Clicker use in chemistry classrooms has been increasing, especially in large introductory and foundational courses. Qualitative studies have observed positive attitudes towards the technology, with students reporting being more attentive and understanding the content better. However, quantitative studies of the effect of clicker questions on exam performance have shown mixed results, with some authors finding a positive correlation and others reporting no change in grade. This research project aims to evaluate if answering a clicker question correlates with better student performance on exam questions about the same content topic, and if performance on different cognitive levels of exam questions (definition, algorithmic, or conceptual) correlates with answering a clicker question on the same content topic. The dataset included exam performance of students in an introductory chemistry course who completed the three midterm exams and the final exam and answered 75% of the clicker questions asked in lecture over the course of the term. No difference in performance was found for exam questions that covered a topic previously assessed with a clicker question. However, student performance was significantly higher on definition questions that were similar to a clicker question compared to exam questions that were not similar to a clicker question. For algorithmic and conceptual exam questions no difference in performance was observed between similar and not similar questions. Variables other than content alignment, such as cognitive level of clicker questions and whether each clicker question was asked before or after content exposure, might affect exam performance and will be investigated.

Effective use of clickers in undergraduate chemistry courses

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.