Clickers in Very Large Classes

Last month, Campus Technology published an interview with Edna Ross, who teaches 350-student psychology courses at the University of Louisville.  I interviewed Edna for my book, and I found that she had a lot of experience using clickers in very large classes.  She’s also very sensitive to important social dynamics in the classroom and the ways that she can use clickers to influence those dynamics.

In the Campus Technology interview, she describes some of the ways she uses clickers in her big classes–to facilitate reading quizzes that motivate students to read their textbook before class, to check and see how well her students are following her lectures (since asking “Do you have any questions?” isn’t that productive in a class with 350 students!), and to help her students engage with course material and express their perspectives.

With clickers, you’re giving every student a voice, even the introverts, even the shy ones, and the ones who don’t agree with the dominant social position. I’m giving them a voice, and it’s heard instantly.

Edna is also presenting at the upcoming clickers conference at the University of Louisville.  Check out her interview for more on her experiences using clickers.