With a campus and undergraduate population as large as at the UW, it is hard for students to avoid taking lectures of daunting size during their time here.

Because of this, it's easy to be distracted, get lost or not receive adequate individual attention during class time.

To rectify the situation, many professors in the sciences are incorporating the use of what's known as "the clicker" to gauge student comprehension and individual participation.

These small remote-controlled devices make it possible for students to participate in lecture by pushing a button and answering questions posed by the professor periodically during class.

Despite the intention to help students understand class material, some students have experienced problems with the clicker.

"They don't always work, but they're getting better at fixing that," said sophomore chemistry student Jen Pesicka. "Sometimes you can't enter the answer to your question, and it gets marked against you."

Another part of the problem is the practicality of gauging individual progress and participation on a large scale, she said.

"I think if [the clicker] is being used to make sure you attended class, that's ok," Pesicka said.

The problem, though, is that teachers can't tell if the work came directly from the student or not.

"People look at each others' clickers all the time ... I think that any way they try to assess individual learning in a lecture hall is not going to work," she said.

Physics professor Lillian McDermott uses the clicker in her classes and finds it very helpful, despite a few minor problems.

As far as technical difficulties, science lectures have undoubtedly experienced some, McDermott said.

The problems were "certainly never enough to dissuade anyone from using them," she said.

Students register their clicker with their professor so the professor can go back and find out how the student responded to clicker questions.

Students can use this feature to get help understanding course material, as the teacher can see exactly what questions or topics the student is missing.

"We don't use them exclusively," McDermott said. "It depends on the professor. There are lots of other ways to handle participation."

Many professors, though, find that the clicker is one of the best methods for recording participation, McDermott said.

Clickers are available for $33 at the University Bookstore and are a requirement for many science classes.

Similar to textbooks, clickers can be returned for a full refund for the first two weeks of the quarter, after which the bookstore may buy them back for a portion of the original cost depending on its current supply.

"I don't think there's a better way [to gauge participation]," Pesicka said. "But don't get me wrong — I hate them."

Reach reporter Jeff Tripoli at jefftripoli@thedaily.washington.edu