The effects of using CAF in Higher Education
The effects of using CAF in Higher Education
Arwa Alayedi
04/11/2013
CSE 610
Western Oregon University
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The effects of using CAF in Higher Education
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The effects of using CAF in Higher Education
According to Han and Finkelstein (2013), “Clicker assessment and feedback (CAF) is an
easily adopted teaching approach for higher education” (P.64). CAF is a wireless system that
allows students to answer their professor’s questions and interact with the lecture easily “using
hand-held devices” (Han, Finkelstein, 2013, P.64). Clickers are used in large university classes
where using the regular types of assessments with getting the same results as when using CAF
system is impossible. As a way of assessing, clickers are used world wide in different countries
in Europe and South America. As every technology, CAF has some positive aspects and some
criticisms of it, which will be presented in this paper.
According to Han and Finkelstein (2013), several studies have shown that there are
positive effects of using clickers in classroom (P.64). Clickers are mainly used to measure
students’ understanding of the concepts. It is an easy and a quick way to assess students
especially in very large university classrooms. CAF system empowers the professors to know
what the students already know and what they need to know based on their prior knowledge.
Besides that, it helps them to recognize in which level the students are. On the other hand, it
enable students to sort out what they know and recognize their strengths and their weaknesses.
Although CAF system has a positive influence on the classroom environment and the
way of communicating between students and professors, there are some criticisms of it such as
the validity and the reliability. Some people have criticized the CAF system the devices that have
been used to gather the information that affected its reliability and validity. Also, they suspected
The effects of using CAF in Higher Education
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of the reliability and validity of CAF system because it measured students’ perception of CAF as
engagement and learning with only one or two items (Han, Finkelstein, 2013, P.65).
Using CAF system in universities is an effective and high-technological way to assess
students and to enhance the development in education. Although it has been criticized in its
reliability and validity, it is the best doable way to assess large university classes. Besides that, it
has proven that it is affected because of its positive effects, which made it used in many
universities worldwide.
The effects of using CAF in Higher Education
References
Han, J. H., & Finkelstein, A. (2013). Computers & Education. Understanding the Effects of
Professors' Pedagogical Development with Clicker Assessment and Feedback Technologies and
the Impact on Students' Engagement and Learning in Higher Education., 64-76. doi:
10.1016/j.compedu.2013.02.002
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