Core Concepts

To effectively understand and use KlickerUZH, it is important to understand the four key concepts that form the foundation of the application:

1. Elements: Elements - like single choice questions or flashcards - are the primary building block of the application. All of the activities provided by KlickerUZH utilize elements that are managed in the library. By including them in activities, lecturers can pose elements to the participants, who can respond to them using their devices.

2. Learning Activities: Lecturers can choose between four different types of activities that are optimized for specific educational objectives and adapt to various teaching methods during live lectures (synchronous learning) or outside of the traditional lecture frame (asynchronous learning). The supported activity types are: Live Quizzes (including Live Q&A), Microlearnings, Practice Quizzes and Group Activities.

3. Courses: Courses help to organize KlickerUZH Learning Activities in a lecture structure, enabling lecturers to manage different activities and challenges throughout a semester effectively.

4. Gamification: Gamification of a course, if enabled, incorporates game elements like points, achievements, and leaderboards within all learning activities to create a playful challenge and enhance engagement and fun in education. Further gamified elements are course-independent and allow participants to create an avatar and gather experience points throughout all their courses.

Elements

Elements are the foundational component of KlickerUZH as they form the base for all learning activities. Lecturers prepare elements that they want to present to their students live in a lecture or as part of an asynchronous learning activity. Participants can then interact with elements through activities using their personal devices, such as mobile phones, tablets or laptops. At the moment, seven different question types and two content types are supported: Single Choice (SC), Multiple Choice (MC), Kprim (KPRIM), Free Text (FT), Numerical Response (NR), Selection (SE), and Case Study (CS) questions, as well as Flashcards (FC), and Content (CT) elements.

It is recommended to align the choice of element types with specific learning goals. For example, if you want to check whether students have understood the previously learned facts, single-choice or Kprime questions with a well-defined correct answer option are suitable (Example: What is the definition of the Sharpe ratio?). To activate students' engagement, elements can also be designed without a clear answer. This makes students think about the topic being discussed and gets them directly involved (Example: Where will the SMI be at the end of 2025?). For more didactical information please consult the use cases or UZH Teaching Tools.

Elements can be grouped and/or stacked for sequential or simultaneous presentation. Sample solutions and/or explanations can be provided for question element types, while answer-specific feedback is currently limited to choice-based elements (SC, MC and KP questions). Elements with a sample solution can be graded automatically and yield (additional) points for successful completion. Customizable weighting (e.g., to separate easy and difficult elements) can be applied through a multiplier (x1, x2, x3, x4) that will impact the amount of points accumulated. For more information on how activities are graded in KlickerUZH, please refer to the grading documentation.

Learning Activities

There are four different learning activities available in KlickerUZH: Live Quiz (including Live Q&A), Microlearning, Practice Quiz, and Group Activity.

Live Quiz (and Live Q&A)

Live Quizzes in KlickerUZH are designed for synchronous interaction during lecture time. Multiple sequential question blocks can be activated at different intervals, allowing students to answer the contained questions in real-time. The lecturer can view all student responses on the evaluation view in aggregated and anonymous form (e.g., 243 students answered B). The main focus of Live Quizzes is fostering interaction between the lecturer and students during the lecture. For more information on how to use and create Live Quizzes, please refer to the Live Quiz use case and the Live Quiz documentation.

As a part of a Live Quiz, the Live Q&A feature can be enabled, allowing students to ask questions anonymously. Questions received through the Live Q&A channel can be answered by the lecturer in writing or orally. This facilitates the immediate clarification of questions and fosters interaction between lecturer and students in the classroom. For more information on how to use and enable Live Q&A, please refer to the Live Q&A use case and the Live Q&A documentation.

Microlearning

Microlearning is an asynchronous learning activity corresponding to a short learning unit with a small number of elements. Microlearning activities are published for a limited time only and at fixed points during the week, such as one day after the lecture. The purpose of microlearning is to counteract the forgetting curve, according to which our ability to retain information rapidly declines after twenty minutes. With targeted questions, students can test themselves, refresh and consolidate their knowledge - regardless of time and place. This direct and simple access motivates students to integrate learning regularly into their everyday lives. For more information on how to use and create Microlearnings, please refer to the Microlearning use case and the Microlearning documentation.

Practice Quiz

Practice quizzes enable asynchronous learning with longer sets of elements that specifically target modules or topics with the possibility of embedding them within Learning Management Systems (LMS) like OLAT. These learning activities have no restrictions on when or how often they can be completed, making them a valuable resource for students to monitor their learning progress. Element sets in practice quizzes can be shown in sequence or based on a spaced repetition algorithm, taking into account an individual student's previous responses. When using gamification, the time frame during which points can be collected from responding to the elements can be customized to, e.g., once a week or day. For more information on how to use and create Practice Quizzes, please refer to the Practice Quiz use case and the Practice Quiz documentation.

Group Activity

Group Activities are asynchronous learning activities consisting of a set of elements and clues that encourage collaboration and the practical application of theoretical knowledge within a group. Teamwork is encouraged through the distribution of information, where each team member receives specific details required to solve the task. This setup promotes collaboration, information sharing, and effective communication among group members, resulting in enhanced engagement and learning outcomes. For more information on how to use and create Group Activities, please refer to the Group Activity use case and the Group Activity documentation.

Courses

A course is a way to combine various learning activities within a lecture (e.g., a course from the course catalog). KlickerUZH Microlearnings, Practice Quizzes, and Group Activities always need to be assigned to a course, while Live Quizzes (with Live Q&A) can also be used independently. The duration of a course is typically aligned with the semester or a predetermined timeframe, ensuring a structured timeline for learning activities. Gamification elements can be incorporated at the course level, creating challenges that enhance student engagement and motivation throughout the entire course.

Courses in KlickerUZH can be joined by students through the KlickerUZH app, giving them an overview of all available learning activities. Course content can be seamlessly embedded within an LMS, facilitating a smooth integration of KlickerUZH within existing educational platforms and allowing students to engage with the learning activities directly through the familiar LMS interface.

Gamification

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For more details on the gamification concept, please refer to the Gamification use case and the Gamification documentation.

As part of the gamification concept, KlickerUZH includes an optional challenge system in addition to the design of the storyline and visual aspects. Gamification can be utilized either at the course level or by implementing gamification into specific live quizzes.

Gamification at the course level enables participants to earn points for completing any learning activities associated with a course. All points earned are shown on a course leaderboard. Moreover, within a course, students can form groups with other students to participate in group challenges, appear on the group leaderboard, check how their peers are doing and take part in collaborative group activities.

Gamified live quizzes enable participants to earn points for answering questions based on the correctness and speed of their responses. Collected points are displayed on a live quiz leaderboard during class. After the completion of a live quiz, accumulated points are transferred to the linked course leaderboard, if the quiz was assigned accordingly.

Lecturers have the freedom to personalize the implementation of gamification elements according to their preferences. KlickerUZH offers various options to customize the gamification experience, such as defining custom activity multipliers, modifying the grading system of a live quiz, or setting up course-level challenges.

To ensure easy accessibility and improve participation, it is recommended to prepare a semester-long timeline outlining the gamified learning activities in KlickerUZH and the challenge details (e.g., if there are any awards for winning the challenge). This provides students with a clear understanding of what to expect during the semester, including when and where they can earn points to progress in the competition.