Getting Started with EVS

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Getting Started with EVS
Improving the student experience in learning,
teaching and formative assessment
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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

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Why use EVS?
Could this be your lecture?
Ive just had a new text
Where shall we go tonight?
Now does everyone understand?
I dont, but Im not saying
Yes!
No! but you cant hear me can you?
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Why we use EVS?

• 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

• 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

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What does an Electronic Voting System do?
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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

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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

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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

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RF LCD
NXT
XR
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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

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Download the Turning Point software to your
computer desktop

• http//www.turningtechnologies.com/responsesystems
  upport/downloads/

Save it as an icon to your desktop
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Activity 1 Please vote to demonstrate our live
exampleQuestion Which of these do you find
most challenging in a class?Answers

1. Engaging students
2. Giving feedback
3. Bridging the gap between teaching and learning
4. Teaching international students
5. Maintaining student motivation

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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

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Writing an Interactive slide
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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

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Example What day is it?

• Monday
• Not sure
• Wednesday
• Friday
• Sunday

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Setting the correct answer
Click here
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Modifying an interactive slide

• Add more choices of answer
• chart will be updated
• Insert object
• Correct answer indicator
• Insert Countdown timer, edit the time

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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

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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. Dont forget to reset to Live polling before
  you start your session.

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Activity 3

• Use the simulated data function and run a
  session
• See if you can work out how to run a report

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The TurningPoint Showbar
1
3
4
5
6
7
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• The showbar appears when running your interactive
  slides.
• Toggles between and counts on your chart
• Repoll the Question
• Response Grid, to see which participants have
  responded
• Non-response Grid
• Indicates the number of responses received during
  a poll.
• Countdown timer
• Indicates that polling is open and responses will
  be accepted.
• Polling closed

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Quick check

• Always start in TurningPoint programme (which
  will run PowerPoint). Make sure PowerPoint is not
  open.
• Make sure the presentation is not in simulated
  mode
• Have some spare handsets with you
• Make sure students know how to use the handsets
• Check everyone is on the right channel
• Run a test slide to check everything is working
• Run the interactive session.
• Only use a compatible presenter card
• If saving session data in a teaching room
• save to a memory stick
• 9. Re-set the session after saving ready for next
  time

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

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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 anothers 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!

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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

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Any questions