Teaching the Large First Year Experience Class: Evaluating How Clickers can Create a
Seminar Experience for Hundreds of Students
Craig Leonard Brians, Rachael Kim & Rachel Ellena
Department of Political Science, Virginia Tech
Abstract: Digital technology has gained a solid foothold in higher education classrooms in recent
years. The student response system (i.e., clickers) is among the most common teaching
technologies incorporated into classrooms (Immerwahr 2009; Winograd & Cheesman 2007).
These personal devices permit students to contribute their individual opinions and quiz responses
in real-time, during class. Given clickers’ growing popularity over the last decade, particularly
among those teaching large enrollment courses, dozens of studies in fields ranging from biology to
physics to political science have sought to evaluate clickers’ effects on learning (e.g., Beavers
2010; El-Rady 2006; Salemi 2008; Stuart, Brown, & Draper 2004; Winograd and Cheesman
2007). Not studied in the literature, though, is how clickers may affect learning in large first-year
experience classes. Among college courses, these classes present unique challenges and
opportunities, because these are novice students who are also eager to learn about their new
institution and major. This can be a difficult course to scale-up, since it is intended to increase
student engagement in their education but large classes can increase student anonymity and
isolation. Additionally, few incoming students have previously used the clicker technology,
potentially adding to an increased learning curve. With these obstacles in mind, this paper studies
the use of clickers in a large FYE course. Featuring both quantitative and qualitative evidence,
this project offers students a voice to describe and analyze their learning experiences in this
introductory setting, alongside about 150 other classmates.
Literature Review
In recent years, technology has gained a firm foothold in higher education classrooms. The student response system
(i.e., clickers) is among the most common teaching technologies incorporated into classrooms today (Immerwahr
2009; Winograd & Cheesman 2007). These personal devices permit students to contribute their individual opinions
and quiz responses in real-time during class. Given clickers’ growing popularity over the last decade, particularly
among those teaching large enrollment courses, dozens of studies in fields ranging from biology to physics to
political science have sought to evaluate clickers’ effects on learning (e.g., Beavers 2010; El-Rady 2006; Salemi
2008; Stuart, Brown, & Draper 2004; Winograd and Cheesman 2007). Not studied in the literature, though, is how
clickers may affect learning in large first-year experience classes. Among college courses, these classes present
unique challenges and opportunities, because these are novice students who are also eager to learn about their new
institution and major. This can be a difficult course to scale-up, since it is intended to increase student engagement
in their education but large classes can increase student anonymity and isolation. Additionally, few incoming
students have previously used the clicker technology, potentially adding to an increased learning curve.
Methodology
To address the causal mechanism void in the literature, this paper explicitly studies several competing hypotheses,
each seeking to explain exam score improvement (or even learning gains) from clicker use. Exploring this
relationship in large classes (i.e., 150+ students), this study empirically examines these potential mechanisms using
a range of data: quantitative and qualitative student surveys, experimentally comparing (individual-level) in-class
clicker question performance to exam question performance, and focus group responses.
Results
We find that clickers improve students’ performance through several mechanisms: (1) enhanced pre-class
preparation, (2) more consistent class attendance, (3) increased classroom participation and attention, (4)
opportunity to practice timed testing, and (5) signaling high-priority course content. Additionally, these processes
appear to operate simultaneously and interactively, although with different intensities for different students,
depending upon a student’s initial motivation level.
Table 1: Clicker Quizzes Build Exam Confidence
Do the clicker quizzes help you feel more confident when
taking exams in this course?
Yes
93%
(262)
No
7%
(19)
Total
100%
(281)
Table 2: Clicker Quizzes Aid Studying
Have the in-class clicker quizzes helped you to study in this
class?
Yes
96%
(273)
No
4%
(10)
Total
100%
(283)
Discussion
Using clickers appears to reduce student distractions in a large lecture course, due to the need to pay attention to
frequent, interactive questioning. With these obstacles in mind, this paper studies the use of clickers in a large FYE
course. Featuring both quantitative and qualitative evidence, this project offers students a voice to describe and
analyze their learning experiences in this introductory setting, alongside about 150 other classmates.
References
Beavers, Staci L. 2010. “Some Days, Things Just ‘Click’ in the Classroom: Clicker Technology in the Introductory
US Politics Classroom.” Presented at the Annual meetings of the Western Political Science Association
El-Rady, J. 2006. “To Click or Not to Click: That’s the Question.” Innovate Journal of Online Education 2(4).
Immerwahr, J. 2009. “Engaging the ‘Thumb Generation’ with Clickers.” Teaching Philosophya32(3): 233-245.
Stuart, S.A.J., M.I. Brown, and S.W. Draper. 2004. “Using an Electronic Voting System in Logic Lectures: One
Practitioner’s Application.” Journal of Computer Assisted Learning.
Salemi, Michael K. 2008. “Clickenomics: Using a Classroom Response System to Increase Student Engagement in a
Large-Enrollment Principles of Economics Course.” The Journal of Economic Education 40(4): 385-404.
Winograd, G.R., and E.A. Cheesman. 2007. “Using Classroom Response Systems in Communication Courses.” In L
W. Hugenberg, S.P. Morreale, D.W. Worley, B. Hugenbergand C. Worley (Eds.), Basic communication
course best practices: A training manual for instructors (pp. 177-193). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt.