Clickers, also known as audience response systems, are handheld devices that allow students to submit responses to questions posed during class. The teacher receives the responses in real time and can display a graph showing the results. This allows the teacher to gauge student understanding and adjust the lesson accordingly.
Clickers have become a popular interactive teaching tool, especially in large classrooms. They promote active learning by engaging students, providing immediate feedback, and allowing students to respond anonymously. Studies have shown that the use of clickers increases attention and involvement during class.
Origins
The use of clickers in classrooms dates back to the 1960s when they were first invented and used for student feedback. The concept originated with physics professor Alexander (“Sandy”) Aitken at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who developed a wireless system for students to give feedback during his lectures in the 1960s. He called the system the “Educons” and it allowed students to select multiple choice answers and transmit them electronically to the lecturer’s receiver. From there, the technology evolved into wired student response systems in the 1970s and 1980s.
One of the early pioneers and inventors of classroom clickers as we know them today was Judith V. Boettcher. In the mid-1980s, she developed and patented the CPS (Classroom Performance System), one of the first wireless infrared classroom response systems. The CPS technology was licensed and produced starting in 1991 by Educational Input Devices which was later acquired by eInstruction. This popularized the use of handheld remotes or “clickers” for students to respond to questions posed by the instructor during class.
Sources:
https://physics.indiana.edu/~hake/CaseForClickersJ.pdf
https://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/classresponse/index.html
Early Models
The earliest remote control devices for televisions were introduced in the 1950s and commonly referred to as “clickers.” These early clicker models typically used ultrasound or pulsed light to control the TV set. One of the first was the Zenith Space Command remote in 1956, which used ultrasound to turn the TV on and off as well as change channels. It was called a “clicker” because of the clicking sound the receiver unit made when receiving the ultrasonic signals from the handheld controller (Wikipedia).
Another early model was the Flashmatic introduced by Zenith in 1955, which used a beam of light aimed at photo cells in the corners of the TV screen to control functions. These early clickers were very basic, only able to turn the set on and off and change channels. They were wired to the TV and didn’t operate wirelessly. The name “clicker” came from the clicking sound the receiver unit made when receiving the signals (https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/5664ei/til_the_first_tv_remote_controls_were_called/).
These initial clicker models were very limited in functionality compared to modern remote controls. However, they marked the beginning of the ability to control your television set wirelessly, allowing viewers to change channels and turn the set on and off without getting up. The “click” noise gave rise to the nickname “clicker” which became commonly used to refer to TV remote controls in the 1950s and 60s.
How They Got The Name
The infected creatures known as “clickers” in The Last of Us video game series got their name from the distinctive clicking or chittering sound they make. As the cordyceps fungus grows over their heads and faces, it creates hardened growths that obstruct their ability to see, smell, and vocalize normally. To navigate and hunt prey, clickers developed a form of echolocation by producing click-like sounds and listening for the echoes to locate objects and potential victims around them.
As described by the game’s co-director Bruce Straley, “The clickers make this sound as a form of echolocation because they don’t have eyes anymore. They need to see with sound…That little clicking noise they make allows them to map out their environment” (Source). This chitinous clicking noise is the reason they’re called Clickers in the game, serving both a story function and as an auditory cue to alert players to their presence.
Rise in Popularity
Clickers started becoming more widely adopted in classrooms in the early 2000s. According to research by Caldwell published in 2007, many instructors had begun incorporating clicker technology as a means to engage students in large lecture halls (Caldwell, 2007). The study found that clickers helped boost student attendance and participation in large classes. Other benefits included real-time feedback for instructors about student comprehension, and an enjoyable learning experience for students.
By the mid-2000s, clickers were rapidly gaining popularity as an educational tool. A 2008 study by Hake reviewed the history of clickers and noted that they were already widely used in physics classrooms (Hake, 2008). The study highlighted the benefits of clickers for promoting active learning and peer discussion. Within just a few years, clickers went from a novel technology to a widely adopted teaching tool at many major universities.
Modern Capabilities
Modern clickers have come a long way from the early days of proprietary systems with basic multiple choice questions. Today’s clickers offer a wide array of capabilities and integration with learning management systems.
