Challenge, Potential, and Success: A University-wide Approach to Classroom Response Systems

Ed EvansPurdue University

Director of Learning Spacesedevans@purdue.edu

Overview

• About Purdue University• Pedagogy: Why classroom response systems?• Background• Selection Considerations• Deployment Process• Feedback• Future Work• Lessons Learned

About Purdue

• Founded in 1869

• Public, Land Grant Institution

• 4 campuses, main campus in West Lafayette, IN

• System wide enrollment of 69,000Main campus enrollment of 38,700

Pedagogy: Why classroom response systems?

• “Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education” by Chickering & Gamson in 1987.– Good practice encourages contact between students

and faculty– Good practice communicates high expectation– Good practice develops reciprocity and cooperation

among students– Good practice uses active learning techniques and

gives prompt feedback

Background

• Technology In the Classroom (TIC): 207 classrooms

• Classroom response initiative began December 2003

• Grassroots Initiative

• Began with IR clickers in 6 classes with 1200 students using eInstruction CPS through McGraw-Hill

Selection Considerations

• Technology evaluation– IR vs. RF– What about RF interference?

• Software evaluation

• Vendor evaluation– Support process for students

• Pricing Considerations

Deployment Goals

• Adopt a standard response system for campus that would – minimize student costs– minimize barriers to faculty use– and maximize the ability of ITaP to support

classroom communication systems.

Deployment Goals

• Equipment for all system-wide classrooms (over 350 rooms)

• Integration into WebCT Vista (which would reduce effort in creating student accounts and courses in eInstruction software)

• No semesterly subscription cost for students (absorbed by the institution)

• Students would be required to purchase their own input device which can be used for their entire Purdue career

• Upgrades to future classroom software and equipment

Deployment Process

• Spring 2004: Began with IR clickers in 6 classes with 1200 students using eInstruction CPS through McGraw-Hill

• Fall 2004: 1400 students in 7 classes

• Fall 2004: Signed system-wide agreement with eInstruction

Deployment Process

• Spring 2005: – Move to RF system – 2500 students in 13

classes– Began regular meetings and training sessions

for faculty

• Summer 2005: Integrate registration with WebCT Vista

Deployment Process

• Fall 2005 - 207 TIC sites (each site can handle 1000 pads)

• 76 classes System-wide• 7600 students System-wide

– Average West Lafayette class size: 150– Smallest West Lafayette class: 10– Largest West Lafayette class: over 400

• Students purchase response pads ($16 at bookstores); can be resold

• Response pad can be used for any classes• Pad registration through in WebCT Vista

Deployment Process

• Primary Staffing:– Project Manager – oversaw project handled

many of the faculty meetings– Instructional Technologist – oversaw

deployment process to TIC sites, worked with technical problems

– Instruction Designer/Trainer – developed faculty training, provided overview sessions

– Other staff drawn in as needed for software installs, Vista integration consulting, etc.

Feedback

• Empirical:– Spring 2005 – nearly 800 students surveyed in 5

classes– Scale of 1-5: 1 Strongly Disagree, 5 Strongly Agree– Student perception that the system will have a

negative impact on their grades - 2 = disagree– Students understood the system after the introduction

by their instructors - 4 = agree– Students find CPS easy to use - 4 = agree

Feedback

• Empirical:– Students had low concern about others seeing

answers - 4 = agree– Students found use of CPS somewhat beneficial with

respect to knowing what was coming on exams – 3.5– CPS encouraged class attendance – 3.5– Students like using CPS – 3.5– Students Were inclined toward use the system in the

future – 3.5

Feedback

• Anecdotal:– Students believe the system encourages

preparation and attendance– Faculty believe attendance is better and test

scores are higher

Future Work

• Couple CPS to our LMS– Ease of gradebook uploads– Access question databases

• Review and document policies and standards related to protected data access for instructional applications

• Develop more resources for student support

Lessons Learned

• Opportunities to engage new areas of campus

• Consider support issues for student devices

• Engage the text book managers at the bookstores

the Quiz!

More information

• Purdue’s website:– http://www.itap.purdue.edu/tlt/einstruction

• Discussion group at Purdue:– send mail to majordomo@purdue.edu– with message body of: subscribe crs-discuss

• Educause Instructional Technologies Constituent Group– http://www.educause.edu/Community/

ConstituentandDiscussionGroups/5982