Campus Standardization

Personal Response Systems Advisory/Vendor Committee - Click here to view the entire document

The charge for this committee was to bring clicker vendors to campus, determine whether one vendor was appropriate for campus standardization, and help determine ITS, local ITS, and faculty/student support models.

Committee Members

Annette Beck (ITS Standardization Committee Chair), Ellen Cram (Nursing), Ben Earnhart (CLAS), Jean Florman (Center for Teaching), Brad Gunnells (ITS), Sean Kelley (Dentistry), Cornelia Lang (Astronomy), Jamie Matthews (CLAS), Lora McKee Anderson (Medicine, now ITS Project Manager), Aletia Morgan (CLAS), Liz Pearce (ITS), Richard Shannon (Bookstore), Mary Starry (Pharmacy).

Committee Charge and Recommendations

The charge for this committee was to bring clicker vendors to campus, determine whether one vendor was appropriate.

Project Overview

The use of Personal Response systems, also known as PRS or “clickers,” on the UI campus has already taken root. Groups, departments and colleges have formed deals/relationships with commercial entities to provide software, hardware and support for the use of their products in the classroom.

Institutional Benefits

  • ITS supports one clicker product: less training, less support
  • Students only purchase one clicker
  • Faculty only learn one software
  • Faculty receive immediate feedback to either continue their lecture or revise their lecture to accommodate student learning and knowledge retention
  • Facilitate class discussions by collecting and displaying student opinions
  • Deliver low-stakes, in-class quizzes that encourage students to do required readings
  • Clickers are proven to engage students in large lecture classes
  • Clickers can expedite grading of quizzes and help provide students with guidance in major exam reviews
  • Promote active learning among students and help instructors measure student understanding during class

ITS Strategic Plan Outcomes

The following ITS strategic plan strategies are integrated into the clicker project

  • Strategy 1.1 Promote students’ and instructors’ use of information technology to support student academic achievement
  • Strategy 1.2 Provide methods and data for tracking student progress in integrated IT systems
  • Strategy 1.3 Expand training and support programs for campus e-learning systems and tools
  • Strategy 1.4 Explore, evaluate and foster emerging technologies that enhance teaching and learning
  • Strategy 2.5 Facilitate the translation of the broad array of research activities into the curriculum
  • Strategy 4.1 Improve user knowledge, skills and abilities regarding available technologies, services and tools