The Center provides only pedagogical support on the use of clickers (e.g., formulating clicker questions, using clickers to increase engagement, improving learning outcomes, etc.).  If you need technical support (e.g., installation and use of software and hardware, registration of clickers on CROPS, etc.), please contact IT Help Desk (helpdesk@ucmerced.edu).

Clicker Loaner Program

Clickers are mini-remote controls that use radio frequency technology to transmit responses to a portable receiver. Each clicker can be registered to a student and generates a unique, identifiable signal. Instructors can use clickers to increase student engagement and interactions, especially in large lecture environment where class size limits faculty-student interaction. When used effectively, clickers can enhance the classroom experience by making it livelier and more engaging. Clickers can also be used in non-classroom contexts, such as in workshops, seminars, and other types of gathering where the involvement of participants are important.

In January 2011, the Center initiated a clicker loaner program. The goal of the program is to provide UCM instructors with access to the use of clickers on a temporary basis (e.g., one-time, one-month, one semester, etc.). In the case of a classroom context, once clickers are formally adopted as part of a course, it is recommended that instructors ask his/her students to purchase their own from the bookstore. In other words, the loaner program is intended to serve as a catalyst to foster the use of clickers in the classroom among UCM instructors by removing the barrier of costs to students. If faculty are interested in borrowing clickers for their class or other instructional uses, please read the following policy for details on how to initiate the loaner process.  If you have any questions about the clicker loaner program, please feel free to contact Belinda Braunstein (bbraunstein@ucmerced.edu).

• Clicker Loaner Policy

Resources on Clicker Best Practices

The Center provides education, training, and on-going support for those using clickers through various workshops, practical documentations, and personalized consultations. If you have any questions about the use of clickers, please feel free to contact Belinda Braunstein (bbraunstein@ucmerced.edu).

Product Training and Support: Turning Technologies, maker of the clickers used at UCM, offers many resources to help click adopters learn more about the hardware and software as well as the many uses of clickers. We'd recommend you to go to their website to find these resources (http://www.turningtechnologies.com).  For your convenience, we're providing a couple of links to some of these resources below:

• Product Guides and Manuals
• Online Tutorials
• Training Documents
• Instructional Strategies

Clicker Workshops: On a regular basis, the Center offers various workshops on the effective use of clickers as part of its Teaching and Technology Series. Here are links to the workshop webcasts:

• "You Are Teaching, but Are They Learning?: The Role of Clickers in the Classroom" - Presented by Dr. Rick Olsen, Professor of Communications Studies at the University of North Carolina

• "An Overview of Clickers and Their Uses"- Presented by Dr. Katie Winder, UCM Economics Faculty

• "Catalyzing Class Interactions with Audience Response Systems"- Presented by Dr. Tom Harmon

Documentations: The Center, in partnership with IT, has compiled various documentations to support instructors using clickers.

• Pedagogical Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Technical Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

Consultations with Clicker Interns: IT has undergraduate interns dedicated to assisting instructors with the use of clickers. They are available to assist with setting up software and hardware, providing practical and pedagogical suggestions and best practices, and offering general support. To schedule an appointment, please contact IT Help Desk at helpdesk@ucmerced.edu.

Further Resources: For your convenience, the Center has compiled a list of external resources that might be helpful for those using clickers in their classrooms.

Best Practices

• 16 Suggestions for Teaching with Classroom Response Systems by Rick Reis (Tomorrow's Professors)
• Clickers Best Practices by Vanderilt University
• Clickers Best Practices by Ohio University
• Clickers Best Practices by University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Aditional Guides and Tips

• Clickers in the Classroom: Transforming Students into Active Learners by ECAR
• 7 Things You Should Know About Clickers by EDUCAUSE
• Additional Clicker Resources by EDUCAUSE
• Clickers in the Science Classroom by University of British Columbia
• Research, Case Studies, and Best Practices by Turning Technologies