improving the student experience in learning, teaching and assessment

Getting Started with EVS

Outline of the session:

• Why use EVS• EVS Hardware & Software• A step by step approach on how to use EVS• Activities to take you through the process• Suggested uses of EVS• Regulations• Where to get help

Why use EVS?

Where shall we go

tonight?

No! – 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

• Be a proactive teacher• Keep everyone awake!• Give quiet students a voice – including

international students• Add some fun

What does an Electronic Voting System do?

• Allows all students to respond to questions

• To give instant and timely feedback

Formative feedback

• Enables answers to be collated, saved and processed for:• The whole class• Subgroup of the class / teams• Individual students

Summative feedback

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-Knowledge Exchange.

· Handset (Response Card) has a unique Device ID on the back

· Receiver has a USB connection already in all classroom computers

· Presenter-must be Turningpoint compatible.

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

EVS hardware

• Handsets– Uniquely coded with

six alpha-numeric digits

• Receiver– Plugs into USB port,– Installed in all PCs in teaching

classrooms

SRN Name Evs09234561 John

Smith04427F

EVS software

How to download TurningPoint

• Install TurningPoint software, version 4.3.2.1178, onto your computer. This version is being used by the University in 2012-13.

• Click on the link below to download the TurningPoint software

• http://www.studynet2.herts.ac.uk/ptl/common/technical_support.nsf/turningpoint

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:

25%

50%

25%

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)

· Open powerpoint.

· Click on Insert slides

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

· Add answers where it says ‘enter answer text’

Writing an Interactive slide

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

Insert Object• Correct answer indicator• Response counter• Countdown

Objects you may find useful

Setting the correct answer

Click here

Modifying an interactive slide

· Add more choices of answer· chart will be updated

· Insert object· insert correct answer

· Correct answer indicator

· Insert Countdown timer, edit the time

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

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

‘Downloading’ the class list from the StudyNet module site

Right click and save target as ‘class.tpl’

How to ‘upload’ the class list to TurningPoint

Creating a participant list

· Can run it anonymously?

· Import an participant list

· Select participant list to be used in session

How to pre-test your interactive session

1. Click on ‘Response Devices’2. Click on ‘Simulated Data’3. Run presentation – using ‘slide show’4. Don’t forget to reset to ‘response devices’ before you start your session.

Reminder:1. Start TurningPoint programme

(which will run PowerPoint)

2. Open your TurningPoint file from your memory stick.

3. Upload your participant list from your memory stick.

4. Select your participant list for the session

5. Run the session (slide show)

6. Save session data to your memory stick if your have used the PC in the classroom.

How to create a report?· Click on tools, select reports

· Choose the session you want to create a report on

· Can use saved information from your memory stick

· Go to Reports, and choose the type of report

· Click ‘Generate Report’

· Report generated in Excel

‘Pause for thought ‘

Turning Point:• Enables the report to capture

the data to a “participation list” Challenge: – not all students collect their handsets – participation list needs to updated regularly

Activity 3:• Use the ‘simulated data function’ and run a

session

• Create a report as above

Example:

Use of EVS for ‘Drop Quiz’

Example:• A number (4-7 in total) of

unannounced quizzes to be included in coursework (10%)

• Best (2-5) scores to be counted, ‘no resits’

• Brief quiz of 4-5 questions at start of lecture (~10 min)

Objectives:• To encourage greater

engagement in module• Better level of attendance• Reinforce active learning

throughout the year• Provide ongoing feedback

on personal understanding throughout the year

Drop quiz

• Drop quiz – occur randomly, best x out of y count.

• Absence from a drop quiz, ‘forgetting’ the handset or a flat battery – lose a life!

Activity 4: work in groups

Work in groups to reflect on:

1. How are you going to use EVS and2. What problems do you envisage and what can we do to help.• LTI – educational• IH – hardware

Suggestion of uses of EVS be used?

• Question and answer sessions – formative or summative

• Give instant feedback• Seek opinions – e.g. ethical issues• Maths diagnostic tests• Record attendance• Drop quizzes: best 4 from 5 scores• Team competitions

Some good practice points when using EVS….

• Formative use before summative (Burnstein & Leaderman 2001).

• Test slide.• Summative- expectations of students and

organisation of summative test.

Have a go…• Download TurningPoint software• Set up a few slides (TP & PPT slides)• Run the slideshow• Save the data• Reset the date• Save the presentation• Check channel (and presence) of receiver

tools ->settings->response device• Look for likely issues• Get help if you need and try it out..

Handsets

• Handsets are issued to students free of charge• Replacement handsets carry a charge – equivalent to

the loss of an ID card• Students are responsible for replacing batteries –

equivalent to the use of calculators. Students can buy the batteries at the student union shop.

Regulations

• Giving your handset to another student or being in possession of another’s handset is considered an academic offence – equivalent to cheating. Equivalent to “loaning” an ID card.

• A student not returning a handset is considered a debtor

UH Assessment for Learning Principles

• 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

Getting help

• LTI Knowledge Exchange– Help with Technology: EVS– Getting started Camtasia Video

• Online tutorials:– www.turningtechnologies.co.uk

• Blip paper on ‘How to use EVS’:– www.herts.ac.uk/blip

Thank you and any questions

ITEAM: Julie Vuolo J.Vuolo@herts.ac.ukKaren Robins K.Robins@herts.ac.ukFrancesca Entwistle f.entwistle@herts.ac.ukJanet Webber j.r.webber@herts.ac.ukLiz Gormley-Fleming

e.gormley-fleming@herts.ac.uk