Plato's Roundtable
Professor Eugene Nothnagel Discusses Clickers
The students’ reaction was very positive. At the end of the quarter, the students overwhelmingly responded positively on a survey asking about the clickers
One of our most recent distinguished guest is Professor Eugene Nothnagel, Professor of Plant Physiology & Plant Physiologist, who discusses his experience using clickers in the classroom. Professor Nothnagel received the Academic Senate's Distinguished Teaching Award from the University of California for the 1999-2000 academic year and is a member of UCR's Academy of Distinquished Teachers. Click on the links below to see the discussion.
On First Using Clickers
Dr. Nothnagel first heard about clickers from a friend teaching at the University of Pittsburgh. He encountered them again at a faculty workshop run by Leo Schouest, and at a teaching conference at BYU. He employed them this fall in his BIO 05A course, with an enrollment of 570 students.- What were your concerns with using clickers?
Dr. Nothnagel was concerned about how well the students would be able to switch between lecture and clicker question, then back again. He found that the students were capable of switching between modes of teaching very quickly, and that while the clickers are not appropriate for closely graded quizzes, they are very effective as a teaching and feedback tool. - Were clickers a distraction?
Dr. Nothnagel found the clickers to not be a distraction at all. The student’s picked up on it quickly, and it went very smoothly.
- Describing the students’ reaction to using clickers
The students’ reaction was very positive. There was a small amount of apprehension at the beginning of the first lecture, but they started getting into it very quickly. At the end of the quarter, the students overwhelmingly responded positively on a survey asking about the clickers.
- What surprised you about using clickers?
Dr. Nothnagel was very surprised by the students’ tendencies to side with the majority answer when a question was asked multiple times, they would very quickly go along with the majority opinion seemed to be.
- Describing clickers as a tool to a engage students
Dr. Nothnagel emphasizes the concept of active learning, and the connection of clickers with this concept. The clickers allow the students to do something with the information presented to them, which he believes enhances comprehension and retention.
- How will clickers change your teaching style?
Dr. Nothnagel, though only having used the clickers for one quarter, sees various ways it will change his teaching style. It allows whole-class feedback on questions you normally only ask rhetorically in very large classes, allowing you to engage a much larger part of the class.
Some Tips for Using Clickers:
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Utilize the questions to revisit key points from reading & homework assignments, as well as lecture concepts.
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Clarify the level of student understanding, for both the students’ and yourself, by asking questions about the lecture material just covered.
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Encourage the students to discuss their answer with their neighbor, then ask the question again (this requires planning time in the lecture for discussion).
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Emphasize key distinctions that you want students to remember by making answers that are similar to each other, with the exception of the distinction in question.
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Survey the students for their opinions on various issues germane to the lecture topic, and use this to introduce the topic, or start discussion.