Clicking Toward Better Grades: The Use of Student Response Systems in Social Work Education

ABSTRACT

Faculty members at universities are increasingly shifting their pedagogical focus from traditional lectures to active learning by integrating academic technology such as clickers (i.e., student response systems) into classrooms. However, few studies have examined the effect of clickers on learning outcomes such as test grades, and even fewer studies have evaluated this technology in social work education. This study examined the effect of clickers on learning outcomes in an undergraduate social work course. Findings indicated that frequency of clicker use significantly contributed to increased test scores after controlling for important covariates, suggesting that clickers may be an effective tool in actively engaging social work students and promoting learning. Instructors guidelines for integrating technology into future social work courses are discussed.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Laura A. Voith

Laura A. Voith, MSW, PhD, is Assistant Professor, Megan R. Holmes, MSW, PhD, is Assistant Professor, and Janelle Duda-Banwar, MSW, is a Doctoral Candidate at Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University.