University of Delaware Responds to Classroom Clickers
http://campustechnology.com/articles/49681/An interesting article I came across on how clickers become common place on a campus. in this situation campus officials responded to a number of instructors trying the technology out for themselves, kind of like a grassroots start up. Administration did not want several systems to be used and have to support each. Also they did not want to burden students with having to buy multiple devices for their classes. It seems a bit much to ask students to buy this technology, should this be optional? I guess if it will be used in multiple classes and is beneficial to both students and instructors the cost is worth it over a four year period. Although what if only a minority of classes use it? Certainly we all have had classes where the instructor doesn't use the text they had you buy or not enough to justify the cost.
3 comments:
Wow, I didn't know that the records on the clicker would be imported to Microsoft Excel. Just imagine how they will assist date collecting and analysis. I believe besides classroom teaching, clickers are also of highly importance to research. $1796 for 32 sets is expensive to me. Andrew, do you have any idea how this price is calculated and is there anyway school could design and develop their own clickers and polling devices?
Hi guys- $1800 is a lot of cash for an individual, but for a college's IT dept., it's pretty manageable (I think- little UC has 2 sets). Not every instructor can have a set, but they can be kept in a central place and reserved for class use, much like a smartboard or projector is. Then there is a responsibility to get the clickers returned after class(they are useless without the software, at least in the case of the type I'm accustomed to). So far it's working for us- no one has walked away with any- and in a small class of <30, it's pretty easy to police.
I can't imagine profs investing in their own brand and requiring students to buy the clickers, but I once thought it crazy to expect an investment of a laptop out of every student. Things do change...
I agree with you Ellen, we might thought that it is crazy to expect an investment on new technology (in this case, Clickers). But if anyone already 'see' / experience themselves its benefit, I believe they would want to invest on that devices.
An instructional designer in Uni of Denver said in this article (http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/07/18/clickers) : clickers increased students' attendance, participation, and they found that devices very useful.
It gives me some idea, that maybe clickers company can give 'trial version' to universities/school. To help them experience themselves the advantages of clickers. (I think many times you have to try the product first before you can decide, even though you know all the information about it)
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