To click or not to click: Learning to teach to the microwave generation

The pedagogical method of using clicker technology in theory courses to achieve desired learning outcomes and a paradigm case and narrative are included to describe a resulting effect on teaching.

Abstract

Teachers in higher education are faced with unique challenges associated with contemporary learners. Students entering college today have enjoyed a technology rich environment that has socialized them towards expectations of rapid information exchange, instant gratification, and a tendency towards reduced or non-textbook reading. Furthermore, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 in the USA has imprinted the notion that education should be directed towards teaching to the examination. Advances in technology have also provided educators with a host of gadgets to augment instruction. However, the majority of nursing faculty members are from a generation that may be resistant to welcoming newfangled electronic tools. The purpose of this article is to discuss the pedagogical method of using clicker technology in theory courses to achieve desired learning outcomes. A paradigm case and narrative are included to describe a resulting effect on teaching.