What Are Clickers?

Clickers allow instructors to ask questions and gather students' responses during a lecture. (Clicker systems are also commonly called Classroom Response Systems, Student Response Systems, or Audience Response Systems.)

In clicker systems, each student uses a device (a "clicker") that looks like a TV remote to answer questions posed by the instructor in a specially-designed PowerPoint presentation. Summaries of student responses can be shown in real time to both instructors and students. Answers are also stored electronically for later viewing.

Ohio State has standardized on clicker devices and supporting software from Turning Technologies, LLC to ensure that that the OSU community receives a quality product and that students won't need to purchase multiple clicker devices for different courses.

See Devices and Setup for more information on how clickers work and how to adopt them. Or see Borrow Clickers to try them.

Integrating Clickers into Lecture Courses

Here are some basic ways to use clickers in lectures:

Facilitate Class Discussion - Facilitate discussion by polling students' opinions and discussing the reasons for their opinions.¹⁵
Guide Lectures - Collect immediate feedback about students' understanding of lecture topics so confusion can be addressed quickly.¹¹
Encourage Peer Instruction - Allow students to share, discuss, and change their opinions before answering a question.^1,2,¹⁷
Collect Data and Perform Formative Assessment - Collect data on course topics or learning preferences throughout the cycle of a course.⁹
Offer Quizzes and Exams - Decrease grading time by using clickers to collect student answers to quizzes and exams.¹⁴
Take Attendance - Record attendance in large lecture courses.¹²

Why Use Clickers?

Use of clickers in the classroom has been shown to increase students' attention and interest⁵ and to increase retention of information presented in lectures¹¹.

Using clickers to pose questions that require synthesis of information, such as asking for an opinion on a complex social or ethical issue, promotes critical thinking¹⁶ and helps make learning personal.

Additionally, clickers can

Transform large group instruction into an active learning experience.⁷,⁸,¹³
Provide a "safe" way for shy students to participate in classroom discussion.¹⁷
Allow anonymous,¹⁰ simultaneous,⁴ and fast⁹ response to instructor questions on class material or learning preferences.
Add a little fun to the classroom.¹⁷

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What Are Clickers?

Integrating Clickers into Lecture Courses

Why Use Clickers?