Clickers gain in popularity

A tool introduced to KU last semester is being used in more classes. Classroom Performance Systems, or "clickers" are used in 20 KU classes, doubling its use since last semester. The clickers are used in more than 700 colleges in the United States.

Students find the clickers a handy tool.

"Today, I had fun because it worked right," said Bradley Scott, KU Student. "It was just fun to see what answer you get and stuff like that, and fun to see what percentage of the class was that got the right answer, too."

Instructors new to the technology said the main reason they started using clickers was praise from last semester's users.

"I heard a talk, yesterday, by a guy in Spanish, a professor in Spanish," said Michael Shaw, KU associate professor of Classics. "And he was saying how quickly they could tell whether a student had picked up a given grammatical rule by using these."

The KU Bookstore has seen a high demand for clickers this semester.

"It seems about one in five, or one in 10 or so, ask for the clicker everyday." said Todd Dorsey, KU Bookstore cashier.

The KU Bookstore keeps stacks of clickers behind their cash register along with a list of classes that need the clickers this semester. The textbook department received orders from faculty to ensure every student had one.