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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