1. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Clickers in a Biology Lab
J. Brian Robertson and Steve Baskauf
Department of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
BACKGROUND
EXPERIMENTS
RESULTS
BioSci 111A : Intro Bio lab
8 sections of ~ 60 students, each
17 TAs (usually 4 per section)
Clickers are individual wireless survey response entry pads that allow a receiver to instantly tabulate students’ responses and convey them to the instructor.
In lecture courses, real-time clicker responses hold students accountable for demonstrating their level of understanding during the lecture when misconceptions and poor understanding can be addressed before leaving a specific topic. Therefore clicker use allows the proceedings of lectures and in-class discussions to be directed by the level of student understanding.
In theory, teachers should be better prepared when they know the students must engage the topics rather than simply listening to a lecture. Teachers must be ready to take a discussion in different directions based on clicker responses. When clickers are used, teachers need to think in advance about common misconceptions students may have prior to presenting material.
With these points in mind, we investigated the effectiveness of clickers as a tool for facilitating …
multiple, small group discussions in a laboratory setting.
assessment quizzes regarding reading material for the laboratory.
Student’s Clicker
TA’s Response Card
error bars are +/- 1 SD
TAs were provided scripted
discussions
TAs were provided visual aids and suggestions
TAs developed their own discussions and materials
Less
More
Group Discussions with Clickers vs. without Clickers
for 6 weeks (6 different labs)
I didn't like RAQs- stressful having to make sure I knew how to operate the clicker in addition to studying.
Although I do understand that only assigning prelab assignments might only incite students to read a part of the lab, I still liked them better.
– anonymous student
Score of 9 is neutral or indifferent (highlighted in purple)
Clickers for RAQs are good. Clickers for discussions are not. – anonymous student
vs.
Reading Assessment Quizzes
5 multiple choice questions
Covering lab book material
Administered by PowerPoint
At the beginning of lab
Students respond via clicker
Pre-Lab Assignments
Paper-based assignment
Handed out previous week
Covering lab book material
Due at the beginning of lab
Graded by the TAs
Clickers during discussions were useless, we all listened anyway because the information being told was important for the assignment. I hated the RAQs b/c it forced you to read, but I will admit they served their purpose. The pre-lab things allowed you to just find the answer w/o reading.– anonymous student
GOALS
Increase student engagement, understanding, and preparedness.
Improve TAs (teaching assistants) effectiveness as teachers and discussion leaders.
Less
More
Score of 5 is neutral or indifferent (highlighted in purple)
Some TA Comments from a Questionnaire
CONCLUSIONS
I did not feel like clickers were helpful for talking to students or that having the anonymous feedback was beneficial for shaping the discussion. However, I do find clickers useful for determining if the majority of my students have gotten the point of the information I am relaying to them and are ready to move on. That was very useful.
QUESTIONS
Clickers provided no significant advantage to students participating in small group discussions.
Clicker-based reading assessment quizzes were more useful for motivating students to read the lab manual and come prepared than were pre-lab assignments.
Can clickers serve useful functions in a laboratory setting by…
- facilitating Lab Book Reading Assessment Quizzes?
- providing TAs feedback during group discussion?
Does the process of designing and/or preparing for lab-related “clicker discussions” make the TAs better teachers?
I think the clickers made the students more interested in the discussion because it forced them to think of an answer. So, they were more curious to see if they got the answer correct.
I really don’t think clickers are bad. I think they worked really well for the RAQs and I can see how they would be great in a big lecture hall where it is impossible to talk to students one-on-one. However, in a small, intimate setting such as the 111a lab, I think they were more of a hindrance than anything else.