Impact of clicker technology in a mathematics course

Abstract

This article reports on the implementation of clickers to improve the success rate of first-year mathematics students. There were 105 students registered in this course, in a university of technology in South Africa. In order to do this, an orientation test in the form of a paper-based assessment was first conducted to determine what students already knew. About 21.9% of the students did not take the test and 20% did not pass it. These results raised concerned. Thereafter students were taught. After four weeks they were evaluated on their understanding of the concept taught in class. Results did not improve much, as 48.6% of the students did not pass the test. Therefore, a technology-engagement teaching strategy (TETS) using clicker technology was developed and implemented in order to improve the pass rate. Weekly continuous assessments or diagnostic tests were conducted in order to establish the changes in students’ academic performance. A survey questionnaire was administered after the teaching and learning of incorporating clickers. This questionnaire also examined students’ perspective on the usefulness of clickers in teaching and learning. The results showed that the effective implementation of clickers with the integration of a TETS improved students’ success rate.

https://doi.org/10.34105/j.kmel.2012.04.023