Buying books as a new student can be a different experience. First, students must print out their book list. This list has all the books needed for a student’s course load. The books are organized on shelves by author’s last name, and there is a section called the pallet zone generally for GE classes.
One item that most new students will need is an iClicker. Some professors require the use of iClickers, a handheld, in-class remote response system, to check attendance, feedback, discussion, critical thinking, predictions, surveys or quizzes.
According to BYU’s Academic Technology website, iClickers are “radio frequency devices and can be integrated into any presentation application.” IClickers do not require software downloads and allow professors to access immediate data collection and visualization.
iClickers can be found in the BYU Bookstore, $40 new and $30 used.
In order to register iClickers under a student’s name, go to iclicker.com. There is a section called “Register Your iClicker.” In order to register the iClicker, a student needs to input their first and last name, student ID and iClicker ID. The student ID used will be determined by the professor. It could be an email address, blackboard ID or numerical ID.
Shauna Standing, a professor at the Marriott School, said she uses iClickers for quizzes.
“I have used it mainly for quizzes,” Standing said. “The students choose their answer with iClicker, I tell them the correct answer, and we review why the incorrect answers are incorrect. I find reviewing the questions immediately after the students have answered them is helpful. The students like having immediate feedback.”
Kendra Davis, a junior studying elementary education, said her classes use iClickers to take attendance.
“Currently iClickers are not my favorite because my class uses them to measure attendance at the beginning of class,” Davis said. “It you are late at all, you do not get full credit for attending the class.”
Davis said she feels iClickers are most effective when used to measure the understanding of the class.
“They can be effective if the professor uses them correctly,” Davis said. “If the professor sees students are struggling with concepts in their class, they will adjust their teaching techniques to fully educate the class.”
