Using Technology to Make Lectures More Interactive

Activating Your Lecture Series: Topic Intro | Part 1 | Part 2

Activating Lectures
Part 2: 
Using Technology to Make Lectures More Interactive

Overview

There are a variety of different classroom technologies that can be used to help make high enrollment classes more interactive. These technologies include classroom response systems (i.e., clickers) and webcasting/podcasting lectures, among other technologies and programs. Education technologies like these provide students with opportunities to more actively engage in course material (MacArthur & Jones, 2008), and can help to improve students’ academic performance (Mayer et al., 2009; Traphagan et al., 2010). 

How can “clickers” help? 

Integrating classroom response systems (e.g., clickers) into high enrollment lectures has been shown to increase student engagement and collaboration (MacArthur & Jones, 2008). Scholars generally prefer Clickers over the use of smartphone & web-based response systems like PollEverywhere because there is currently mixed evidence on their effectiveness (Kocak 2021).  In-class, low-stakes assessments (like the ones that clickers make possible) can help instructors quickly identify common misconceptions and measure specific learning outcomes (Sevian & Robinson, 2011). A large-scale study of clickers found that students who responded to questions with clickers had a higher gain in understanding than students who responded to questions on paper (Mayer et al., 2009). For help integrating clickers into your classroom, see Academic Technology Services. 

Suggestions to help you get started: 

Strategy Example Question #1 Example Question #2 
Make sure your questions focus on higher-order understanding of concepts, as well as rote memorization or recall. While clickers lend themselves well to yes/no questions, you can build up to questions requiring problem-solving, the demonstration and/or application of new skills, or the integration of ideas across topics.   

Think about the different electoral systems we’ve discussed today. In a fictional election, the Orange Party wins between 40 and 49% percent of the vote in every district it competed in. The result of this election is that they do not earn any seats in the parliament because they did not earn a majority in any district. What type of electoral system is this? 

 

Today we’ve been discussing climate change. Think about climate change in a broader context. Given what you know about the water cycle from last week’s discussion, what part of the water cycle is under the biggest threat from climate change, and why? 

If technology doesn’t appeal to you or your classroom faces some possible connectivity issues, try using analog clickers made from differently colored index cards or sheets of paper with different colors in each quadrant. Students can hold up the color which represents their response option, allowing you to easily see trends in student responses.  

Consider not allowing laptop use outside of specific activities where they’re needed. 

Research shows that off-task laptop use harms learning outcomes, but that on-task, structured laptop use can help learning (Day et al. 2021). To structure laptop use, you can consider only allowing laptop use when students are performing a specific task on their laptop, and monitoring their use to make sure they are on task. This way, students don't have the opportunity to go off-task but get important benefits of laptop use in class. Be transparent with students about the research that supports your classroom policy. 

What are the benefits of webcasting / podcasting my class? 

There are numerous benefits to students when instructors webcast or podcast their classes. Podcasting has been shown to lead to less absenteeism than posting powerpoint slides online, and students who watched webcasts multiple times saw an increase in academic performance (Traphagan et al., 2010). Podcasting can support active learning because it enables students to assess their own understanding of course content (for example if they listen to a podcast after studying a chapter on the same material); it encourages efficient and independent time management; and it enhances students’ motivation (Fernandez et al., 2009). Podcasting can also be particularly useful for English-language learners and international students, because it allows them to repeat sections of the lecture that may include difficult academic language or jargon. 

Factors to consider before deciding to incorporate webcasting or podcasting with your lecture:  

  • Some UCD classrooms are already configured for both video and audio recording, allowing you to webcast full lectures and post them online for students to view. Check the listing on the Registrar’s Office website for details on existing classroom setups. 
  • UCD has a limited amount of portable podcasting equipment available for instructor use, allowing you to record audio-only versions of lecture and post them online for students to download. Contact Academic Technology Services to find out if this technology is available for your use.
  • If official equipment is not available, consider asking a student to record class on their personal device and send it to you for posting online, or use your own personal device to record the lecture. 

Where can I find more resources? 

  • Citation
  • Center for Educational Effectiveness (CEE). (2024). Activating Your Lecture Series: Just-in-Time Teaching Resources. https://cee.ucdavis.edu/JITT
  • References
  • Day, A. J., Fenn, K. M., & Ravizza, S. M. (2021). Is it worth it? The costs and benefits of bringing a laptop to a university class. PLOS ONE, 16(5), e0251792.

    Fernandez, V., Simo, P., & Sallan, J. M. (2009). Podcasting: A new technological tool to facilitate good practice in higher education. Computers & Education, 53(2), 385–392.

    Kocak, O. (2021). A systematic literature review of web-based student response systems: Advantages and challenges. Education and Information Technologies, 27(2), 2771–2805.

    MacArthur, J. R., & Jones, L. L. (2008). A review of literature reports of clickers applicable to college chemistry classrooms. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 9(3), 187–195.

    Mayer, R. E. (2010). Learning with technology. In The nature of learning: Using research to inspire practice (pp. 179–198).

    Sevian, H., & Robinson, W. E. (2011). Clickers promote learning in all kinds of classes. Journal of College Science Teaching, 40(3), 14–18.

    Traphagan, T., Kucsera, J. V., & Kishi, K. (2010). Impact of class lecture webcasting on attendance and learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 58(1), 19–37.