Classroom Response Systems at UF
Overview
A Classroom Response System is a technology for collecting student responses to questions posed in the classroom. The system selected by the University of Florida is TurningPoint 2008. TurningPoint consists of student transmitters (also known as "clickers"). Please contact Mark McCallister at the Office of Academic Technology, markm@ufl.edu, for more information, if you are interested in utilizing this technology in your classroom.
Current Clicker Version
UF uses the TurningPoint RCRF-01 clicker. TurningPoint clickers use two CR2032 batteries, which should last 6 months to a year with normal usage. Replacement batteries are available from Academic Technology Accounting in 1120 Turlington Hall, for $0.47 each (two batteries + sales tax = $1.00).
TurningPoint Software Licensing at UF
TurningPoint 2008 is installed on all classroom computers at UF and is licensed for use in each classroom. Instructors will also need a copy of TurningPoint on their Office computer to create TurningPoint-enabled presentations, which can be downloaded from TurningPoint's website. The downloadable version of the software can only be used for developing and testing questions, as it is only licensed for use with up to five clickers.
Purchasing Student Clickers
Students can purchase TurningPoint clickers (also known as remotes or transmitters) at local textbook stores. The last reported retail price for the clickers was $33.50.
Students can also purchase clickers for $25.00 + shipping from directly from TurningPoint. Go to http://store.turningtechnologies.com and enter the code "4ufl" (without the quotes). Shipping cost varies between approximately $5 and $35 depending on the shipping method selected.
Students may resell clickers at their discretion through any available means.
Clicker Registration - Instructor Setup Procedures
To use TurningPoint clickers in the classroom, it is generally desireable to associate individual clicker ID numbers with student ID numbers, so that student responses are attributed to the correct student. To facilitate this ID number correlation, a Clicker Registration web tool is available in UF's eLearning system. To set up the Clicker Registration, instructors should logon to their eLearning course, and on the BUILD and BASIC VIEW tabs, select TURNINGPOINT TOOL from the More Tools list on the left side of the screen. Press the button called CREATE TURNINGPOINT TOOL that appears after selecting TURNINGPOINT TOOL. Type in a title such as "TurningPoint Clicker Registration" in the TITLE field. Now, simply direct students to click on "TurningPoint Clicker Registration" icon you have just created in their eLearning course, to register their clickers.
Retrieving Clicker IDs For Use During Class
Once students have used the TurningPoint Clicker Registration form in their WebCT Vista course, instructors will need to download this information into the TurningPoint program on the classroom computer during each classroom session. This is accomplished by running the TurningPoint 2006 program on the instructor computer, and selecting CAMPUS EDITION 6/VISTA 3,4 from the WEBCT WIZARDS item on the TOOLS menu in TurningPoint. Once the Wizard is initiated, choose IMPORT PARTICIPANT LISTS, and enter elearning.courses.ufl.edu for the SERVER NAME, set the PORT NUMBER to 80, and enter your Gatorlink/WebCT Vista username and password. The TurningPoint program will then connect to the WebCT Vista server. Choose UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, and the course/section/semester for which you want to download the clicker registration data. After saving this file on the computer, you can select it from the Participant List pulldown in TurningPoint, and you are ready to use the participant list with your presentation in TurningPoint.
Using TurningPoint 2008 In Class
Students must select the appropriate channel for each classroom at the beginning of class. Most classrooms at UF use the default channel number of 41, but to eliminate the possibility of interference with students in nearby classrooms the channel number may be different in some rooms. The channel number for each classroom is listed on the classroom information page http://www.at.ufl.edu/classrooms/classrooms.html. The procedure for setting the channel number on a clicker is:
- Press GO
- Press the two-digit channel number.
- Press GO
- Press "1". If the clicker indicator light blinks either GREEN or ORANGE when pressing this final "1", all is well. If the clicker indicator light blinks RED, there is a problem, and the channel number should be set again.
After starting TurningPoint 2008 on the classroom computer, retrieving student clicker ID information from eLearning or copying a Participant List from a and having students set their clicker channels to match the room, instructors should load their presentation into TurningPoint 2008, and if necessary reset the session before starting the slide show. Resetting the session will erase any previous student response data associated with that session.
Saving Response Results From Your Class Session
At the end of a class period, instructors will generally want to collect the student response data. The data is contained in a TurningPoint "Session File," which ends in .tpz. This file can be moved moved from the computer's My Documents\TurningPoint\Sessions folder to the instructor's FLASH drive or other removeable media (or email, etc.). The information in the file can also be directly uploaded into e-Learning/WebCT Vista by selecting the CAMPUS EDITION 6/VISTA 3,4 item from the WEBCT WIZARDS item on the TOOLS menu in TurningPoint. Select EXPORT DATA TO WEBCT, then log in as described above, select your course, the appropriate SESSION FILE, and select ADD GRADES SHOWN ABOVE TO WEBCT GRADEBOOK, and give the grades an appropriate column heading identifying the session for later reference.
Additional Information and References
For more information on using TurningPoint 2008 in a classroom at UF, please contact Mark McCallister in the Office of Academic Technology at UF at markm@ufl.edu. Interested instructors will be included in the Office of Academic Technology's listserv for TurningPoint users, CRS-L. Contact Mark McCallister for more information.
Academic Technology offers workshops on TurningPoint 2008 through the Office of Academic Technology's Center for Instructional Technology & Training. Please visit http://www.citt.ufl.edu for more information.
Additional references:
Bruff, D. (2009). Teaching with Classroom Response Systems: Creating Active Learning Environments. Jossey-Bass. http://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Classroom-Response-Systems-Environments/dp/0470288930
M. K. Smith, W. B. Wood, et al. (2009). Why Peer Discussion Improves Student Performance on In-Class Concept Questions. Science, 323 (5910) 122-124. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/323/5910/122
Caldwell, J.E. (2007). Clickers in the Large Classroom: Current Research and Best-Practice Tips, Life Sciences Education, 6(1): 9-20. http://www.lifescied.org/cgi/content/abstract/6/1/9
Duncan, D. (2005). Clickers in the Classroom: How to Enhance Science Teaching Using Classroom Response Systems. San Francisco: Pearson. http://www.amazon.com/Clickers-Classroom-Douglas-Duncan/dp/0805387285