Personal Response Systems: Transforming the Classroom

Through Technology

Jim Boyle, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Strathclyde

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1st Year Interactive Mechanics

• Large class format (two sections of 130)

• Three Approaches:– Peer Assessment (Electronic Voting Systems)– Self Assessment (Certainty-Based Marking

with EVS & Online Homework System)– Graded Online Homework System

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1st Year Interactive Mechanics

• 2005/06 1st Semester as normal:– 5 fortnightly written homework– 2hr Class Test

• 2005/06 2nd Semester:– 4 Mastering Physics Homework– Mock Certainty-Based Marking with EVS– 1hr Class Test

• Considerable reduction in staff time

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esCertainty - Based Marking (CBM)A student who can discriminate between reliable and unreliable answers deserves more credit than one who cannot, even when each gets the same number of answers correct.

Degree of Certainty :

C=1(low)

C=2(mid)

C=3(high)

No Reply

Mark if correct: 1 2 3 0

Penalty if wrong: 0 - 2 - 6 0

CBM marks each answer according to the student’s degree of certainty that the answer is correct.

CBM rewards students who can reflect to the point that they can either : (a) justify confidence in answers, or (b) identify reasons for reservation.

It is motivating – always rewarding honest reporting of confidence.

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Electronic Voting Systems:Teaching by Questioning

• The benefits of teaching by questioning are now widely recognized and the technique is becoming widely used

• The disciplines include physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, sociology, economics, political science, business negotiation, history and school reading comprehension

• A recent Harvard survey indicated over 1,000 instructors use the technique, with about 600 using a variation called Peer Instruction

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How do you ask the questions?

• Amherst Question Cycle

• Peer Instruction

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ClassTalk - 1

“… teaching by questioning, commonly referred to as the Socratic Method, was the

basis for ClassTalk

- a networked software system that facilitates the Socratic teacher by providing an effective way to manage an interactive class and involve every student …” Louis Abrahamson, Better Education Inc.

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ClassTalk - 2

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ClassTalk -Benefits

“…students chatted with each other, discussing answers. A swarm of wrong answers brings out sprinklings of laughter, applause or boos …”

“… it made class fun … I knew I wouldn’t just be listening to a lecture but rather that I could actively participate in my learning …”

“... raised levels of creativity… wonderful chaos...“

“… now I can not only correct misunderstandings … but students become ... excited about classroom work … not only student performance, but my confidence rise dramatically …”

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Personal Response System (PRS)

PRS was developed by Professor Nelson Cue at Hong Kong University of Technology and has now been adopted by hundreds of educators worldwide

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InterActive Session

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Why do you like that class?

“ … with 100 people in the class you normally just sit there without being involved... and add to your notes. In that class everybody’s involved, you have to think about what’s being said...you have to stay awake...but it’s more fun, you get more from it...better than just sitting taking notes…”

“… what fun it can be, it can be light-hearted yet you still learn a lot …”

“… how quickly a two-hour class passed compared to other one hour lecture classes…”

 

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Just In Time Teaching (JITT)WebCTWebCT

Warms-upsWarms-ups

PhysletsPhyslets Homework-HelpersHomework-Helpers

PuzzlesPuzzles

Good-forsGood-fors Drum-BeatsDrum-Beats

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Classroom Performance System (CPS)

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TI - Navigator

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