What's a Clicker?
"Clicker" is the common name for a small physical device students use in class to answer discussion prompts and other questions. Typically the questions are multiple-choice questions shown on a PowerPoint slide. The students aim their clickers at the instructor's receiver station and press a key on the device that corresponds to their answer choice. While "clicker questions" during class are often of a survey type, the instructor's receiver can also funnel students' answers into the course gradebook, making clickers useful for collecting student work, taking attendance, etc. Pedagogically, clickers, when used well, are a great way to stimulate student engagement in large lecture classes.
Using Clickers in the Classroom
Study: Clickers are the right answer for college lectures
Tips for Successful Clicker Use (PDF)
Dr. Douglas Duncan, University of Colorado, 2009
7 Things you should know about clickers (PDF)
Educause Learning Initiative
Texas Faculty Development Network (MERLOT/Elixr)
- Audience Response Systems Theme
- Enhancing Team Learning
- Engaging Students
- Gauging Student Readiness
Classroom Response Systems Resources put together by the Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University
Download Instructor Software
i>clicker is the standard clicker system at CSU Stanislaus (see below). OIT offers versions of the i>clicker software that are also configured to connect to the Blackboard or Moodle grade books. This means instructors can automatically sync their course rosters and clicker activity grades between the i>clicker software and the Blackboard and Moodle courses. Instructions for doing this are below.
Note: These links will download i>clicker version 7.4.2. You should run the "Check for update" command in i>clicker after launching the software to install any necessary updates.
- Download for Windows and Blackboard
- Download for Mac and Blackboard
- How to connect i>clicker to Blackboard (Win & Mac) (PDF)
- Download for Windows and Moodle
- Download for Mac and Moodle
- How to connect i>clicker to Moodle (Win & Mac) (PDF)
Instructor Hardware Base Station
In order to use i>clicker in the classroom, instructors must have an i>clicker hardware base station attached to their classroom computer. Base stations can be ordered free of charge from i>clicker support.
- i>clicker support page
- For additional support, contact the OIT Help Desk (x3687 or email@example.com)
Campus Clicker Standardization Documents
Following a resolution by the statewide Assocated Students, the 23 CSU campuses were each asked by the CO to address the question of arriving at a standard clicker deployment for their campus. After studying this question throughout the 2011-2012 year, the Technology and Learning Subcommittee of UEPC at CSU Stanislaus recommended the campus standardize on i>clicker's system, however the recommendation does not mandate the use of any specific clicker brand or tool. This recommendation was approved by the Academic Senate in November 2012.