Instructors and students are interested in using mobile devices, such as phones, laptops, and tablets, as “clicker remotes” to respond to classroom polling. This would allow students to participate in clicker-based activities without requiring them to purchase and maintain a separate handheld remote.
In Fall 2012 and Spring 2013, OIT ran a limited ran pilot looking at the potential of web>clicker, a mobile classroom response system from i>clicker, the company that provides the supported clicker on campus. During this pilot, we identified some concerns:
- Pricing model for students
- Integration with the current i>clicker system
- Auto-rostering of students and smooth integration w/Moodle
- Stability and reliability of mobile devices with the web>clicker software
- Consistency of user experience
- Campus classroom Wi-fi capacity
This past July, i >clicker released a new mobile classroom response system, i>clicker Go, which we hope will address some of the concerns observed during the web>clicker limited pilot.
For more details about i>clicker Go, the Spring 2014 limited pilot, and our informational lunch on Friday, November 15, please keep reading below.
i>clicker GO Spring 2014 Limited Pilot & Informational Lunch
Starting Spring 2014, OIT will be running a new limited pilot of i>clicker GO, i>clicker’s updated mobile classroom response system. During this pilot we will assess Wi-Fi capacity, feature sets, feasibility, accessibility, and scalability of i>clicker GO. If you would like to participate in this limited pilot for Spring 2014, please contact the Instructional Media Lab (instruct@oit.umass.edu | 413-545-2823).
We will also be holding an informational lunch about i>clicker GO and our Spring 2014 limited pilot on Friday, November 17, 2013. Our campus i>clicker representative will be present to demonstrate the software on a variety of mobile devices, and to answer questions. We also hope to have one or two instructors experienced in the use of i>clicker GO to join us via videoconference to share their experiences using this technology in the classroom.
To register, see:
https://etna.oit.umass.edu/public/workshops
Finally, a number of instructors have let us know that other audience response system vendors have been on campus talking with faculty and demonstrating their products (e.g., Top Hat, Via Response). Please feel free to meet with these vendors! We encourage you to ask questions about their products’ Wi-Fi capacity, features, feasibility, accessibility, and scalability, and to let us know what you think. We’re interested in hearing information about these products that we haven’t yet evaluated.