Looking for a faster, smarter way to make your lectures more engaging? In our latest Coffee with Colleagues session, instructors explored the iClicker Question Creator—a tool that helps you build interactive questions in just minutes. From writing better polls to using real-time data for instant teaching pivots, this tool is changing how educators connect with students. Discover simple ways to create thoughtful, conversation-sparking questions without added prep time by exploring this guide! ... View more

If classroom tech feels like more of a burden than a benefit, this one is for you! Educators gathered in this Coffee with Colleagues session to share how iClicker simplifies engagement, attendance, and grading. From one-click LMS sync to instant feedback loops, see how iClicker can help you spend less time troubleshooting and more time teaching. Check out the takeaways here! ... View more

At iClicker, we are always working to make teaching more dynamic, student engagement more meaningful, and classroom management more seamless. With the latest iClicker Cloud update, version 7.1.0, we are introducing new tools designed to give instructors greater flexibility and real-time insights into student participation. This update includes two key features that will make classroom interactions smoother and more effective: A new Timer for structured classroom activities The upcoming Reactions Feature for instant student feedback These updates help instructors create a more interactive, well-paced, and student-centered learning experience. Now Available: iClicker Timer for Better Classroom Pacing The new iClicker Timer makes it easy to manage classroom activities without launching a poll. Instructors can use the Timer to structure discussions, peer reviews, and quick assignments, keeping students focused and engaged. Research shows that structured time limits improve student participation and help maintain attention. A visible countdown provides clear expectations, helping students stay on task and manage their response times more effectively. Coming Soon: iClicker Reactions for Instant Feedback The upcoming Reactions Feature introduces a new way for students to communicate in real time. With simple emoji-based reactions, students can quickly indicate their understanding, engage without speaking, and provide honest feedback anonymously. Research supports the idea that students who feel heard and engaged are more likely to retain information and participate actively. The Reactions Feature helps instructors adjust their teaching in real time based on student responses, creating a more responsive and inclusive classroom environment. These updates in iClicker 7.1 are designed to make teaching more interactive and efficient. ... View more

The iClicker team has been hard at work creating new tools to enhance your teaching experience and make learning even more engaging for your students. We’re thrilled to share our latest features, updates, and improvements to make your 2025 snap, crackle and pop. AI Question Creator: Smarter, Faster Question Design Creating course-aligned, dynamic questions has never been easier! Our AI-powered Question Creator now includes: File Uploads: Upload PDFs, PowerPoints, or Word documents to generate questions tailored to your course content. Improved Management Tools: Copy, expand, and organize your question sets with ease. Add descriptions to keep things organized or bulk delete outdated questions. These enhancements save you time and make it simpler than ever to keep your teaching materials fresh and engaging. Host Memorable Events with iClicker iClicker Events are now available for Site License institutions (and for non-Site License institutions upon request). These events let presenters use iClicker features in non-classroom settings for a seamless experience. Here’s what makes iClicker Events so powerful: Participants can join via a QR code—no account needed! Perfect for workshops, conferences, or guest lectures. Non-Site License institutions can request access using this form. iClicker Cloud 7.0.0: Packed with New Features Our latest version, launching December 2024, brings exciting updates to the iClicker Cloud platform: New Tools Icon: The primary toolbar now includes a Tools icon, your gateway to features like the Timer (live now). Timer Feature: Manage timed activities effortlessly. The floating Timer window is easy to display and keeps your class on track. Security Upgrades: Enjoy a safer experience with enhanced app security. We’ve also squashed some bugs: Polling image selections now reset at the end of each session. Resolved issues with image selection dialogs and quiz setup visibility. Fixed participant count updates for Events in Cloud 6.1.1. Confidence Mode: Encouraging Thoughtful Reflection Confidence Mode is here to add depth to your classroom interactions. This feature: Promotes student reflection by encouraging them to consider their confidence in their responses. Delivers instant insights to instructors, helping you gauge comprehension at a glance. You’ll find Confidence Mode in the Polling tab under the “More” option. Give it a try and see how it sparks meaningful conversations in your classroom! Simplified Student Access and Subscriptions Coming soon to iClicker’s student apps, the new Access & Subscriptions section makes subscription management effortless: Students can see which courses require subscriptions, expiration dates, and their subscription types (e.g., attendance-only, Achieve-linked, or site-licensed). This clarity lets students focus on learning without worrying about access issues. From game-changing classroom tools to streamlined events and smarter student experiences, these updates are designed to make teaching with iClicker as seamless as possible. Try out these features and let us know what you think—we’re always here to make your teaching journey even better. Stay tuned for more updates, and as always, happy teaching! 🎓 ... View more

