Personal response systems (clickers) enable students to demonstrate their understanding of concepts and information in a course in real time. Used thoughtfully, they provide unparalleled immediate information about student understanding to both learners and instructors. For an instructor seeking to engage with students in responsive and interactive ways, no matter what the class size, clickers are an amazingly powerful tool. A small list of possible uses includes:

• uncovering typical misconceptions,
• testing student ability to apply a concept to specific situations,
• surveying student opinions,
• predicting outcomes,
• establishing baseline knowledge before embarking on a new topic,
• checking comprehension of class readings before continuing, and
• inspiring student discussion.

Participants learned the basics of this powerful tool for refining and enriching student learning.