Thursday, June 6, 2013

Student Response Systems



If you are thinking about using a student response system in your classroom, here are three products that are reliable, easy to use and offer a variety of analytics. 

iClicker- iClicker is a system where students use a clicker (remote) that communicates with a base connected to your computer. No internet connection is needed. iClicker integrates with many LMS programs, PowerPoint and Keynote and offers in-depth support including live phone and email support, webinars, case studies, video tutorials and other self-help resources. There are a variety of packages to choose from and start at 39.00 per remote. This works well if you just want more of a fixed price option. After the initial purchase you basically need to purchase batteries and the occasional remote replacement. The downside to iClicker is that students need to be registered to their individual clicker for the faculty to be able to pull analytical reports for individual students. 

Benefits: LMS integration, no internet needed, one-time fee and tons of product support
Negatives: Hardware purchase, uses batteries and requires clicker registration for individual
analytics.

Learning Catalytics- Learning Catalytics is a cloud based system where students use their own devices (BYOD) and text in their responses so there is no need to purchase separate clicker remotes that uses batteries and can break. Because students log in remotely, it is easy to run a variety of reports to see individual student responses. The company only provides live email support and offers some resources on their website which are all delivered in text format. They offer a one package price of $20 per student for the year which is either linked to a student credit card or is paid for by the institution. Also, if you’re not sure of the service you can sign up for a free trial for up to 100 students. Important to note is this company was just purchased by Pearson but they plan on treating Learning Catalytics as a standalone program so there are no foreseen changes.

Benefits: Multiple quiz formats, Individual detailed analytics, BYOD, Cloud based, No hardware purchase
Negatives: Very limited support, and Internet connection required (may be negative depending on situation)

Poll Everywhere- Poll Everywhere is also a cloud based system so would be suited for the BYOD approach. It runs on a SMS platform and integrates with PowerPoint and Keynote. Poll Everywhere provides individual analytics and multiple reporting options although much more basic than Learning Catalytics. There are a variety of support options from live phone and email support to user guides, FAQ’s which are all delivered in text format. The main benefit is that the cost starts at $349 per semester for an instructor and can be downgraded to free at times when they are not using it. This might be a great option for those schools that are not currently using an  automatic response system and want to generate enthusiasm before committing funding. 

Benefits: Individual basic analytics, BYOD, Flexible pricing, No hardware purchase
Negatives: Reports are not as comprehensive as the other two, Attachments cannot be linked in the poll, internet connection required

The reason to consider using any student response system  is to create an active learning environment where students are engaged and participate. In one study, using an automatic response system
“increased academic achievement”. This can be very beneficial in larger class sizes where faculty can’t interact with everyone and need a way to gauge student’s comprehension of new subject matter. Using a response system can give immediate results.

In addition, research suggests that successful implementation of student response systems can depend on how comfortable faculty are in using the technology and how they will use it in the classroom.  Any of these choices are affordable and easy to use so hopefully more faculty might be interested in adopting for classroom use. 

If you are not interested in spending money, try the Poll Everywhere free version or use more generic programs to collect responses such as Twitter and Wordle.

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