3.1 Student Response Systems
In this section we're looking at student response systems. Some examples of popular student response systems are Learning Catalytics Links to an external site., Turning Technologies Links to an external site., and Poll Everywhere Links to an external site.--these are all systems that have a cost involved. A couple of free options using standard devices (smartphones, tablets, and laptops) that are with exploring are Kahoot! Links to an external site. and Socrative Links to an external site.. Some of these systems only allow for multiple choice and true/false questions, but they systems are evolving and expanding to allow for many more types of questions (word cloud, sketch, point to on an image, etc.).
There are a few primary reasons to utilize student response systems:
- to engage all of your students in class activity at the same time (especially in a large class);
- to provide opportunities for students to check their understanding; and
- for the instructor to be able to immediately measure student understanding--not just the few students that speak up.
For further introduction to student response systems and the pros and cons of different types (hardware and software), please view the video below from one of colleagues here at the University of Saskatchewan, Tyson Brown.
A Really Quick Guide to Student Response Systems
This week for our Google Hangout, we'll be having a conversation about student response systems with Dr. Trisha Dowling Links to an external site. from the University of Saskatchewan. Trisha has been using student response systems while teaching her classes in a lecture theatre for a few years. She has explored a few different systems, and is currently using Learning Catalytics Links to an external site.. A discussion forum has been set up where you can post your questions for Trisha, but you can also tweet questions using the course hashtag #ilt_usask (Links to an external site.). We will make sure that Trisha sees your questions so that she can respond during the live Google Hangout.
The Google Hangout is Tuesday, January 27th at 2 PM Eastern Standard Time. A link to the session will be posted within one hour before the live broadcast. If you are unable to join us for the live broadcast a recording of the session will be available at that same link.
Further Exploration (Optional Video Presentations)
Here are two great presentations (45 minutes and 1 hour) that explore the pedagogy of using student response systems. If this is a topic that you are interested in trying, then watching these videos are worth your time.
- TurningPoint: Where Pedagogy Meets Practice Links to an external site. - This playlist explores using TurningPoint clickers, which are primarily multiple choice questions. If you are using a system with limited question types, then this gives you a great overview of how to use this effectively.
- Eric Mazur: Catalyzing Learning Using Learning Catalytics Links to an external site. - In this presentation, Dr. Eric Mazur from Harvard University explores the different question types options of Learning Catalytics. He has been developing the Peer Instruction teaching method for 25 years and in 2011 he founded the Learning Catalytics system as a way to enhance this effective teaching method.
Backchannels
Have you ever had the feeling that your students have questions, but are unwilling to ask them in front of their peers? One method to combat this is to use a backchannel tool in your classroom. These are online tools that allow students to ask questions or make comments throughout class, without having to speak in front of the group. If you want, you can use a tool that allows the commenters to be anonymous. Backchannel tools may also be used to continue the conversation outside of face-to-face class time.
TodaysMeet Links to an external site. is a really simple and common tool for creating a backchannel in your classroom. It is completely free and takes less than a minute to set up. All you have to do is create a room and then provide students with the link to the room. Students will then be able to submit questions and comments. The submissions show up on a list similar to a Twitter feed. As the instructor, you can view this list and answer the questions.
Another common tool that is used for backchannels is Twitter. This is extremely common at conferences, but is becoming increasingly popular in classrooms. Essentially, all you need to do is ask your students to submit questions and comments via Twitter by adding a specific hashtag to their tweets. This hashtag should be something unique to your class, e.g. #ilt_usask or #psych120sk. To view the comments you search the hashtag on Twitter.
Backchannel tools can also be helpful as part of a debriefing activity. For example, you may have students working in groups and then ask a representative from each group to submit a brief summary of their discussion/answer. This allows you to hear from every group without needing to take the time to have them vocalize their response.