clickers-location-distance

Can this technology help solve the distance learning isolation issue?


Best practices in using clickers to unite classroom locations into a one-class experience.

clickers-location-distanceIt’s a common problem facing universities with satellite campuses and distance learning options: How to keep students from feeling isolated from on-campus classrooms.

For example, in 2007, Auburn University ran a synchronous video conferencing pharmacy program between the main campus (125 students) and the satellite campus in Mobile, Alabama (25 students). Over 3 years of operation, they learned that Mobile students should have been better connected with the main campus and that improvements were needed in the area of ensuring that students at the “distant site do not feel isolated from the instructor and that content is always visible for them” (Fox, McDonough, McConatha, & Marlowe, 2011).

A premier health science university, the Adventist University of Health Sciences (ADU) was fully aware of the challenges encountered by the Mobile students as ADU embarked on a similar teaching modality not long after Auburn’s experience. Students were required to journal and document their learning experience as students at offsite locations were anticipated to have issues with engagement and visual connection with the main campus. Seeing the instructor on the screen rather than in person, students in offsite locations were less likely to be fully engaged.

The engagement issue was further compounded by technical challenges, pedagogical variations, and logistical difficulties. In order to achieve a one-class learning experience, ADU spared no effort in providing in-depth training of instructors, maintaining quality video and audio connection, and using a variety of interactive tools.

The outcome of the one-class learning experience was that students at the offsite locations should no longer sense they were offsite. In short, the goal is “turning” them into one. One of the very useful interactive tools is the virtual clickers.

(Next page: 7 best practices in using virtual clickers to unite locations)

Approached by a number of healthcare institutions in Colorado, ADU was asked to extend their healthcare education to the Greater Denver area. Under the leadership of the founding President, Dr. David Greenlaw, ADU worked out a synchronous distance program that mirrored the faith-based education at the main campus in Orlando, Florida.

A comprehensive pilot program began in the Fall term of 2008. During the beta term in Orlando, the “offsite” students were taken to an off campus venue to simulate the offsite location. They were off campus for the entire term. Besides being mentored by a full-time faculty “offsite”, the students were using the already-familiar Turning Technologies polling virtual clicker on their laptops. Every effort was made to ensure that the “offsite” students perceived that they were experiencing immersive connection all the time with the host class at the main campus.

Seeing themselves participating visually on the screen via the Turning Technologies virtual clickers, the “offsite” students continued to feel they were a part of the host class interacting through a familiar technology. Making a contribution to the right answer column on the screen reinforced learning and affirmed their role in the larger class presence. Getting the wrong answer might not be a lonely experience as they were a part of the host class who got the wrong answer as well—it was really a one-class experience, right or wrong.

During the summer of 2009, the pilot program was delivered to Denver. Several dual enrollment students in Denver participated in a general education course to help determine the pedagogy, technology, and logistics requirements before rolling out a degree program in the following summer.

After four years, three healthcare degree programs were rolled out in Denver, and ADU had learned the following best practices in using clickers to unite the locations and turned it into a one-class learning experience:

1. Deep Learning. Derek Bruff, who wrote a book on teaching with clickers, observed that clickers could promote deep learning. It could also broaden learning from instructor-led discussion to peer discussion. For instance, a particularly helpful peer discussion moment was when there was a tie-in a multiple choice question. Instructors encouraged the students to turn to each other and discuss which of the two was the better answer followed by reopening the question for students to answer the second time. From experience, the correct answer column turned up significantly higher during the second attempt. Students not only experienced in-depth learning but also remembered it longer. As deep learning was less likely to occur at the offsite location, the clicker learning strategy made it possible for offsite students to enjoy the same learning experience as the onsite students.

2. Passive to active learning. Students in the host location could lose focus while listening passively in person, let alone the offsite students who were less engaged as they were not physically present. It was no different from watching a lecture video if the instructor did not engage or interact with the students. Creating opportunities to interact between lecture segments was helpful. However, some instructors didn’t remember to pause for questions. Even when they did, students might not be motivated to interact, especially among the offsite students. Clickers changed that. Including polling questions in between lecture segments would capture student attention as well as reinforcing knowledge retention. Researchers found “fewer attention lapses reported during demonstrations and questions than during lecture segments. There were also fewer reported lapses in attention during lecture segments in the period immediately following either a demonstration or a question, when compared to lecture segments that preceded the active learning methods” (Briggs, 2014).

