Because university lectures (0) …are … usually attended (1) …… large numbers of students, there is little interaction (2) …… the lecturer and the students and (3) …… way for the lecturer to check whether the students are benefiting. Thanks (4) …… an invention known (5) …… an electronic voting system – or ‘clickers’ for short – this situation is beginning to change. ‘Clickers’ are hand-held devices on (6) …… students click the relevant button to answer questions posed by the lecturer. The students’ answers are communicated to the lecturer’s computer either by infra-red transmitter (7) …… by radio frequency and the results are displayed on the lecturer’s projection screen at the front of the hall. Initially lecturers presumed that the advantage of clickers for students would be that they would make lectures an interactive, (8) …… than a passive, experience. But there have been unforeseen advantages for the lecturers themselves because they are much more in touch with (9) …… each student is getting (10) …… with the subject. There are advantages for students because if they get an answer wrong, they won’t be embarrassed in front of (11) …… peers. But there are other advantages too. Clickers are also getting students to talk to (12) …… other. Some lecturers urge students to talk to their neighbour about (13) …… they put and why. If clickers are used properly, they have huge potential in allowing lecturers to pitch their lectures (14) …… the right level and get feedback on (15) …… . This is especially helpful at the beginning of a course.
4. Watch a VOA report and decide whether the statements below are true (T), false (F) or not given (NG).