Collaborative Research Projects

Undergraduates' Perceptions of Personal Response Systems in Calculus Classes

This project was a collaboration among the Searle Center, Academic Technologies, and faculty from the mathematics department and the School of Education and Social Policy.

Bode, M., Drane, D., Ben-David Kolikant, Y., & Schuller, M. (2009). A clicker approach to teaching calculus. Notices of the American Mathematical Society. (Link to publisher website)

Undergraduates' Perceptions of Personal Response Systems in Calculus Classes

Personal response systems (clickers) are often used with one clicker per individual, but they can also be used in teams. In this study, we evaluated students' perceptions of clickers in 6 undergraduate calculus classes taught by the same instructor over a period of 4 years. Students were typically divided into small teams of 3–5 students and assigned one clicker per team, or one clicker per team member. A clicker question was posed, and students were encouraged to discuss their answer with their teammates before responding. Students' survey responses indicated that they believed that the use of clickers made them more aware of their misunderstandings, and helped them to understand what was expected in class. They also felt that they were more involved in a class using clickers than traditional classes. Moreover, discussion with other students helped students to understand and learn the material. Finally, students reported that clickers made class more enjoyable.