Energize Your Meetings and Events: Turn Spectators into Collaborators Presented by Justin Shaffer Watch the recording of "Energize Your Events: From Spectators to Collaborators," led by expert educator Justin Shaffer. Discover innovative strategies to make your events more interactive, using icebreakers, attendee feedback, and dynamic participation techniques. Learn how to engage your audience, foster collaboration, and streamline feedback to enhance future events. Access the recording now!   Watch the recording ... View more

As always, the iClicker team has been hard at work creating new features, all designed to enhance what you can do with your students in your classroom. Check out everything we’ve debuted recently, and remember: iClicker Cloud 6.0.0 is the current minimum required supported version of instructor software.   iClicker AI Question Creator     Available now at https://questioncreator.iclicker.com/login, and coming soon to iClicker Cloud instructor website With the new AI Question Creator, you can effortlessly generate novel, dynamic iClicker questions in minutes. iClicker crafts questions that align perfectly with your course goals, ensuring your polls, quizzes, and assignments accurately reflect students' comprehension and critical thinking skills. With the ability to deploy new questions in seconds, you can assess students’ true understanding during class time – without worrying about them having seen the questions beforehand.     Formula/Symbol Question Type      Available now in iClicker Cloud 6.1.0 The new iClicker Formula/Symbol question type lets students respond with equations, mathematical expressions, symbols, and Greek letters. This feature, ideal for STEM instructors, allows for more complex polling questions, offering a deeper challenge than Multiple Choice.                     Other Polling Enhancements   Available now in iClicker Cloud 6.1.0 Short Answer Polling questions now have an option to make responses case sensitive.  Short Answer and Numeric questions offer the ability to grade by using the +Add Correct Answer option as an alternative to clicking the student responses. This option replaces the previous “Other Response” input that was used to indicate that none of the student responses are correct. A new course setting for Polling allows instructors to skip the screen capture window selection dialog and image preview popup.    Confidence Mode Available in iClicker Cloud 6.0.0 and above   Are students answering confidently or are they taking an educated guess? iClicker Cloud's Confidence Mode feature encourages students to reflect on their in-class responses and provides instructors with instantaneous insight into student comprehension. You can find confidence mode in the polling tab of your software under the “more” option.    Coming Soon iClicker Events Feedback Events will include the option to request feedback from participants after ending the event. This feature will be released as an automatic update for version 6.1.0; no new download will be needed. When released, events run using older Cloud 6.0.0 will always send participants a request for feedback without offering the option to end without feedback.         Roster and Grade Sync Performance and Participation Scores   Roster and grade sync (RGS) integration will offer additional options to sync participation and performance points individually. This new setting is available whether you choose to sync a single iClicker grade or individual activity scores. This feature will be available automatically via the instructor website upon its release.               Affordability Reminders for Fall 2024 If your institution does not have a site license, remember these tips to help with student affordability: iClicker is included with Achieve at no additional cost to students. New iClicker remote purchases include a 5-year iClicker student app subscription. No remote needed? Students should set up their accounts via the web app for the most affordable option. ... View more

Navigating the ever-evolving landscape of education, meet Matt Evans – a physics and astronomy professor at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. From dusty transparencies to the excitement of PowerPoint's debut, Matt's journey reflects a commitment to keeping education fresh and engaging. Central to his arsenal of teaching tools is the iClicker, a nifty gadget that bridges the gap between instructor and student. With iClicker in hand, Matt fosters a sense of community where every voice matters. Through targeted questions and real-time feedback, he transforms his 450-seat auditorium into a lively hub of learning, even amidst the challenges of Covid. As Matt shares his insights, one thing becomes clear: in the quest for better education, technology is not just a tool, but a friend guiding us toward brighter horizons. So, let's click our way to a future where learning is interactive, inclusive, and above all, fun! Click the video below to watch Matt Evan’s full presentation from Tech Ed week last year! ... View more

