iClickers : Technology Setup

1. iClickers: Technology Setup William G Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning

2. Downloading the iClicker Software Point your browser to iclicker.com Find the iClickers page to download a version of software customized to be integrated with Canvas at Michigan Tech

3. iClicker Software After saving the file, right click and choose “Extract All” to unpack the files below in a location of your choice iClicker can be run from your H: drive or a flash drive – any location which you can access during class. The place you run it from is where data will be saved. Double click the iclicker executable to start iclicker

4. Create or choose a Course Click the NEW button and name or your course or…. Highlight and choose your existing course

5. The Main Clicker Screen Normally, you’ll start a session, but on your first trip you might want to adjust some settings… …which you can do with this button.

6. Some clicker options Enter the code on the back side of your blue instructor clicker to turn it into a remote that not only advances slides, but starts and stops polling and shows results. Don’t have an instructor clicker? Get one from eLearning! Most classrooms suggest a 2 letter frequency to avoid “crosstalk”. Unless you use the default frequency (AA), students have to make the change on their clicker too. This controls a message that reminds them to make that change.

7. The LMS/Reg Tab To facilitate integration, you need to choose Canvas as your LMS.

8. The Polling Tab Having the timer count down creates a sense of urgency, and you can add more time if needed. You can set a default time that makes sense in your context.

9. The Scoring Tab There are two main “systems” you can use to score iClicker work The “participation” system gives a set number of points for meeting a selected criteria. (e.g. 5 points for answering at least 75% of questions asked.) Note that you can also cap the total number of points earned in each clicker session. (e.g. a maximum of 5 or 10 per class.) The “performance” system allows you to give a certain number of points for responding at all, and additional points if the answer is correct. (e.g. 1 point for responding, and 1 additional point for the correct answer.) After making any changes, hit “Set for Course” to save changes and return to the main screen.

10. Getting started in class Now that things are setup, you can just start a session each day. Starting a session will make this toolbar appear – you can move it to anywhere you like on the desktop

11. The toolbar Clicking this button shows or hides a bar graph of received responses. Remember that if you set up your instructor clicker, you can also do these things with your clicker! Clicking this button starts a question poll While a poll is active, the start button becomes a stop button, and the timer counts up or down as you set it.) The third button has additional tools used less often in iclicker

12. Integrating iClicker and Canvas… A number of steps are needed to “connect” each iClicker course with the appropriate Canvas course. • Integration allows: • Students to register their clicker number • Automatic clicker roster updates from Canvas • Automatic uploading of clicker grades into the Canvas gradebook. A screencast will walk you through these steps….OR…. You are always welcome to stop into the CTL for walk-in hours and we’ll help make this integration work for you!

13. Pedagogical Suggestions… It’s important to realize that most learning gains due to clickers come from using them in specific ways within class. Eric Mazur’s Peer Instruction encourages questions to be asked TWICE – with a discussion between neighboring students inbetween. Clicker questions can be used as effective ways for students to commit to predictions before demonstrations that address common misconceptions. Clicker questions can also be used to review material recently covered, check previous knowledge, or gauge opinions Clickers should generally NOT be used just to take attendance, as students generally resent being asked to buy a clicker for this purpose.

14. Questions? • For further pedagogical ideas or questions about clickers, please contact: Michigan Tech’s Center for Teaching and Learning 487-2046 eLearning@mtu.edu