Faculty and student experiences with clickers: a qualitative exploration of engaging students in higher-level thinking
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The Department of Human Development and Family Studies focuses on the interactions among individuals, families, and their resources and environments throughout their lifespans. It consists of three majors: Child, Adult, and Family Services (preparing students to work for agencies serving children, youth, adults, and families); Family Finance, Housing, and Policy (preparing students for work as financial counselors, insurance agents, loan-officers, lobbyists, policy experts, etc); and Early Childhood Education (preparing students to teach and work with young children and their families).
History
The Department of Human Development and Family Studies was formed in 1991 from the merger of the Department of Family Environment and the Department of Child Development.
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1991-present
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- College of Human Sciences (parent college)
- Department of Child Development (predecessor)
- Department of Family Environment (predecessor)
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Abstract
Research has shown that personal response systems, or clickers, are motivating and engaging for students in higher education. This phenomenological, qualitative study focuses on the exploration of the experiences of faculty and students using personal response systems in the college classroom. An understanding of instructor and student experiences with clickers is provided. In addition, the manner in which this sample of instructors is implementing clickers in their classrooms is compared to Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive domains. Instructors view the clicker as an evolving strategy that improves their teaching, increases student engagement and attendance, and makes classroom teaching more fun. Students, while showing some ambivalence in their feelings toward the use of clickers, cite benefits to classroom attendance, classroom participation, and academic learning provided by this technology being used in the classroom. Recommendations for instructor pedagogy relating to clickers and future research directions are provided.