iClicker is undergoing thoughtful enhancements aimed at fortifying your ability to actively engage students and foster stronger connections. Here's a glimpse of what awaits users in 2024, including additional features that are available right now!   Events Currently in a private beta, Events will allow presenters to employ the learning science-backed iClicker features they know and love outside of the classroom. Event participants will not need an iClicker account and can join the session using a QR code in a matter of seconds! If you are interested in joining this private beta during its trial period, please reach out to your sales representative to learn more!   Text Recognition To better support students using screen reader assistive technology, iClicker uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to automatically extract text in question images. The extracted text is available to screen readers both during live polling and after class for review. Text recognition is now available in iClicker upon request! Please contact your sales representative to learn more. To learn more about our commitment to accessibility, please visit our web page for more information.   Confidence Mode   Are students answering confidently or are they taking an educated guess? iClicker Cloud's Confidence Mode feature encourages students to reflect on their in-class responses and provides instructors with instantaneous insight into student comprehension. You can find confidence mode in the polling tab of your software under the “more” option.      Groups iClicker Groups offers a new way to engage with students and allow every voice to be heard. Members of each group are encouraged to collaborate, exchange ideas, and work as a team to reach a consensus conclusion when answering classroom polling questions.  Once you set up designated groups on the instructor iClicker Cloud website, you may then utilize and rearrange students as you see fit throughout the term.         ... View more

Whether you are new to iClicker or a seasoned pro, we reached out to our iClicker experts to reveal some additional usage tips to help instructors at every part of their iClicker process. Here are some of our favorite tips.    Before Class    Set up your Pre-Created Quiz questions. Why? This feature does not function once you have started the software during class. To administer your pre-created quizzes, create them on the web browser first to ensure you can start them in class.   You can, however, start an “on the fly” quiz at any time!   Choose how you want your grades to be synced to your campus LMS.    Why? In your settings, you have the option to sync grades into one column or various columns in your LMS. Make sure you choose your preference before initiating a sync.   Change your mind? No worries! If you want to make a switch midway through the term you can delete the iClicker entries in your LMS and resync grades from iClicker into your LMS gradebook as it suits your preference.       During Class     Plug in your base before starting up your software.    Why? Without plugging your physical base into your computer, it may result in your students having issues connecting to your polling session!    The best method would be the following – open your slide deck, plug in your base, and start up the iClicker Cloud software. Look for the “base connected” message. Once you see that, you are good to get started.        Share the iClicker Student App Troubleshooting Tips article with students Why? If students using mobile devices run into any issues, having this documentation at the beginning of the term will help assist students with technical trouble.   In most cases, closing out of the app and re-opening it does the trick!   After Class    When using integration, before syncing grades to your campus LMS, make sure all grade edits are done in the iClicker gradebook first.  Why? If you make changes to your iClicker grades in your campus LMS you may risk having those changes overwritten by re-syncing grades from the iClicker gradebook and pulling the grades that currently show there.   Our solution? Click the “details” tab in your gradebook to see all student grades and edit them there as needed. Everything highlighted in blue is clickable, and all of your changes stay cohesive via the iClicker gradebook.   Go into the grade book to find your exit poll results.  Why? Well, you want to see your exit poll results, don’t you?   To find your exit poll results, click into your Gradebook, open the details tab, and select an activity.     ... View more

Debi Rutledge adeptly utilized iClicker, an audience response system, in her diversity and cross-cultural psychology class at Rochester University to address the complexities of a diverse student body. The anonymous polling feature facilitated open dialogue on sensitive topics, fostering understanding among students with varying backgrounds. By sharing anonymous responses, Rutledge successfully navigated themes of racial identity and cultural experiences. Additionally, iClicker helped assess spiritual and religious diversity, allowing her to tailor teaching approaches accordingly. The positive outcome, as reflected in exit poll responses, underscores the potential of technology like iClicker in creating inclusive and culturally relevant educational environments. To watch the full video of Debi Rutledge discussing the use of iClicker to accommodate a diverse student population, click the video below! ... View more

