Aligning pedagogy and technology: A case study using clickers in a first-year university education course

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a case study which focuses on lecturers’ use of a learner response system (clickers) with students enrolled in a first-year university education course. Data is drawn from interviews and questionnaires with guest lecturers, including the course coordinator and an author of the paper, who is also the principal lecturer in the course. Within the body of research that links clicker use with positive student engagement, this paper focuses on the lecturers’ experiences in preparing for, and using clickers with their students. The study focused on the research question: How do pedagogical decisions affect the way clickers are used with students in an education course? Taking into account the locatedness of individual lecturers’ pedagogical frameworks, the results of this study indicate a connection between lecturers’ teaching pedagogies, the way these inform their interactions with students and also how they incorporate clickers in their teaching. This paper therefore argues that the objectives of using clickers need to be made explicit in pedagogical dialogues of teaching teams comprised of lecturers and guest lecturers, and clearly linked to the overall pedagogy informing course delivery.