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In-class engagement tool used at UMass Amherst
Hundreds of students piled into the largest lecture hall at UMass Amherst not knowing what they were about to get into.
Co-Founder of Piccles and alumni of UMass, Chris Bent and goes back every semester to speak with Marketing 301 students about entrepreneurship.
He also has everyone use the phones many are already using to scroll through Snapchat and swipe through Tinder to participate in the class.
Starting by having students draw the person on their left, a dull roar erupts as the request is registered in their collegiate craniums. But then the results start rolling in.
Individual drawings are called out to invite class participation, and what went from a passive lecture is transformed into an engaging experiment where students share the stage.
Creativity, critical thinking and communication are all future skills managers are hiring for, but unfortunately they are rarely taught in school.
Piccles provides a way for students to cultivate their creativity and develop the collaborative skills necessary to thrive upon graduation.
A video of what it looks like when sharing the QR code for the first time and going live with the students can be seen here.