courses to introductory physics. The system allows professors to propose a multiple-choice question whose answer students can then vote on using their clickers. Just as on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” the distribution of votes can immediately be displayed in a bar graph.

“Any professor who has asked questions ... and been confronted with blank stares might be interested in trying a clicker system,” said Ben Johnston, a database specialist for OIT. “Quite often,” he said, “students in the class know the answer but for whatever reason — peer pressure, fear of being wrong — will not raise their hands.”

Johnston said he believes that the anonymity of the iClicker can “break down the barrier between lecturer and student,” letting instructors get a better idea of how well the class understands the material.

Geosciences professor Bess Ward, who teaches ENV 202: Fundamentals of Environmental Studies: Climate, Air Pollution, Toxics and Water, had a similar opinion of the clicker system. “I think it makes the students feel more comfortable about answering and asking questions in class,” she said in an e-mail.

Electronic polling devices have existed for several years, but the iClicker’s predecessor required that each individual point the clicker to the receiver, a process that was more temperamental and inaccurate.

The iClicker, which costs about $25, does not require any pointing because the receiver can register information anywhere in the classroom.

IClickers can be used for purposes other than answering multiple-choice questions. English professor William Gleason used them to allow his ENG 366: Topics in American Literature: American Best Sellers class last spring to vote on the books they would read during the final week of class. “I thought it would be a fun and efficient way for the students to nominate books,” he said in an e-mail, adding that the system worked without any glitches.

In other classes, iClickers are also a way to enforce attendance. In PHY 104: General Physics II, students are issued clickers for the semester after paying a $20 deposit. Because each iClicker emits a distinct signal, each student’s answers can be tallied throughout a semester.

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“We make the answers to the clicker questions count a small amount toward the final grade,” said physics professor Peter Meyers, who teaches the course. Any student who votes gets at least half credit, so merely showing up matters as much as getting the correct answer.

Though he uses clicker questions to assess understanding, Meyers acknowledged that a major reason for grading the answers is to enforce attendance. “I’d heard from previous instructors that attendance had been slipping badly,” he said. “Clickers can both bring students to lecture ... and make the lectures more interactive.”

Students generally agreed that the iClickers are successful in enforcing attendance. “I think it makes people come to lecture, that’s all,” Ivan Kleinfeld ’11 said.

Others, however, think that the iClickers can facilitate learning as well. “They certainly get people to class more, and you can stop and discuss questions,” Josh Israel ’11 said.

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The technology is not necessarily appropriate in all environments, though. Johnston said that iClickers are best in “large lecture-type classes,” explaining that “in small classes, open discussion is usually encouraged and preferable.”

Though several departments use iClickers, many professors are unaware of their availability. Economics professor Uwe Reinhardt said in an e-mail that he “dreamt for years of using them in Econ 100,” calling it a “fantastic teaching tool” that he “would probably use for every lecture.”

Reinhardt added, however, that “if the clicker is now available at Princeton, I have not been apprised of it.” Economics professor Beth Bogan was likewise unaware of their availability.

Johnston believes that as professors become more aware of the use of iClickers through word of mouth, more of them will choose to use them in their classrooms.

Meyers said that the talk he’s heard surrounding the iClickers has been positive. “There is a good buzz, [students] get to learn from their peers, and they all participate at once,” he said.