Class Response System for Inclusive Education

1. Class Response System for Inclusive Education Moon K. Chang, Ed.D. Alabama State University, U.S.A. 3rd International Conference: Education forAll University of Warsaw Warsaw, Poland June 29-July 1, 2011

2. Do you agree that most instructors wish to collect information on student learning from all students in a class quickly, easily, and simultaneously? • Yes • No • Abstain

3. Do you agree that most instructors wish to summarize automatically student information and report the summary to the instructor and students in an easy-to-read chart? • Yes • No • Abstain

4. Class Response System (Clickers) • If the responses to the above two questions were positive, clickers may be one good option to try. • Research indicates that this technology makes the teaching and learning process more interactive to increase student learning by promoting students’ participation and engagement and make the process more enjoyable.

5. Clicker Studies on Assessment and Learning • Good for assessment (e.g., feedback; formative; summative) • Good for learning (e.g., interaction; discussion; learning performance) • Supportive elements (improvement of class environment, e.g., increases in attendance, attention levels, participation, and engagement) • SOURCE: Caldwell (2007); Kay & LeSage (2009); Patterson (2010); Woelk (2008)

6. Clicker Studies with Persons with Disabilities • Very little research addresses the experiences of students with disabilities and clickers. • “I was recently asked if I knew of any research on classroom response systems and learning disabilities or universal design for learning. Nothing came to mind, and a search of my bibliography only turned up two references, each of which looked at the impact of response cards (not clickers) in K-12 settings. Both studies included students with learning disabilities.” – Derek Bruff (2011)

7. A Promising Technology • This technology holds promise for engaging students with mild disabilities with the content and process of learning, especially in the areas of assessment and instruction. • Currently literature shows searching for ways to accommodate possible challenges for students with disabilities when clickers are used. • Some companies are developing extra features to accommodate the needs of students with disabilities –e.g., Braille stickers; development web-based version of the response system.

8. Accommodations – Best Practices • Students working in small groups with a single clicker per group promotes inclusion and eliminates access barriers for students with visual and/or mobility impairments. • The use of clicker systems that offer an accessible software-based alternative may also eliminate access barriers for students with visual and mobility impairments. • The use of clickers that vibrate in addition to blinking lights to indicate an answer has been received can improve access for students with visual impairments. • Instructors/presenters reading the questions posed and the possible answers aloud may eliminate access barriers for students with visual impairments and learning disabilities. • SOURCE: University of Minnesota (2011)

9. Call for Research • It appears that clicker technology becomes beneficial for inclusive education in which students with or without disabilities are working together. • Two common approaches to using clickers are factual and conceptual questioning, each carrying different implications for learning and assessment (Duncan, 2005). There is no reason why students with mild disability cannot perform better with factual or low-level recall questioning with clickers. • This is certainly a fertile area for research.

10. References • Derekbruff (2011). Clickers and learning disabilities. Teaching with classroom response system, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. • Cladwell, J.E. (2007). Clickers in the large classroom: Current research and best- practice tips. Life Science Education, 6, 9-20. • Kay, R.H., & LeSage, A. (2009). Examining the benefits and challenges of using audience response systems: A review of the literature. Computers & Education, 53 (3),819-827. • Patterson, B. (2010). Evidence for teaching practice: The impact of clickers in a large classroom environment. Nursing Education Today, 30 (7), 603-607. • University of Minnesota. http://accessibility.umn.edu. • Woelk, K. (2008). Optimizing the use of personal response devices (clickers) in large-enrollment introductory courses. Journal of Chemical Education, 85 (10), 6.