Learning Catalytics Video Transcript 

A few months ago, I brought Learning Catalytics into my classroom, and while it is a personal response system, it's considerably more than that.

It really is more like a classroom intelligent system.

For Learning Catalytics I use my cell phone and I also use my notes.

I personally use a computer for Learning Catalytics.

For Learning Catalytics I use my iPhone 5.

There are several big differences between Learning Catalytics and other polling systems.

Clearly it will do individual responses with multiple-choice answers, but there's a wide variety of other question types 

I like to attend lecture because I know we're going to be using the Learning Catalytics, and I prefer that method versus say a pop test during the class.

You can answer questions immediately after the teacher posts the question to you.

I'd ask an instructor watching this, “When do you know you've lost your students?”

Typically, the answer for that is on the first or second exam when they tend to bomb it.

For me, I would know that it may be 9:30 in the morning in the middle of a lecture because I see a little red line blip, showing that the students have sent me a message that they didn't understand what I just said, and I'll change my lecture at that point to clarify.

Learning Catalytics has enhanced my learning by little buttons that you can push.

“I don't understand this.”

And it helps because it doesn't disrupt class by me raising my hand saying, “I don't understand this.” He just knows, “Hey I need to talk over this more.”

So having the chance to really know the moment I've spoken that they are either with me or that I've lost them is golden.

I couldn't really get that from any other system.

Classroom participation really is another fun part of this though. Once I've asked a question and assigned students into groups, they sort of take over the classroom in a very good way.

They're having discussions about the topic at hand and often explaining the ideas in ways that I never would have dreamed up.

Learning from other classmates helps me because they have different ways they can remember things. They have different ways they've learned things.

We did have one time in Learning Catalytics where the classroom percentage was at 19% and

I knew the answer fairly well and when we broke out into groups, I was able to talk to my group with the right answer, and work them through how the process worked, and then go on to another group even outside just the group that the teacher gave us and help them out.

And it raised the percentage up to 89% percent.

What I've seen in the classroom with Learning Catalytics is my students truly are engaged with material.

They're having a good time.

They're discussing.

They're letting me know whether they understand the topic at hand.

I personally love Learning Catalytics.

It's convenient for me. It's on my phone so I always have it.

It's always there with me so I can do that studying.

I will definitely recommend Learning Catalytics to any other instructor who's going to implement into their class because it gets your class engaged

It's very easy to respond to questions. If you can text you can respond.

When I adopted Learning Catalytics, what I really wanted to get out of it was a better classroom

polling system. A system that let me do more than simple multiple choice and begin to push the edge of the student understanding.

I wanted to challenge them.

I wanted to assess their critical-thinking skills.

Learning Catalytics really gives me that.