Clickers! Using Personal Response Pads

Robert S RycroftProfessor of EconomicsUniversity of Mary WashingtonDevelopments in Economics Education ConferenceSeptember 2007

Clicker Systems

Turning Point/Turning Technologies PRS/Interwrite Learning iClicker/Worth and Holtzbrinck Publishers CPS/eInstruction

Clicker Technology

Receiver

Personal Response Pad

Software

Advantages

Requires every student to remain engaged all class long

Increases the comfort zone of quiet students Allows instructor to keep tabs on class

progress

Other Uses

Take attendance Class “contests” Exams Integrate with

Blackboard andWebCT

Microeconomics (Fall 2006) using CPS

Principles of Macroeconomics (Summer 2006 and Fall 2006) using CPS

Public Finance (Spring 2006) using CPS

Principles of Microeconomics (Summer 2006) using CPS

Tips for Use and Pitfalls to Avoid Use to drill students on mastery of technical

material Use for opinion polling sparingly Use several times per class Technical problems the bane of clickers