Welcome one and all to our final episode of this EnT in the double-digit numbers! Our enthusiasm is perhaps even higher for this enterprise than it was some 3.5 years ago when we first got into all this podcasting and/or video blogging! In this outing we’re going full Ed Tech with this deep dive into student response systems, AKA “clickers”!

This YouTube is a widget for clicking, among other things! #ednontech

Metaphorically, at least, we’re transmitting this audio from Atlantic Canada to wherever you may happen to be catching our waveform! #ednontech

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In the 1960s, Foothill had a lecture hall where students as a class could give immediate feedback to their instructors via buttons at their seats, a forerunner to modern clicker systems

Did the EDEX system make an impact at Foothill? Sadly, I think the answer is no. Despite a plea to our retirees association, I could not find a faculty member who used it to teach.

Marasco, D. (2025). Clickers in the’60s at a TYC?. The Physics Teacher, 63(2), 141-141.

One common way in which clicker systems are used in the classrooms is to stimulate classroom discussions … Another way in which clickers are used is to assess students’ comprehension of course material through low stakes quizzing.

Kaleta, R., & Joosten, T. (2007). Student response systems. Research Bulletin, 10(1), 1-12.

These are instructional possibilities when using the emerging Student Response Systems (SRSs), often referred to as clickers

Such guidance may be helpful but comes from a teacher-centered orientation and does little to address pedagogical issues, and just introducing new technologies does not address the pedagogical issues of how to improve student learning.

Dangel, H. L., & Wang, C. X. (2008). Student response systems in higher education: Moving beyond linear teaching and surface learning. Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE), 1(1), 8.

The convergence of educational technology and personal mobile technology has enabled personal devices to be included as a tool in the classroom environment.

This paper uses the term ‘SRS’ to refer to the system as a whole, and the terms ‘clicker’ to refer to the physical handheld devices used by students. 

Aljaloud, A., Gromik, N., Billingsley, W., & Kwan, P. (2015). Research trends in student response systems: A literature review. International Journal of Learning Technology, 10(4), 313-325.

The use of clickers with modern pedagogies does not only bring administrative value, but it can also increase student learning.

Challenges

Henderson, J. B., & Chambers, E. L. (2024). The past, present, and future of clickers: A review. Education Sciences, 14(12), 1345.

Clickers

We regularly make fun of clickers. When do clickers actually help people learn?

The usage of that term, the space age.

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Dopamine + education = dopaminification of education

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What are we doing?

Well, I could call out when the going gets tough
The things that we’ve learnt are no longer enough
No language, just sound, that’s all we need know
To synchronise love to the beat of the show
And we could dance!#ednontech