Improving the student experience in learning, teaching and formative

assessment

Getting Started with EVS

Outline of the session:

• Why use EVS• What the students think• EVS Hardware & Software• A step by step approach on how to use EVS• Suggested uses of EVS• Student information• Where to get help

Why use EVS?

Where shall we go

tonight?

No! – but you can’t hear me

can you?

Yes!

I’ve just

had a new text

I don’t, but I’m

not saying

Now does everyone

understand?

Could this be your lecture?

Why we use EVS?

• Encourage active student participation

• Engage with the whole class

• Check and capture student knowledge– formative/summative

• Give prompt feedback• Give quiet students a voice

– including international students

• Add interest and fun

UH Assessment-for-Learning Principles, 2012• Engages students with the

assessment criteria• Supports personalised learning• Ensures feedback leads to

improvement• Focuses on student

development• Stimulates dialogue• Considers student and staff

effort

What does an Electronic Voting System do?

• Allows all students to respond to questions

• Gives instant and timely feedbackFormative feedback

• Enables answers to be collated, saved and processed for:• the whole class• subgroup of the class / teams• individual students

Summative feedback

Suggested uses of EVS• Question and answer sessions – formative or

summative• Seek opinions – e.g. ethical issues• Maths diagnostic tests• Drop quizzes e.g. best 4 from 5 scores• Team-based learning • Introduce competitive element to learning e.g.

team-based learning

What do the students think?EEVS project survey 590 students, 2011-12

EVS had highly positive (perceived) impact on students’ learning and satisfaction • Responding to questions made me think about the course material (84%)• EVS provided me with an immediate check of understanding (83%) • Using the EVS allowed problem areas to be identified (75%) • I enjoy using EVS in my learning (71%)

Summative use of EVS has in some cases created unnecessary tension, anxiety and indicated inadequacies of the technology for formal examinations.• Not given enough time for answering questions • Not testing how easily you can use device but how much you know about the subject• Should be able to cancel answers as it is possible to press a wrong button accidentally• Unable to amend your answers once the question has moved on• Using the handsets for a test , made the test feel less important, almost ‘gimmicky’

Terminology· TurningPoint (TP) is a type of Electronic Voting

System (EVS) or Personal Response System (PRS)

· Software – TurningPoint is free to download from the website

· Receiver has a USB connection already in all classroom computers

· Interactive slide – a slide that takes voting (response)

· Scanning unit – assigns Student ID to handset

· Handset (Response Card)

has a unique Device ID on the back

RF LCD XR NXT

How to download TurningPoint for PCs

• Install TurningPoint 5 software • This version is being used by the University 2013-14

onward(Note, you will be asked to register your details).

• Click on the link to download below to download TurningPoint software

Download the ‘Turning Point’ software to your computer desktophttp://www.turningtechnologies.com/responsesystemsupport/downloads/

Save it as an icon to your desktop

Activity 1: Please vote to demonstrate our live example

Question: Which of these do you find most challenging in a class?Answers:

0% 0% 0%0%0%

1. Engaging students2. Giving feedback3. Bridging the gap between teaching

and learning4. Teaching international students5. Maintaining student motivation

Creating an EVS activity· Start TurningPoint (you must not have

PowerPoint open)

· Click on ‘New’

· Select the slide type, and insert question e.g. Vertical slide

· Add question at the top and answer in the box below

Writing an Interactive slide

New• Slide types• Vertical• True/False• Picture

Object• Correct answer indicator• Countdown• Response counter

Converting existing PP presentation to an interactive slide

• Paste in slide from ordinary PP• The question must be in the top line and the

answers in the box beneath (as in the interactive slides you set up from scratch)

• Select ‘Object’ then click on ‘charts’• Select choice your choice of chart (graph) and

the slide will be converted to an interactive question slide

Example: What day is it?

• Monday• Not sure• Wednesday• Friday• Sunday

Setting the correct answer

Click here

Modifying an interactive slide

· Add more choices of answer· chart will be updated

· Insert object· Correct answer

indicator

· Insert Countdown timer, edit the time

Activity 2.

• Create a MCQ as an interactive slide in TurningPoint

• Add the correct answer• Insert object to show the correct answer• Add a count indicator

How to pre-test your interactive MCQ/session

1. Click here to get drop down menu. Click on ‘Simulated Data’2. Run presentation – using ‘slide show’3. Don’t forget to reset to ‘Live polling’ before you start your session.

Activity 3:

• Use the ‘simulated data function’ and run a session

• See if you can work out how to run a report

The TurningPoint Showbar

The showbar appears when running your interactive slides.

1. % Toggles between % and counts on your chart

2. Repoll the Question

3. Response Grid, to see which participants have responded

4. Non-response Grid

5. Indicates the number of responses received during a poll.

6. Countdown timer

7. Indicates that polling is open and responses will be accepted.

8. Polling closed

1 3 4 56 72

Quick check:1. Always start in TurningPoint programme (which will run

PowerPoint). Make sure PowerPoint is not open.

2. Make sure the presentation is not in simulated mode

3. Have some spare handsets with you

4. Make sure students know how to use the handsets

5. Check everyone is on the right channel

6. Run a test slide to check everything is working

7. Run the interactive session.

8. Only use a compatible ‘presenter card’

9. If saving session data in a teaching room

save to a memory stick

9. Re-set the session after saving ready for next time

Activity 4:Discuss how you could use EVS in your teaching

Some good practice points when using EVS….• Let the teaching approach lead the use of technology not the

other way round• Always start with a test slide, read out the questions and

answers in full and tell the students when polling is opened and when it is about to close

• Consider inclusivity and accessibility• Use formatively before using summatively (Burnstein &

Leaderman 2001).• When ready to use summatively, ensure expectations clear

and test conditions implemented (and contact an experienced colleague or the Assessment team for further support)

Student information• Handsets are issued to students free of charge

• Replacement handsets carry a charge – equivalent to the loss of an ID card. N.B. student may be marked as a debtor if payment outstanding

• Students are responsible for replacing the handset battery

• Giving handsets to another student or being in possession of another’s handset is considered an academic offence –

equivalent to cheating (like “loaning” an ID card)

• Further help is available on the EVS page within Studynet (via EVS search on home page or go via LTI site). Put link on the programme page!

Getting help

• Help Desk tel. 4678• Hints and Tips postcards• LTI Knowledge Exchange– Help with Technology: EVS– Getting started Camtasia Video

• Software download & online tutorials:– www.turningtechnologies.co.uk

Any questions