Student Response Systems

Students Response Systems (also known as "clickers" or classroom response systems) have been picking up speed as one of the latest classroom technologies to use in the classroom. The student response system works when an instructor presents question(s) to the class on the projector screen and the students answer using their remote control (or "clicker"). This allows the students to interact with the material being presented to them during the class.

The primary benefits of this technology are that an SRS can help faculty achieve course goals by:

1. Engaging students in course material through survey, pretest, practice, or review questions. The resultant interactive classroom encourages students to come to class prepared. However, to achieve this interaction and maintain learners' attention, the questions must be challenging, thought provoking, and/or stimulating.
2. Promoting collaboration with group exercises that require students to discuss and come to a consensus, or with quiz questions that create a healthy competition.
3. Providing instant feedback to students regarding an issue, question, or calculation. Consider using Gagne's learning theory, which incorporates guidance, practice, and feedback into structured lessons.
4. Increasing communication by discussing the answers and opinions revealed in the SRS results. The SRS provides all students with an equal opportunity to respond, and you can take advantage of their responses to generate dialogue. Because the system can allow for anonymous responses, it is effective for sensitive questions, such as ethical, legal, and moral issues.
5. Collecting data for research or formative/summative evaluation. The SRS can be used for classroom assessments to measure students' preparation, understanding and/or satisfaction.

The Information Technology Office of Classroom Management is currently using CPSrf receivers from eInstruction in certain classrooms on the Tempe Campus. For a complete list of classrooms with CPSrf receivers, visit our Support page for more information.

Training on how to use the CPSrf systems on the Tempe Campus is currently being conducted by the Office of Classroom Management as well as the Digital Media and Instructional Technologies (DMIT) Instruction Support group. If you are interested in attending one of these trainings or would like more information, please send an email to classrooms@asu.edu.