Spotting Engagement Gaps Before They Grow

[Symphonie]

It’s not always easy to keep tabs on how engaged students are. A usually active student might stop raising their hand for a few classes in a row. Another may quietly lose confidence without signaling that they need help. With dozens of students in a room, these small shifts can be hard for one instructor — or even a teaching team — to notice in time.

iClicker helps by making engagement more visible. Attendance shows who is coming to class. Polling highlights whether students are participating. Confidence ratings reveal how secure students feel in their understanding. Together, these signals give instructors a clearer picture of what is happening in the moment.

For instance, if participation in polls starts to drop, that may indicate a topic that needs reinforcement. If confidence ratings trend low, it can be a sign to revisit the material or adjust pacing. By responding to these signals early, instructors can prevent small dips in engagement from becoming bigger barriers to learning.

Getting started is simple:

1. Use attendance to build a baseline.
2. Add short polls to check comprehension.
3. Watch for patterns in confidence ratings to guide in-class adjustments.

Create an iClicker instructor account.

Takeaway: Engagement can be difficult to monitor, but tools like iClicker give instructors timely insight to keep students connected and on track.