Library Hi Tech

Purpose – This paper seeks to examine attitudes toward the use of clickers, as well as practicalities and pedagogical considerations that inform them. Drawing on interviews from a variety of viewpoints at one institution of higher education, this paper aims to situate a librarian perspective among those of teaching faculty, administration, and students.

Design/methodology/approach – This paper is a case study of a single institution of higher education in which the experiences of teaching faculty, an administrator, and a library faculty member are gathered using semi-structured interviews. Student opinions are obtained through the use of a focus-group interview.

Findings – This paper provides attitudes and experiences of nursing teaching faculty who use clickers in their instruction, an administrator who purchased clickers for his department, and a library faculty member who uses clickers in bibliographic instruction, as well as those of nursing students who used the technology in class.

Research limitations/implications – Because of the nature of the research method employed, reported results may not be universally generalizable.

Practical implications – This paper may help inform the choices of those deciding to use clickers in their instruction.

Originality/value – This paper fulfills an identified need to analyze reactions to clicker use in instruction among students, instructors, and other program participants, including librarians.