Clickers in the Classroom

Today's Inside Higher Ed reports from the Blackboard World conference in Las Vegas about the use of audience response systems in the classroom, and whether it is a fad or a useful educational tool. It points to an interesting report on a study at Ohio State University, where clickers are used to engage and involve Physics students. It was found that students who used clickers earned exam scores that were 10% higher than students who didn't use them. Moreover, it seems that female students in particular benefited from the anonymity that clickers give, allowing them to actively participate in lecture sessions while keeping their involvement private.