User guide

i>clicker integrate allows for seamless, one-click integration of data between your campus course management system
and i>clicker. This solution does require IT involvement and installation of a plug-in/extension. We offer i>clicker
integrate for Blackboard, Blackboard Enterprise (Vista and Campus Edition), Moodle, and ANGEL.
What if your software crashes? What if my computer crashes?
As we hear time and again from our user community, i>clicker hardware and software are extremely reliable and
software crashes are extremely rare--unheard of, in fact. If your computer (or operating system) crashes, there are
additional protective measures in place. A few small files are generated each time a poll is conducted and the raw data
files are updated. If a system were to crash mid-lecture, you would not lose any data that had occurred previous to the
crash.
What is the difference between a score of Ab and a score of 0 in i>grader?
A zero indicates that the student did respond in class but did not meet your requirement for earning points. Ab (absent)
indicates that the student did not provide any responses for a session. A student who missed class or did not answer any
questions would receive an Ab. This value is treated as zero points for calculating averages, but is displayed differently to
indicate at a glance that the student did not participate or was not in class.
How many points should I make i>clicker questions worth?
There is not a definitive answer to this question. Users and recent academic literature indicate that clickers are most
effective when they are associated with “nominal” points, but not “too many” points. You need to assign enough credit
so that students are motivated to bring their remotes to class and to hopefully think about the question being asked.
Remarkably, a small number of points (less than 10% of the course grade) is often enough to motivate students to
participate in class using their i>clicker remotes.
Many experienced clicker users discourage colleagues from assigning a lot of points to clicker questions, especially in
large, introductory or survey courses. When clicker questions carry too much point value, the clicker becomes one
more tool the student fears, and they are less likely to give an honest answer because they fear they will lose too many
points. It can also encourage cheating.
Truth be told, though, it all depends on how you structure your course, your points, and your overall course goals. We
also have a number of happy i>clicker users who weigh clicker questions heavily, but do so as part of a small group
approach for courses with 20-30 juniors and seniors working in teams. For more information on this topic and to discuss
your ideas with others, please visit the User Community area of our website at www.iclicker.com.
MISCELLANEOUS
Other than paying for the remotes at the bookstore, what other fees will the students have to pay? Do students
have to pay registration or activation fees?
There are no fees required of the school or the students. The only cost is for the hardware--the student remotes. The
only recurring costs for the hardware are for replacement batteries.
My class is finished for the semester and I will be teaching a new course. How can I start over?
The best way to start over with i>clicker is to download a new copy of the software from www.iclicker.com. This will
ensure you have the latest version of our software. Be sure to archive your old course folder for your records.
Can I add my own applications or modify i>clicker?
Definitely—i>clicker and i>grader are both open source and can be adapted to meet your needs. We also offer a common
API in .NET for programmers. If you would like a copy of our source code or API, please send your request to us at
[e-mail]
.
How do students with disabilities use your product?
The intentionally simple design of i>clicker is inherently better suited to students with visual impairments. Most
visually impaired individuals are able to navigate i>clicker’s simple six buttons using the raised battery compartment
as a tactile reference point. We considered the needs of color blind student in creating the light patterns: the steady
light of the received vote status LED versus the blinking light for votes that have not yet been received. We also offer
Braille stickers that can be placed alongside the buttons. These are available through a special request of your
i>clicker representative. Vibrating clickers further allow blind students to receive a vibrating vote confirmation. If a
student needs to purchase a vibrating remote, they should simply contact [e-mail]
. For more detailed
information about i>clicker’s 508/Accessible features, consult our VPAT guide, available upon request from your
i>clicker representative or by contacting our sales department at
[e-mail].