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3. Instructor variability. As instructors had diverse personalities, various levels of experience, and different teaching styles, some of them engaged offsite students better than others. A very engaging and interactive instructor might help offsite students feel strongly engaged.  A boring instructor with very little engagement skills might make the offsite students feel left out while the host site students didn’t feel excluded since the instructor was physically present. Due to instructor variations, it was crucial to have learning tools that helped offsite students perceive they were a part of a larger class. Polling would serve as a tool in maintaining consistency of uniting separate locations into one.  Whether instructors were engaging or boring, offsite students could feel and visualize that they were included. They could see visually on the screen their contribution to the class overall performance in terms of comprehension and knowledge retention. The consistent use of clickers could offset instructor variability.

4. Counted. According to a faculty, the offsite students felt counted when they saw their vote was added to the total number of responses on the screen. It was a powerful symbol of importance when they perceived that they made a difference from afar. As it was easy to ignore the offsite students inadvertently, knowing they had an equitable role in the class reassured them of a one-class learning environment. It also helped counter the image that the offsite was a step child of the main campus. It was far more powerful to show rather than telling them that they were as important as the main campus.

5. Motivated to study. A surprise factor for a faculty was that some students were studying harder before class so that they could do well in the class polling. Whether onsite or offsite, studying harder was definitely a helpful element of engagement.  As engagement was a more sensitive issue for offsite students, polling was seen again as a great connection and motivational tool for the offsite students. It was also a great tool for the “flipping the classroom” model as it motivated students to read their texts and be better prepared before coming to class. When onsite and offsite students were better prepared for class, instructor could facilitate more interactive and deep learning activities, which might further strengthen the engagement level for the offsite students.

6. Visually appealing clickers. The virtual clicker system that displayed visually appealing formats on the screen was more compelling for onsite and offsite students. Students were more motivated to participate due to the compelling visuals. As what appeared on the screen was their main connection to the host class, the compelling interactive display of data and charts had a greater impact on the offsite students.   For the purpose of strengthening the connection of the offsite with the onsite class, it was crucial to select a virtual clicker option that displayed compelling and interactive graphics on the screen. Any tool or resource that helped the offsite students to visualize their connection to the host class should be integrated into the class. For instance, adding an interactive timer or animated countdown widget enhanced the response speed among the students at both locations. In fact, students would cheer one another on before the timer expired. It created an exciting ambience for learning together in a one-class environment.

7. Fun. An offsite student at ADU emailed a faculty regarding how fun and helpful the virtual clicker experience was: “Thanks for the best final review ever. That was so much fun and so much better than having another lecture on the material. Denver (offsite) students loved it and we wish more of the teachers used that format. It felt like a game show.” The same faculty, Professor Leanna Neubrander at ADU, fully affirmed: “My experience is that using virtual clickers in the classroom makes the students and the faculty forget about the distance between campuses, because the class comes together in a fun, interactive way of learning.  When I use virtual clickers, I make sure both classrooms are not muted so that all students can hear and interact with each other.  Students get to learn without realizing it; they’re too busy having fun.  I find it interesting that the class encourages each other to strive to get a 100% for each question.  It is nice to see them unite in a common cause…showing the professor that they know their stuff.  It’s a definite win-win for me and for them.” Fun was indeed a very powerful engagement tool connecting the offsite to the onsite, turning the two separate locations into a one-class learning environment. When students had fun and were fully engaged, they did not sense the distance.

Dr. Dan Lim is vice president for Educational Technology and Distance Learning at the Adventist University of Health Sciences.

REFERENCES

Fox, Brent I,PharmD., PhD., McDonough, S. L., PhD., McConatha, B. J., M.A., & Marlowe, K. F., PharmD. (2011). Establishing and maintaining a satellite campus connected by synchronous video conferencing. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education,75(5), 1-91. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/882304070?accountid=35793

Derek Bruff. (2009). Multiple-Choice Questions You Wouldn’t Put on a Test: Promoting Deep Learning Using Clickers. Essays on Teaching Excellence, 21(3). Retrieved from http://podnetwork.org/content/uploads/V21-N3-Bruff.pdf

Briggs, Saga. (2014). The Science of Attention: How To Capture and Hold The Attention of Easily Distracted Students. InformedED. Retrieved from http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/30-tricks-for-capturing-students-attention/

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