Plickers
What is Plickers
Plickers is an audience response system that allows an instructor to use their mobile device to scan a classroom to read students’ paper-based voting cards.
What is the purpose of Plickers
Plickers is intended to enable instructors to pose questions (multiple choice or true/false) to students and gain real-time feedback from everyone. It was designed to offer a low-tech solution for audience polling and assessment.
How to use Plickers
Instructors create an account with Plickers and access download the Plickers app to their smartphone or tablet. Instructors then create multiple choice or true/false questions in Plickers and use the tool to display a question to students during class. Students hold up paper-based voting cards, which allows them to answer the question based on the way they orient their card. A class set of voting cards can be printed or purchased by the instructor and distributed to students. The instructor uses the app on their mobile device (smartphone or tablet) to scan the room. The app uses the camera on the device to read the voting cards and records each student’s response. Results can be displayed live for the instructor to take up or debrief with the class. Results are also archived into reports, which can be exported. Each voting cards is unique and can be linked to a student’s identity. If linked, students’ performance can be tracked and used for both summative and formative assessment.
For teaching and learning purposes, Plickers could be used to:
- Pose a multiple choice or true/false question to the class for real time response and follow up
- Facilitate formative and/or summative assessments of learning
Where to find Support
This tool is not centrally supported
Help and Documentation
For help, please refer to the Plickers documentation
Supported Tools to Consider
Tool Evaluation
Functionality
| Rating | Rationale |
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ScalePlickers can be used in classrooms of 60 people or less. Through facilitation it would be possible to use Plickers to poll smaller sub-groups of students. |
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Ease of UsePlickers is user-friendly; it is easy to navigate and personalize |
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Tech Support/Help AvailabilityTechnical support and help documentation is available in the form of web pages or videos |
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HypermedialityPlickers allow users to pose multiple choice or true/false questions to the class. Images can be included. |
Accessibility
| Rating | Rationale |
|---|---|
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AODA FriendlyPlickers have some limited capacity to be fully accessible for all users or for materials to be made AODA-friendly. Students must be able to comprehend the question as displayed on the projected screen and be able to properly orient their card. |
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User-focused participationPlickers are designed to address the needs of diverse users, their various literacies, and capabilities, thereby widening opportunities for participation in learning |
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Required EquipmentProper use of Plickers does not require specialized equipment. Instructors require the use of a tablet or smartphone. Students require use of a paper polling tool which can be printed with a regular printer. |
Technical
| Rating | Rationale |
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OWL IntegrationGrades generated from Plickers can be integrated with the OWL gradebook by manually uploading a csv file. The csv file is easily produced by Plickers and easily uploaded to OWL. Plickers cannot be automatically synced with OWL. |
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Operating SystemsUsers can effectively access Plickers with any standard, up-to-date operating system (i.e. Windows 10, Apple OSX, etc.) |
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Web BrowserUsers can effectively utilize Plickers with any standard, up-to-date web browser (i.e. Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer 10 etc.) |
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Additional Tech RequirementsUsers can effectively utilize the tool without any browser extensions or downloaded software |
Mobile Design
| Rating | Rationale |
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Mobile Operating SystemsPlickers are fully functional with a range of electronic mobile devices (laptops, tablets, touchscreens, mobile devices, etc.) |
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Mobile FunctionalityThere is little to no functional difference between the mobile app and the main tool |
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Offline AccessWhen offline, an instructor is still able to scan students’ Plickers cards. This means that you can use Plickers outside of the classroom in places where you may not have an internet connection. While prevented from displaying a live view of responses, students’ scores are recorded |
Usage and Account Set Up
| Rating | Rationale |
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Sign Up/Sign InAn instructor account/login is required using name and email address. Students do not create an account. |
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Cost of UseAll aspects of Plickers can be used free of charge |
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Archiving, Saving, and Exporting DataInstructors can archive, save, and export scores in two formats: a CSV report of all student scores, or as a PDF of individual students’ performance. |
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Data Privacy and OwnershipUsers maintain ownership and copyright of their intellectual property/data; Information may be shared under a variety of conditions as stipulated in Plickers privacy policy (i.e. to “third party-business partners” and for targeted advertising to your browser or device) |
Social Presence
| Rating | Rationale |
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CollaborationPlickers have the capacity to support a community of learning through synchronous opportunities for communication, interactivity, and transfer of meaning between users. However there is no opportunity for asynchronous engagement beyond the face-to-face classroom. |
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User AccountabilityInstructors can control student anonymity; Instructors can choose to assign each student to their own unique Plickers card and a student’s name can then be associated with that card for identification |
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DiffusionWhile Plickers are likely not very well known by students, it’s likely that most students engage with the tool without difficulty |
Instructor Presence
| Rating | Rationale |
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FacilitationPlickers have easy-to-use features that would significantly improve an instructor’s ability to be present with students via active management, monitoring, and engagement |
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CustomizationPlickers are adaptable to its environment: easily customized to suit the classroom context and targeted learning outcomes |
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Learning AnalyticsInstructor can monitor students’ performance on a variety of responsive measures |
Cognitive Presence
| Rating | Rationale |
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Enhancement of Cognitive Task(s)Plickers enables functional improvement to engagement in the targeted cognitive task(s) |
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Higher Order ThinkingUse of Plickers easily facilitates students to exercise higher order thinking skills (given consideration to design, facilitation, and direction from instructor) |
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Feedback on LearningThrough Plickers, students can regularly receive formative feedback on learning (i.e. they can track their performance, monitor their improvement, test their knowledge, etc.) |
Security and Privacy
Security and Privacy Flags
Accounts
- Users are required to create and use a non-Western account. It is highly recommended that users do not use the same username and password that is in use at Western.
Information Collection
- Application collects information that could identify the user specifically (email address, class schedule, etc..)
EULA
- Acceptance of the Application's Terms of Conditions or End User License Agreement may bind the institution to an agreement thereby requiring legal counsel to review the application contract.
Cost and Approval
- The application may require the instructor to enter credit card information
Last Updated: September 16, 2020
Rubric
The eLearning Toolkit Evaluations are made available under the terms of the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence
Feedback
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Topic at a Glance
Plickers is an audience response system that uses an app to scan students’ paper-based voting cards.
