Tina Masciadrelli ’09 was somewhat confused when she found out she needed a hand-held device as a requirement for her Introduction to Microeconomics course.
“I thought it was so strange at first and had no clue what they would be used for,” she said.
What Masciadrelli and her classmates would soon learn is that the hand-held “clickers” are actually part of a Personal Response System (PRS) used by their economics professor, Dr. Robert Kelly, for his introductory economics courses.
The PRS system is used by professors in order to ask questions. In Kelly’s case, he uses an overhead projector to display information to the class. Each multiple choice answer corresponds to a numbered button on the clickers, so that for choice A, students press 1, for choice B, they press 2, and so on. After a question is asked, students point their clickers toward a wireless, infrared receiver and select an answer. The system then gathers all the answers and displays them on the overhead in a bar graph form.
“The device looks like a computer mouse,” said Kelly. “Students use it to select the choices and they can also indicate the intensity of confidence they have.”
“I like Dr. Kelly’s use of the PRS clickers because it gives you a chance to answer each question yourself,” said Courtney McCord ’09.
According to McCord, the students are allowed two minutes to answer. The graph then uses percentages to show all the answers and whichever answer is the biggest bar in the graph is probably the right one, she said.
Kelly believes the system is valuable for two reasons. First, students are given instant feedback to their answers. The students know right away if they were wrong and can ask questions regarding their wrong choice. Second, the devices give otherwise shy students a chance to participate.
The devices can also help a student who frequently chooses wrong answers. If the rest of the class is getting the questions correct, students can quickly realize that they are behind in the course and increase their studies as a result.
Jennifer Fabian ’09 also enjoys using the clickers during her class.
“I feel it allows the class to have an interactive experience. It allows us to test if we really understand the material,” she said. “Doing test questions as practice is a great way to help review for exams.”
“A lot of times, teachers ask questions and they don’t get a sea of hands raised. This makes people less afraid to answer questions, and it lets him know what material we know and what material we’re shaky on depending on how quickly we answer and how the graphs are divided,” Masciadrelli added.
“If responses are all over the board, I’ll give more instruction and ask the same question again,” said Kelly, who also said that he does not use the PRS system for grading purposes; he only wants to push participation.
Although student feedback has been fairly positive, some students disagree with the usage of the PRS system, according to Kelly’s end of the semester critiques.
Brenden Drew ’06 took Dr. Kelly’s Introduction to Macroeconomics class two years ago. He felt the PRS system hindered the class’s progress.
“It’s something we don’t need, and it’s another expense added on to the hundreds of dollars worth of books we have to purchase each year,” Drew said. “What’s the point of seeing something you already know on a colorful display in front of the class?”
The $30 clickers are mandatory and are available at the Fairfield University bookstore.
Kelly said he got the idea of the PRS system at a seminar he attended a few years ago. He has been using the system ever since.
With advancements in technology, systems such as Kelly’s could very well take over the classroom as the next educational trend in the next upcoming years.
The company that produces the devices is InterWrite. The Maryland-based technology company specializes in the creation of custom interactive teaching and training projects to aid educators and students in learning.
Many engineering and science schools around the country are starting to use similar technology, according to Kelly.
Some students are unsure of the system’s capabilities in classes other than economics.
“Some teachers would benefit from this and others might just find it a nuisance,” said Joe Miraglia ’09. “It would not work well in an English class, but it would work well in many business classes because of the constant interaction that goes on in class.”
“It would take up too much time in a math class. It’s more of a discussion starter,” said Masciadrelli.
Kelly thinks the system is useful in his classes.
“Different people have to do different things, but I think it’s a particularly good method for me,” he said.
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