Personal Response Systems: Transforming the Classroom Through Technology

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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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Certainty - 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.
CBM marks each answer according to the students
degree of certainty that the answer is correct.
Degree of Certainty C1 (low) C2 (mid) C3 (high) No Reply
Mark if correct 1 2 3 0
Penalty if wrong 0 - 2 - 6 0
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 SystemsTeaching 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 wouldnt 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 everybodys
involved, you have to think about whats being
said...you have to stay awake...but its 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)
WebCT
Puzzles
Warms-ups
Good-fors
Drum-Beats
Physlets
Homework-Helpers
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Classroom Performance System (CPS)
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TI - Navigator
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