Google Forms as Classroom Response Devices: Three Years of Evolving Practice
Abstract
Where students use laptops or other Internet-capable devices in class, Google forms can be used as a versatile type of classroom response device. Google forms can accept text responses, as well as the multiple-choice responses typical of clickers. We report on three years of experience. In the first year, students' responses were not counted in their grades, nor were any measures taken to discourage non-class-related laptop use during class. In the second year, a small percentage of the students' grade was determined by how frequently they responded to the Google forms, and measures were taken to prevent distracting laptop usage. In the third year, students were required to respond to questions, or they were marked "absent" for the day's class. From year to year, students were given increasingly frequent "pre-quizzes" on assigned readings. Both of these practices increased their accountability for the material. Over the three years, response rates successively increased, from 30% to about 70%. The influence of the accountability practices (pre-quizzing, giving credit) on response rate was shown to be statistically significant.
Location
Room 2911
Recommended Citation
Gehringer, Edward, "Google Forms as Classroom Response Devices: Three Years of Evolving Practice " (2012). SoTL Commons Conference. 32.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/sotlcommons/SoTL/2012/32
Google Forms as Classroom Response Devices: Three Years of Evolving Practice
Room 2911
Where students use laptops or other Internet-capable devices in class, Google forms can be used as a versatile type of classroom response device. Google forms can accept text responses, as well as the multiple-choice responses typical of clickers. We report on three years of experience. In the first year, students' responses were not counted in their grades, nor were any measures taken to discourage non-class-related laptop use during class. In the second year, a small percentage of the students' grade was determined by how frequently they responded to the Google forms, and measures were taken to prevent distracting laptop usage. In the third year, students were required to respond to questions, or they were marked "absent" for the day's class. From year to year, students were given increasingly frequent "pre-quizzes" on assigned readings. Both of these practices increased their accountability for the material. Over the three years, response rates successively increased, from 30% to about 70%. The influence of the accountability practices (pre-quizzing, giving credit) on response rate was shown to be statistically significant.
