Polling Pilot

October 18 Discussion with Maria Terrell

Sponsored by the Center for Learning and Teaching
[Video]

Clicker (Personal Response System-polling) Vendor Demos

Faculty Demos - September 26 and 27, 2006
All sessions have been videotaped for further reference.
Turning Point [Video]
iClicker [Video]
Qwizdom [Video]
eIinstruction [Video]
PRS Interwrite [Video]

Fall 2006 Lecture

"Confessions of a Converted Lecturer" presented by Eric Mazur
Author of Peer Instruction: A User's Manual
and Professor of Applied Physics at Harvard University
Video (recorded at Cornell University, Sept. 18, 2006)

Eric describes research-driven reasons for adjusting his approach to teaching and improving his students' performance significantly. How he started "asking good questions" and introduced active learning into lectures.

Spring 2006 Polling Pilot

Although polling has a long history of use at Cornell, the past couple years have seen a rapid evolution in the technology choices, and a marked increase in promotion by textbook publishers. CIT's pilot project is intended to give more faculty the opportunity to evaluate polling's effectiveness as an instructional tool.

During the spring 2006 semester, CIT is sponsoring a pilot project on the use of polling technology in the classroom. Polling technology, also known as personal response systems, lets students use a remote control or “clicker” to answer questions posed by their professors.

In the pilot, participating faculty and students from (number) departments will experiment with TurningPoint™ Personal Response Systems.
The goals include:

• evaluating TurningPoint™ hardware and software
• trying different instructional strategies
• assessing the effects of polling on learning
• identifying critical and desirable features for such systems
• gaining additional experience in issues of support, registration, and distribution.

The results of the pilot project will be shared with the campus.

CIT chose TurningPoint™ because faculty who are familiar with the system report that it is “user friendly” and because, as an RF (Radio Frequency) system, it has no impact on facilities and does not require any changes in infrastructure.

About Personal Response Systems

Personal response systems (PRS) enable students to use a remote control or “clicker” to answer questions posed by their professors. PRS technology has potential value in large-enrollment courses because it can be used to quickly collect and display information. Taking attendance, checking for understanding during a lecture, administering quizzes, and engaging students in peer-to-peer learning are some examples.

When a professor asks a question using PRS, students answer with their clicker. The responses are sent to a computer and, after a set time, tabulated and projected so that both the professor and the students see a “live” picture of the group’s understanding, performance, or opinion. The format of questions and answers varies with the software and hardware (multiple choice, true/false, numerical, etc.). Responses can be anonymous or tracked by student over the course of the semester.

Types of clicker technology

Infrared systems (IR)
IR polling systems require a computer with a COM port, an IR receiver plugged into that port, and clickers. The clicker must be aimed directly at the receiver (clear line of sight) and be within about 70 feet (21 meters). While IR systems can be portable, usage with larger groups and in large venues involves installation of several receivers in the room and some modification to the infrastructure.

Radio frequency systems (RF)
The Turning Point system is this type.
RF polling systems require a computer with a USB port, an RF receiver plugged into that port, and clickers. The clicker does not need to be aimed directly and can be as far away as 1,500 feet (457 meters). Each RF receiver operates on an assigned radio frequency, so several receivers can be active within the same building.

Handheld devices
A PDA or cell phone can be used as a clicker. This method requires the appropriate PRS software installed on the device, wireless service in the room, and possibly access to a server or the Internet. Responses are received through the wireless network. Currently, this polling technology is probably the least common and most expensive to implement.

CIT's Polling Pilot Team from Academic Technologies & Media Services

Tom Every, Assistant Director, CIT Classroom Technologies
Clare van den Blink, Manager, CIT Faculty Support Services
Steve Weidner, Faculty Support Services, CIT
Jim Avery, Classroom Technologies, CIT

Joan Getman, Office of Information Technology, Academic Technology Strategies