Tania Houjeiry's teaching thrives on the transformative power of the iClicker system. Through the twists of class sizes and the tech integration journey, the iClicker emerges as a beacon of engagement. In her 8 a.m. classes, it seamlessly bridges in-person and Zoom, offering flexible learning. Beyond logistics, it's a dynamic tool for gauging comprehension and sparking collaboration. Tania's strategic use goes beyond quizzes; it shapes the learning vibe. Real-time data empowers her to adapt, anticipate, and respond to students' evolving understanding. In Tania's hands, iClicker isn't just tech; it's an instrumental force shaping a classroom where education isn't just taught but shared and dynamically shaped. Click below to watch Tania discuss the benefits of iClicker in her classroom in further detail! ... View more

Shay Fuchs, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, Mississauga, recently discussed an active learning redesign in one of his large math courses with Macmillan Learning. The course typically has 400 to 500 students divided into sections, and the traditional teaching approach was yielding unsatisfactory results. They had high dropout rates, low attendance, and a significant number of students failing the course. In response, they completely redesigned the course in September 2018, implementing an active learning pedagogy. The new approach involved students preparing for class in advance by reading and completing pre-class assessments, followed by interactive in-class activities and discussions. The post-class phase included more traditional homework assignments. Shay commends the use of tools like iClicker and Achieve to facilitate this new approach in large classes. This active learning strategy aimed to improve engagement and student performance. The shift in pedagogy from passive lectures to active learning represents a significant change in teaching methodology, and it's an approach that educators in various settings might find relevant and valuable, even if they don't teach large classes. Active learning encourages student involvement and engagement, ultimately leading to better educational outcomes. Watch Shay discuss his experience in depth by clicking the video below! ... View more

Learn how iClicker makes active learning simple! In this video, instructors share how they use iClicker to enable students to answer questions in real-time, effectively assess their comprehension and promote active participation. By integrating IClicker into your classroom, you can facilitate new teaching methods like peer instruction, where students initially respond to questions individually and then engage in group discussions. This method is just one of the many ways iClicker fosters collaborative learning, making the classroom an engaging and interactive environment. iClicker is more than just a tool—it's a catalyst that can help you create a vibrant, participatory, and collaborative learning experience in your classroom.   ... View more

iClicker is evolving to help strengthen how you engage students and create closer connections. Here's what you can look forward to in iClicker Cloud in 2023.   Groups Coming soon! There is abundant evidence that group-based activities have a proven impact on learning and student well-being. However, it can be difficult to manage for instructors and issues persist in assuring equitable and full group participation. With features built-in to help groups vote and reach consensus, iClicker Groups helps manage group exercises in class.               Quizzing Available now! Instructor improvements: Updated Quizzing settings more closely resemble Polling settings, and the process to start a quiz in class has been simplified.   Available now! Student improvements: The experience of taking a quiz more closely resembles responding to a poll or assignment. Navigation between quiz questions and quiz submission have been simplified.   Coming soon! Pre-authored Quizzing makes it easy for instructors to create, administer, and grade digital quizzes for synchronous classes. This new option displays pre-authored questions to students by allowing instructors to upload quiz questions as PDFs.               Screen Capture Coming soon! A new screen capture option allows instructors to share screenshots with students without having to run a poll. Students will have access to the shared lecture slides or other captured content outside of class and can create flashcards or a practice test for review using Study Tools in the student app.   ... View more

We asked some of our super users how iClicker helped them demonstrate the value of education to their students. Here’s what they had to say: “Macmillan tools help me create a blended learning classroom where I can focus on honest discussions, emphasize how the material connects to their lived experiences, and provide meaningful assignments targeting technology-mediated competencies.” Matthew Ingram, Dakota State University “Indirectly, the engaging materials display the joy of learning. It's not a statement, but an experience that students have when interacting with the materials.” Jillene Seiver, Eastern Washington University  “I find that iClicker is a wonderful tool for creating a more interactive learning experience for my students. It helps them stop and think about what they have been learning in class and because of the way in which they don't have to reveal themselves by raising their hands to answer a question, they become more comfortable with their uncertainty and more open to learning.” Jeffrey Henriques, University of Wisconsin Looking for more ideas? Schedule a demo or training to discuss how iClicker could support your class. ... View more