UNC-CH Pilot

1. UNC-CH Pilot Dr. Kelly Hogan Department of Biology Kelly_Hogan@unc.edu Suzanne Cadwell ITS-Teaching & Learning/ Center for Faculty Excellence cadwell@unc.edu

2. BackGround

3. How Poll Everywhere works • Create questions in browser • Deliver in browser or PPT/Keynote • Answer with • text (22333) • tweet (@poll) • web (poll4.com) Overview at delivr.com/11y7t

4. Fall 2009:Pioneering Professor Pukkila Heard elsewhere about Poll Everywhere Asking open-ended questions to facilitate class discussion&peer-learning activities Teaching 200-student course in Genetics No wireless access in classroom http://www.bio.unc.edu/faculty/pukkila

5. Fall 2009 results Students reported in course evaluation that they were more likely to prepare for class and to engage in class discussion. Colleagues in Biology interested in trying Poll Everywhere in Spring 2010.

6. Spring 2010 CFE purchased 5-instructor (pilot) license Asked Chair of Biology Department to send an announcement to faculty Enthusiastic and immediate response Found current clicker system limiting Interested in a solution that didn’t require purchase of “specialist devices”

7. Fall 2010 Nine instructors total Three Biology instructors who used previous Spring Another colleague from Biology, one from Microbiology, and two from Statistics Two other faculty (Sociology and Nutrition) purchase their own licenses

8. Dr. Kelly Hogan,Three-Semester Veteran

9. Ways I have used poll everywhere this semester A clicker but more…

10. Survey to build community or launch a discussion They love to learn about themselves as a group

11. Which most closely resembles your current belief system?

14. Conclusion about college students?

15. Open-ended questions that don’t lead them to answers.

16. How does the hump adapt the camel to its desert habitat?

17. Don’t forget: You can copy-paste this slide into other presentations, and move or resize the poll.

19. Adaptation (Structure and Function)   On a long trip, the fat in their hump(s) will break down to supply their body with the energy it needs. By the end of a difficult trip, their humps may lay over on their side, emptied of the fat that filled them. When the camel finally reaches water, it can drink a huge amount very quickly to replenish itself, but it will take a little while to eat enough to rebuild its humps. http://www.exploringnature.org/db/detail.php?dbID=5&detID=15

20. Fun/Games in the classroom

21. 15 $1 Million 14 $500,000 13 $250,000 12 $125,000 Which molecule is oxidized during fermentation? 11 $64,000 10 $32,000 9 $16,000 8 $8,000 7 $4,000 6 $2,000 5 $1,000 4 $500 3 $300 2 $200 50:50 1 $100 A: NAD+ B: oxygen C: NADH D: ATP

22. Don’t forget: You can copy-paste this slide into other presentations, and move or resize the poll.

23. What are they thinking? What misconceptions do they have? Can I learn how to write “distractor” items in my multiple choice questions though their answers?

24. Don’t forget: You can copy-paste this slide into other presentations, and move or resize the poll.

25. Data collection

26. Observation: Females articulate better than males. Question: Are females better at articulating than males? Hypothesis: Females perform better on tongue twister challenges than males. Prediction: If told to repeat a tongue twister 5 times as quickly as possible, then females will successfully complete the task faster than males. Experimental Design: Students will work in groups of two to time each other. They will collect data for each person in their group. Instructions: Say the following 5 times without errors and record your gender and how long it takes in seconds: A box of mixed biscuits in a biscuit mixer. http://www.online-stopwatch.com/full-screen-stopwatch/

27. Don’t forget: You can copy-paste this slide into other presentations, and move or resize the poll.

28. Don’t forget: You can copy-paste this slide into other presentations, and move or resize the poll.

29. My viewpoint Pros Cons Registration issues Students must list me on their registration to link with my grading Students don’t identify themselves logically through registration No gradebook (excel only) Requires a TA for grading unlike clicker programs • Flexible question types • Rarely problems with students answering in large lecture room • Learn student misconceptions • Very easy to make new questions and re-poll on the fly • Free for now to students • Students have the devices they need

30. Will I use it again? No and Yes • No: Not in class in which I want to quiz/grade accurately and use as attendance incentive • No: Not in a class in which I don’t have a TA dedicated to grading • Yes: As a bonus for exams with low stakes • Yes: to survey and interact occasionally with no expectations to grade

31. SPRING 2010 Student Survey Results

32. Courses, instructors, rooms Five courses total, ~200 students each One section of BIOL 201, Ecology & Evolution All three sections of BIOL 202, Molecular Biology and Genetics One section of BIOL 252, Anatomy & Physiology Two instructors had used clickers; three had not. All classrooms had wireless access.

33. Student surveys 520 of 1020 students enrolled Paper, administered during class for four courses; online for fifth course. Response rate for paper was more than double that of online.

34. What type of text plan does your cell phone have? I have an unlimited plan. 73% My plan is limited to a certain 19%number of texts sent/received. I pay for each text that I send 5%or receive. I don’t have a cell phone. <1%

35. What device do you use most often to answer Poll Everywhere questions? Cell phone, using text message 78% Laptop or netbook 22% Cell phone, using web browser 0% Other mobile device that is not a <1%phone or a laptop or netbook (iPod Touch, PSP2)

36. Why did you decide to use this device? Circle all that apply. • Using it doesn’t cost me any extra money. • I carry it with me anyway. • It’s lightweight. • Entering answers on smaller devices is awkward or slows me down. • Other reason(s), please specify:

37. Why did you decide to use this device? Circle all that apply. • Using it doesn’t cost me any extra money. Laptop 39% (44) Text 49% (199) • I carry it with me anyway. Laptop 66% (75) Text 93% (378)

38. Why did you decide to use this device? Circle all that apply. • It’s lightweight. Laptop 6% (7) Text 46% (187) • Entering answers on smaller devices is awkward or slows me down. Laptop 25% (29) Text 1% (4)

39. Why did you decide to use this device? Circle all that apply. • Other reason(s), please specify: “Cell wouldn’t work.” For many students, laptops seemed to be Plan B.

40. When you didn’t respond to poll questions, what were the reasons? Not enough time 19% To read question, formulate answer and submit, esp. open text answers. Technical difficulty 16% Account registration and connectivity issues. Entering incorrect keyword. Not being graded 8% Limited text plan 4% Difficult to bring laptop 4%

41. Should this course continue to use Poll Everywhere in future semesters? Yes, as is 77% Yes, with changes 15% No 8% Changes suggested were mainly pedagogical, with a few echoes of technical and logistical issues Liked not having to buy/use a clicker (unclear to what extent because cost was subsidized or didn’t have to manage another device)

42. What can we conclude? Laptops remain a significant secondary device for students. If instructors have already used clickers with large-enrollment classes, they may find Poll Everywhere does not equivalently support graded quizzing.

43. Pilot will continue Through Spring 2011, perhaps beyond Faculty have greater willingness to experiment with response system as a learning tool: open text, existing devices, CFE sponsorship Support issues no greater than with clickers, but existing classroom and network infrastructure affect connectivity

44. Current higher ed pricing

45. Current higher ed pricing deliver.com/11y6z