Frequently Asked Questions
Questions
- What are clickers?
- Who is using clickers at York?
- What are the technical requirements?
- Can I try out clickers before I have my students invest?
- What is the cost to me and my students?
- How do I get started?
- What support is available for clickers at York?
- Where can students buy their clickers?
- Where can students go if they have problems with the clickers?
- What's the warranty for the clickers? How long do the batteries last?
- What is the capacity for the receiver? i.e. how many responses can the system support?
- How do I respond to technical problems that arise during class?
- Can student use these clickers in other courses?
- Can my student return or re-sell them at the end of the term?
- How do my students register their clickers?
- Can the clicker devices be tracked?
- Will there be student resistance and if so, how do I deal with it?
Answers
- What are clickers?
Clickers, also called Personal Response Systems, (PRS) consist of:
- A set of remote control units ("clickers") that students use to respond to questions posed by the instructor.
- A receiver plugged into the classroom computer (or instructor's laptop) that picks up the students' answers.
- Software that is used to create multiple choice questions, and tabulate and display student responses.
This technology can be used to support a variety of teaching activities.
- Who is using clickers at York?
Some of the current participants iinlcude Criminology, Natural Sciences, Math, Physics, Psychology, Nursing, History, Business, and Biology. Roughly 75% of the early adopters are in the Sciences. Business accounts for 20% of PRS use, with 5% allotted to other disciplines.
- What are the technical requirements?
TurningPoint software integrates 100% into Microsoft® PowerPoint - giving the instructor the capability to author, deliver, assess, and report, all within the PowerPoint environment..
TurningPoint 2008
- Office XP, 2003, or 2007
- Intel or AMD 600 Mhz class processor (1 GHz or higher recommended)
- 256 MB RAM
- 60 MB hard disk space (an additional 32 MB is required if you do not have Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 installed)
- 1024x768 resolution at 32-bit color or higher
- Standard USB 1.1/2.0 port (for USB-based hardware devices or USB-serial Adapters)
- Ethernet or 802.11 compatible wireless network card (for vPad and vPad Presenter use)
TurningPoint for Mac
- G3 processor or better / Intel processors fully supported (Universal Binary)
- Mac OS X 10.3 or higher
- 256 MB RAM (512 MB recommended)
- 10 MB hard disk space
- Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac
- Available USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 Port
Note: TurningPoint for Mac does support vPad but not vPad Presenter
For more details visit TurningPoint.
- Can I try out clickers before I have my students invest?
UIT has invested in a set of demo clickers for faculty members who are not ready to commit to full integration of clickers into their curriculum. This will let you try out the technology in your classroom.
You can reserve the demo clickers on a limited number of occasions. You can request up to two demos for a course per term. To request a demo set, please submit the online Clicker Demo Request Form and we will contact you with further details.
- What is the cost to me and my students?
Students may purchase new clickers for $42 or refurbished ones for $35. Please note that refurbished clickers are available on a first-come, first-served basis while quantities last. This is a one time payment with no additional activation or enrollment costs to the student.
There is no cost to instructors who want to make use of this technology. Instructors get a receiver and a clicker free of charge for their own use.
- How do I get started?
See more details in Clicker Implementation.
- What support is available for clickers at York?
Technical support is available to faculty members through the Learning Technology Services. Additional pedagogical support is available via the Centre for Support of Teaching. There are ongoing training opportunities available for the clicker technology. For more details visit the Training section of the site.
- Where can students buy their clickers?
Clickers are available for purchase online and can be picked up at the William Small Centre Computing Commons or at 141 York Hall, Glendon College.
- Where can students go if they have problems with the clickers?
Students with technical clicker problems or questions about use of the device can contact UIT- Client Services by telephone, email or in person. Turning Technologies also offers technical support to its clients. They can be a useful resource outside of Client Services Helpdesk hours. Contact information of Client Services and Turning Technologies can be found at http://www.yorku.ca/prs/students/help.htm.
- What's the warranty for the clickers? How long do the batteries last?
Turning Technologies Canada warrants its clicker devices for a period of twelve (12) months for any material or workmanship defect in the product as well as for any failures related to normal product use. This warranty does not extend to batteries or any product component, which has been subject to misuse, deliberate destruction, or alteration. For more details see the attached document.
XR ResponseCard RF clicker devices are powered by two AAA batteries. The average battery life is 6 to 12 months.
- What is the capacity for the receiver? i.e. how many responses can the system support?
A TurningPoint receiver has the capacity to support up to 1000 Response Cards (clicker devices). Capacity can be increased by employing multiple RF Receivers.
- How do I respond to technical problems that arise during class?
Reassure your students that technical problems in no way impact any grading scheme you have implemented. Then pose the question anyway and have discussions as originally planned. And ask for the show-of-hands approach to answering. Results can be tallied (even if roughly) on paper, the blackboard, or an overhead projector. It is always good to have a back-up plan in case there are any technical problems.
- Can student use these clickers in other courses?
Yes, a clicker can be used for multiple classes.
- Can my student return or re-sell them at the end of the term?
A full refund will be available only within 14 days of purchase in the original packaging. For more details see the return policy. Students are also free to resell the device themselves.
- How do my students register their clickers?
Students can register their clickers online. Detailed instructions are available to walk them through the process.
- Can the clicker devices be tracked?
Yes, clickers can be used in ‘Anonymous’ mode or be tracked using the class roster feature of the technology. The latter features a list of students with their student numbers and clicker device ids. To use this feature refer to the “Class Roster” section of the Instructor Quickstart Guide.
- Will there be student resistance and if so, how do I deal with it?
Some students will probably resist the change in classroom climate from a passive to a more active environment, particularly as it penalizes absences and requires more effort. Most respond well if the instructor explicitly (and repeatedly!) talks with the class about the purpose of using clickers interactively, and emphasizes the positive results seen in other classes and education research. The implicit signals are also very important. When the clicker responses show students do not understand something, revising the lecture plan to examine their difficulties and address them, rather than ignoring this sends a very positive signal. Requiring students to spend money on clickers and then using them only once or twice per class to answer very simple questions sends a very different signal and can generate considerable student discontent.
