1. CFE’s Faculty Showcase Let’s Hear from the Entire Class
11/2/12
CFE’s Faculty Showcase
Let’s Hear from the Entire Class
David Smith
Physics and Astronomy
Rita Balaban
Economics
Adam Persky
Eshelman School of Pharmacy

2. Clicker Question 1
Which of the following best describes your experience with classroom response systems (clickers)?
A: I use clickers extensively in my courses.
B: I use clickers sparingly in my courses.
C: I am familiar with clickers but have not yet used them in my courses.
D: I’m completely new to clickers and their use in the classroom.
11/2/12

3. Introduction My experience with clickers
Effective use of clickers in the classroom
Administrative overheads
11/2/12

4. Experience
First experience in graduate school (Ireland ~ 2008) but no personal experience.
Extensive use during my postdoc at the University of Washington
Use was motivated by recent physics education research, in addition to personal preference.
11/2/12

5. Physics Education Research
“Interactive-engagement versus traditional methods: A six-thousand student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses,” R.R. Hake, Am. J. Phys. 66, (1998).
Significant findings included that courses that used interactive-engagement methods had much larger gains that courses using traditional methods
11/2/12

6. Physics Education Research
Understanding How Physics Faculty Use Peer Instruction,  C. Turpen and N. Finkelstein, PERC Proceedings,
Peer Instruction: A User's Manual,  E. Mazur; Publisher: Prentice Hall - Book
Designing effective questions for classroom response system teaching,  I. Beatty, W. Gerace, W. Leonard, and R. Dufresne, Am. J. Phys., 74 (1), (2006).
11/2/12

7. Clicker Question Example
Two gliders, A and B, collide on a level, frictionless track, as shown below. The mass of glider A is less than that of glider B (i.e., mA < mB). The final speed of glider A is greater than that of glider B (i.e., vAf > vBf).
Is the magnitude of the final momentum of glider A, |pAf|, greater than, less than, or equal to that of glider B, |pBf|?
A: Greater than B: Less than C: Equal to D: Not sure
11/2/12

8. Clicker Question 3
11/2/12

9. Clicker Question 3
11/2/12

10. Effective Use
Clicker questions should ideally foster discussion, and challenge student ideas.
Effective questions often address conceptual difficulties.
Other questions can be useful in judging the effectiveness of the lecture, by gauging the level at which students understand the material.
11/2/12

11. Administrative Considerations
Should I award course credit for clicker responses? If yes, how much?
Should I award credit for correct responses?
Shared responsibility between instructor and student.
11/2/12

12. Let’s Hear from the Entire Class!
Rita A Balaban
Senior Lecturer
Department of Economics

22. Audience Response System
Turning Point, Turning Technologies

23. History of VTC at UNC Elizabeth City State University (circa 2005)
Historically underserved part of the state
Asheville (circa 2011)
Class size upon admission
10 to 15 students (ECSU)
142 students (CH)
25-30 students (Asheville)

25. Primary Uses Knowledge checks (Beginning, Middle, End)
More Common
Knowledge checks (Beginning, Middle, End)
Conversation starters
Attention Maintainers
Team-Based Learning
Student presentations
Grade Quizzes
Less Common

26. Conditional Branching
How do you want to treat the patient?
Stop Meds
Do Nothing
Hemodialysis
Meds are stopped, now what?
Pt is hypotensive, now what?
Get BP up
Hemodialysis
Patient Dies
Do Nothing
Pt BP is normal but refuses dialysis, now what?
Patient Dies

27. Class response system support
CFE’s Poll Everywhere accounts
cfe.unc.edu/100plus/crs.html
Developing activities for class response systems
Center for Faculty Excellence
Contact: Bob Henshaw