EVS Poster ALTC 09, Nottingham Trent University
Poster about Electronic Voting Systems at Nottingham Trent University. Presented at the Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, April 2nd 2009Prepared by Marek Oledzki and Sarah Horrigan
Content
Electronic Voting Systems at NTU
‘Who wants to be a millionaire’ technology
Electronic voting systems allow staff to introduce an interactive element to conventional lectures. Typically voting slides are added to PowerPoint presentations to gather and display audience responses to a posed question. In each case: 1. An objective question (e.g. multiple choice, true/false) is displayed on-screen as part of a conventional PowerPoint Participants respond via hand-held keypads Results are automatically collated and displayed on-screen in chart form Data can be captured and stored for further analysis if required.
Getting Started with TurningPoint
You will need to do three things initially: 1. Contact ITS Service Desk to have TurningPoint authoring software installed on your office PC. This can be done remotely. • • Phone ext: 8500 Email: [email protected]
TurningPoint embedds directly in PowerPoint and is very user friendly
2. 3. 4.
2. Author the interactive slides. For details on this see the Turningpoint resource http://www.turningpointun iversities.co.uk/tutorials/index.html 3. Contact SOS AV to book the equipment for your session. • • Email SOS AV City (Clifton or Brackenhurst) Tel: x8599
LECTURES
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WA NTS
I G A NG E
WH
O
NTS ENG A A W
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You may also want to use TurningPoint authoring software on your home PC. It is available for free download at http://turningpointuniversities.co.uk/
“Easy to use and fun for participants”
Michael Jayne - Principle Lecturer in Architecture, Design & the Built Environment
“Instant responses allows for me to save the data for evaluation purposes and OfSTED evidence”
Helen Boulton - Learning & Teaching Coordinator in Education.
“Essentially it comes down to time and being organised enough to actually use it!”
Michelle Pepin - Learning & Teaching Co-ordinator in Architecture, Design & the Built Environment
Background: EVS and Higher Education
Although voting systems can be used in small-group teaching, or for boardroom decision-making, the main application of EVS in UK Higher Education is the enhancement of traditional lectures. Usage is widespread with around 52 institutions using EVS nationwide according to Draper, S. (2008). In particular, voting is used to address some of the perceived shortcomings of the lecture format. • • Encourage active learning and engagement Boost participation by offering anonymity of response; immediate and shared results • Provide the lecturer with instant feedback about the group's thinking.
NG
For students, lectures can be passive and superficial learning experiences . For lecturers, it can be hard to gauge student understanding, or to engage large numbers: “there is huge conceptual difference between teaching students or ‘covering’ a topic as it is sometimes referred to, and students learning the information presented” (Exley and Dennick, 2004). Their seemingly simple questions tend to split the class, and then students argue with each other as to the correctness of their own answer. This articulation of their reasoning process is believed to be highly effective in promoting a deep engagement with the concepts.” (Cutts, 2006)
H W
NTUs Eelectronic Voting System provision
NTU uses an EVS called TurningPoint. We currently have 320 handsets, divided between the three campuses as follows: • • • 128 at City campus 128 at Clifton campus 64 at Brackenhurst campus
“This system is extremely useful to get class feedback and to encourage all members of the class to participate”
Pete Bradshaw - School Quality Manager in Education
Resources
An EVS mailing list: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/electronic-voting-systems.html Video from Strathclyde Univeristy available at: http://www.elearning.ac.uk/innoprac/practitioner/strathclydevid.html TurningPoint support: http://turningpointuniversities.co.uk/support/index.html http://www.turningpointuniversities.co.uk/tutorials/index.html
If larger class sizes are required, SOS AV are able to pool handsets across campuses, subject to availability. Early booking for this is recommended, however.
A small number of ‘Quizdom’ systems have been bought in by the School of Education, CELS and in ARES which are locally held by those that purchased the system. There are pros and cons to each system. Quizdom has additional features but TurningPoint was deemded to be easier to use and manage logisically due to the size and longevity of the hardware.
