Purdue's System-Wide Deployment of a Classroom Response System

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Purdue's System-Wide Deployment of a Classroom
Response System
Presented byFrancoise BachelderSteven
LichtiRobert FrenchPurdue University
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Opinion Survey
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Lack of Communication and Interaction in a Large
Classroom

• In a large lecture hall the only means of
  communication for an instructor is to lecture
  hoping that his students will follow his
  explanations and not fall asleep

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No communication

• Sometimes the instructor will ask questions and
  some students will raise their hands, but who
  wants to be noticed in a large classroom by the
  instructor (or worse by the other students!).

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Passive learning

• There is no communication between the instructor
  and the students. The process of passive learning
  is in place and even a very talented instructor
  finds it difficult to know if the students
  understand the concepts he is presenting to them.

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Create interaction

• What is necessary in a large classroom is to
  create an interaction between the students and
  the instructor. The CPS system creates a new way
  of communication that facilitates active learning.

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Using clickers

• By using clickers, the students do not have to
  raise their hand to answer questions. They just
  press on a button and automatically the
  instructor can see if the students understood or
  not.

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Professor Elmore in his Physics classroom
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Advantage for the students

• It is an advantage for the students because they
  are not singled out in the class.

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Advantage for the instructor

• It is an advantage for the instructor because it
  is a way of getting a diagnostic on the overall
  understanding of the class (histogram).

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Histogram
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Group discussion

• It is up to the instructor to decide if he wants
  to use the system with the students using the
  clickers individually or have group discussions
  before using them.

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Acting an answer

• If the students act on answering a question
  even if it is only pressing a button it is making
  them do more than think about a possible answer.

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Feedback for the instructor

• The system also provides an instructor with a
  powerful knowledge of the classes general
  knowledge, the weaknesses that need to be cover
  again and the new concepts that can be approached.

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Diagnostic the knowledge

• By using the clickers at certain periods during
  the class the instructor can stay in tune with
  the understanding and move on or go back.

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Active learning

• Many students may see the use of clickers as only
  to be tested and get a grade, it is important to
  change this perception and show them that the
  main advantage of using the system for them is to
  be active in their own learning process.

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Engagement

• Learning occurs when the students instead of
  answering automatically a question without
  thinking, engage in reasoning and talking the
  answer.

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New Teaching Model

• When using group discussions and using clickers
  the focus changes but the interactions among the
  students and the instructors can be more creative.

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Learning Tool

• The students realize that it is not another way
  of being tested but it is designed to help them
  understand difficult concepts and participate to
  their own learning process.

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Success

• Participating in the learning process is an
  achievement that technologies like response
  systems offer, and will make a learning system a
  success.

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Quiz!
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Testimonial
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Terminology

• eInstruction a company headquartered in Denton,
  Texas
• CPS Classroom Performance System, the
  audience response system made by eInstruction
• CPSOnline the online component of CPS.

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Components

• Hardware
• Software
• CPSOnline
• TIC Technology in the Classroom

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Standard Purdue Classroom

• Computer
• Wireless Mouse
• Single or Dual Projection
• USB Extension Cable
• CPSRF Receiver capable of supporting 1000
  simultaneous users

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System-wide Deployment

• Adoption of a single system
• Minimize student costs
• Minimize barriers to faculty use
• Maximize the ability of ITaP to support classroom
  response systems

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Current State of Deployment

• 50 Instructors
• 11000 Students
• 207 TIC Sites (Classrooms w/Technology)
• WebCT Vista Integration
• CPSOnline class creation and student signup
• Gradebook integration one-click upload of grades
  into Vista Grade Book
• For the future integration with question
  database Blackboard

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System Architecture
Students pad number and CPSOnline username and
password registered on eInstruction database and
student is enrolled in CPSOnline class
Students logon to WebCT Vista class or
eInstruction web site, register their pad, and
sign up for a CPSOnline class
Instructor imports CPSOnline class containing
students into CPS software
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Future Developments

• New Response Pads in Fall 06 LCD screens,
  auto-join
• New software version (4.0)

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CMS Integration

• Single point of contact
• Setup of testing environment
• WebCT server code must be tested in dev, qa and
  production environments
• Testing area on eInstruction servers
• WebCT Vista and eInstruction have different
  architectures

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Student privacy issues

• CPSOnline stores student data
• Username, personal info
• Grades (if uploaded outside WebCT)
• Eventual goal bypass CPSOnline and have
  communication only between client software and
  WebCT
• Make eInstruction at Purdue available only via
  WebCT

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Quiz!
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Training

• Workshops
• Initially demo only
• Move to include more hands-on and advanced
  features
• Hands-on is desirable, but no receiver is
  available at attendee workstation
• Create sample databases and distribute
• Install on laptops

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Training

• Manual
• Had to make our own.
• Separate manuals for CPS software, reports
  gradebook
• Include WebCT Vista and non-WebCT procedures
• Next rewrite to include research procedures
  (anonymous polling, IRB, disclaimer, release
  forms, CPS 4.0 direct export to SPSS)

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Training

• Handouts
• Must have Users Manuals for Vista and non-Vista
  versions
• Student pad registration
• Pad replacement
• Pad usage
• Handouts and manuals posted online for download

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Training

• Link to version of CPS software currently running
  in labs and instructional sites
• Software is not always backwardly compatible
  databases will be updated
• Discourage downloading from eInstruction web site
• Must communicate software upgrades
• Troubleshoot problems from failure to upgrade

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Instructor Concerns

• Learning Curve
• How to use effectively in class
• Can slow teaching, especially in the beginning
• Technical problems kill enthusiasm

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Typical Consulting Issues

• Vista class creation
• Registration link title is not name of CPSOnline
  class
• Additional signup links in the same Vista section
  point to the same CPSOnline class
• If instructor has previously created a CPSOnline
  class via the web using his/her Vista username,
  that username will be incremented when using Vista

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Typical Consulting Issues

• Students in multiple sections of the same class
  that share one WebCT Vista section will be
  enrolled in one large CPSOnline class when
  registering via Vista
• Non-Vista student IDs - If entered incorrectly,
  students themselves must change!
• Instructors can change in the software, but time
  consuming!
• Student passwords cant change in Vista

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Typical Consulting Issues

• Loaner Pads no provision for dummy students
  in Vista.
• Instructors have to add them in themselves online
• CPS v. 4.0 (beta) will not accept loaner pads not
  registered in Vista!
• Pad replacement
• Instructors need to be reminded to sync the class

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Quiz!!
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Opinion Survey
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End and Questions
Thank you for attending!