Clickers now support a variety of interactive question types beyond basic multiple choice, including short answer, survey, ranking, sequencing, graphing, web/video integration and more. This allows for greater interactivity and engagement during lectures (Tag Hive, 2023).
Many clickers integrate directly with learning management systems like Canvas, allowing instructors to directly push quiz questions and grade results. Students can often login to clicker sessions using their existing LMS credentials. This integration makes setting up and running a session much smoother.
Clickers now often include access to libraries of pre-made content and question banks for instructors. This enables quicker session preparation. Data analytics and reports are also more robust, providing insights into student understanding and engagement (Top Hat, 2023).
Most modern clickers are now app or web-based, eliminating proprietary hardware and enabling BYOD (bring your own device) participation through laptops, tablets and smartphones. This increases accessibility and reduces cost barriers associated with dedicated hardware (Caldwell, 2007).
Advantages
Clickers provide numerous benefits for both teachers and students. According to https://www.slideserve.com/devin/clickers, clickers can improve attentiveness and increase knowledge retention for students. The interactive nature of clickers encourages students to actively participate in class rather than passively listening. Students also get immediate feedback on their understanding of concepts through the clicker questions. For teachers, clickers provide real-time insight into class comprehension. Seeing student responses allows teachers to adjust their teaching strategies and focus on concepts students are struggling with. According to https://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/newsletter/fall10.html, clickers enable anonymous participation, which can encourage involvement from quieter students. Overall, clickers make learning more engaging, provide feedback for both students and teachers, and promote active learning.
Disadvantages
While clickers can be very useful educational tools, they also have some drawbacks and limitations to consider:
Learning curve – Teachers need training on how to effectively integrate clickers into their lessons and curriculum. There is a learning curve involved with setting up the technology and software (Chen and Jinyu, 2017).
Technical issues – Like any technology, clickers can occasionally malfunction or lose connectivity. Having back-up plans for technical problems is important (TopHat, 2018).
Cost – Purchasing clicker hardware and software subscriptions can be expensive, especially for large groups. Ongoing costs like replacing broken clickers can add up over time (TopHat, 2018).
Cheating concerns – Some educators worry that students may try to cheat by using a peer’s clicker. Proper monitoring is required to prevent and catch cheating (Chen and Jinyu, 2017).
Overreliance – Overusing clickers as an assessment method instead of traditional exams may not adequately evaluate learning outcomes. A balanced approach is best (TopHat, 2018).
Distractions – Clicker activities can potentially distract from core lesson content if not thoughtfully integrated. Teachers must find ways to meaningfully incorporate clickers (TopHat, 2018).
The Future
How might clickers continue to evolve in the future? As technology advances, clickers are likely to become even more sophisticated and offer additional capabilities.
Some possibilities for the future of clickers include:
- Enhanced connectivity – Clickers may integrate seamlessly with smartphones, tablets, laptops and other devices, allowing for expanded features.
- Increased interactivity – Clickers could enable more collaborative learning through interactive games, polls, quizzes and discussions.
- Individualized feedback – Clickers may provide customized responses and recommendations tailored to each student’s needs and progress.
- Artificial intelligence – AI could analyze students’ answers to provide insights into comprehension and misconceptions.
- Virtual and augmented reality – Clickers could integrate with VR/AR to create highly immersive educational experiences.
- Automated grading and tracking – Clickers may automatically grade assessments and provide detailed analytics on student performance.
As Plickers 101 notes, clickers like Plickers bridge the gap between traditional clickers and more modern technology. Looking ahead, clickers are likely to become increasingly versatile, user-friendly, and integrated with other emerging innovations to enhance interactivity and engagement in classrooms.
Conclusion
In summary, the devices we know as “clickers” today emerged from early wireless remotes and audience response systems. The name “clicker” comes from the clicking sound their buttons made when pressed. While initially used mostly in television broadcasts, clickers became widely popular in classrooms and business settings. Modern clickers have expanded capabilities but the core functionality remains – they provide a quick and easy way for an audience to respond to prompts and for presenters to gather feedback. Though some view them as distracting novelty items, most find clickers to be useful engagement tools. Clickers will likely continue advancing alongside wireless and presentation technologies. But the iconic clicking sound seems here to stay.