References
Cutts, Q., 2006, In: D. Banks, ed., Audience Response Systems in Higher Education: Applications and Cases.London: Information Science Publishing Draper, S. (2008), "UK handset users and sites", Electronic Voting Systems and interactive lectures, Glasgow University
‘Who wants to be a millionaire’ technology
Electronic voting systems allow staff to introduce an interactive element to conventional lectures. Typically voting slides are added to PowerPoint presentations to gather and display audience responses to a posed question. In each case: 1. An objective question (e.g. multiple choice, true/false) is displayed on-screen as part of a conventional PowerPoint Participants respond via hand-held keypads Results are automatically collated and displayed on-screen in chart form Data can be captured and stored for further analysis if required.
Getting Started with TurningPoint
You will need to do three things initially: 1. Contact ITS Service Desk to have TurningPoint authoring software installed on your office PC. This can be done remotely. • • Phone ext: 8500 Email: [email protected]
TurningPoint embedds directly in PowerPoint and is very user friendly
2. 3. 4.
2. Author the interactive slides. For details on this see the Turningpoint resource http://www.turningpointun iversities.co.uk/tutorials/index.html 3. Contact SOS AV to book the equipment for your session. • • Email SOS AV City (Clifton or Brackenhurst) Tel: x8599
LECTURES
O
WA NTS
I G A NG E
WH
O
NTS ENG A A W
NG GI
You may also want to use TurningPoint authoring software on your home PC. It is available for free download at http://turningpointuniversities.co.uk/
“Easy to use and fun for participants”
Michael Jayne - Principle Lecturer in Architecture, Design & the Built Environment
“Instant responses allows for me to save the data for evaluation purposes and OfSTED evidence”
Helen Boulton - Learning & Teaching Coordinator in Education.
“Essentially it comes down to time and being organised enough to actually use it!”
Michelle Pepin - Learning & Teaching Co-ordinator in Architecture, Design & the Built Environment
Background: EVS and Higher Education
Although voting systems can be used in small-group teaching, or for boardroom decision-making, the main application of EVS in UK Higher Education is the enhancement of traditional lectures. Usage is widespread with around 52 institutions using EVS nationwide according to Draper, S. (2008). In particular, voting is used to address some of the perceived shortcomings of the lecture format. • • Encourage active learning and engagement Boost participation by offering anonymity of response; immediate and shared results • Provide the lecturer with instant feedback about the group's thinking.
NG
For students, lectures can be passive and superficial learning experiences . For lecturers, it can be hard to gauge student understanding, or to engage large numbers: “there is huge conceptual difference between teaching students or ‘covering’ a topic as it is sometimes referred to, and students learning the information presented” (Exley and Dennick, 2004). Their seemingly simple questions tend to split the class, and then students argue with each other as to the correctness of their own answer. This articulation of their reasoning process is believed to be highly effective in promoting a deep engagement with the concepts.” (Cutts, 2006)
H W
NTUs Eelectronic Voting System provision
NTU uses an EVS called TurningPoint. We currently have 320 handsets, divided between the three campuses as follows: • • • 128 at City campus 128 at Clifton campus 64 at Brackenhurst campus
“This system is extremely useful to get class feedback and to encourage all members of the class to participate”
Pete Bradshaw - School Quality Manager in Education
Resources
An EVS mailing list: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/electronic-voting-systems.html Video from Strathclyde Univeristy available at: http://www.elearning.ac.uk/innoprac/practitioner/strathclydevid.html TurningPoint support: http://turningpointuniversities.co.uk/support/index.html http://www.turningpointuniversities.co.uk/tutorials/index.html
If larger class sizes are required, SOS AV are able to pool handsets across campuses, subject to availability. Early booking for this is recommended, however.
A small number of ‘Quizdom’ systems have been bought in by the School of Education, CELS and in ARES which are locally held by those that purchased the system. There are pros and cons to each system. Quizdom has additional features but TurningPoint was deemded to be easier to use and manage logisically due to the size and longevity of the hardware.
References
Cutts, Q., 2006, In: D. Banks, ed., Audience Response Systems in Higher Education: Applications and Cases.London: Information Science Publishing Draper, S. (2008), "UK handset users and sites", Electronic Voting Systems and interactive lectures, Glasgow University
