Student Response Systems, or "clickers"

Clickers offer students a pedagogically powerful blend of intimacy and anonymity that can move them from passive to active learning with the click of a button (and a battery of well-crafted questions).

Clickers are hand-held devices similar to the remote controls for televisions and other media devices. They can send a specific electronic signal to a central receiving station connected to a computer equipped with software that tabulates the responses and can then display the distribution of answers on a bar graph.

How do they work in practice?  During a lecture or class, the professor presents a multiple choice or true/false question. Students respond by pushing a button corresponding to answers (a), (b), (c), (d) or (e). Then, typically (but not always), the professor shows the bar graph display of how the class answered. Both the students and the instructor see immediate feedback on how well students understand lecture concepts. This feedback allows the instructor to tailor the lecture to the students needs.  Clickers give students an opportunity to engage with the course material, without risking embarrassment.