Using Clicker Technology for Large-Scale Classroom Experiments in Economics

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Economics (82)Recent advances in the design of classroom experiments in economics have helped lecturers convey economic ideas to students in a more convincing and understandable manner, meeting the challenge to effective learning resulting from the high level of abstraction and generality of economic theory. At large universities, the highest enrollment classes in economics are introductory classes. These are typically taught in a large lecture format that is not amenable to the inclusion of classroom experiments due to logistical challenges. The relatively new "clicker" technology has shown good promise in supporting economic experiments and active learning in these very large classes. A clicker interlude during a lecture allows students to individually respond to instructor questions via the entry pads, and the collected data can then be immediately aggregated at the instructor's laptop to provide on-the-fly expositional material. This project is extending clicker technology to classroom experiments by developing a web-based platform for "clicker experiments." The project is developing clicker experiments that are appropriate for Principles of Micro- and Macroeconomics classes. In a clicker experiment, students make decisions using their entry pads, and the instructor's laptop forwards these data over the Internet to a server for storage and processing. Aggregated results with expositional value are returned back to the class via a classroom projector. (Students can also view their individual results outside of class using the platform's web interface.) Intellectual Merit Assessments of the efficacy of classroom experiments in economics have shown that students in sections utilizing experiments perform better on standardized tests of economic knowledge and on class examinations. But, since classroom experiments are difficult to run in large classes, this pedagogical enhancement has typically not been possible for Principles students until the advent of this project. Broader Impacts Clicker technology allows for easy in-class student interaction at a reasonable price. The company whose clickers are being utilized in this project has indicated that other instructors are interesting in developing custom clicker modules for classes in their respective disciplines. A successful outcome in this project is likely to encourage other instructors to pursue this goal. Many experimental designs for economics have interpretations in other social sciences such as psychology, political science, and sociology. A clicker implementation of these experiments would permit instructors of large classes in these allied disciplines to bring this new active learning enhancement to their students.