Classroom Performance System (CPS)
These hand-held devices (sometimes called "clickers") are used to generate and maintain student engagement, offer a way to synch with Blackboard (not available with pad sets), and can give instructors an immediate, on-the-fly assessment of student comprehension of a given topic. Two options are available for use with CPS: Student owned pads and instructor kits.
Students who are required to purchse the pads they use in the classroom must pay for the pad and register at eInstruction.com. Although this is more expensive for students, a web site for the student is created by eInstruction, which can house all the assessment information faculty choose to upload. Students may then use this as a study site to review their correct and incorrect answers to assignments, test, quizzes, etc. The cost for the student pad is about $25(pads may be purchased at the Memorial Union Bookstore), and the cost for each course is $13 (with a $39 cap on course costs). Online video tutorials and a downloadable print document for student purchased pads are below.
Faculty may prefer to purchase kits of pads at the department level. Each kit contains 32 pads. Although more economical at the onset for students, the online portion of eInstruction is not available to them, making the pads more confined to an "in class" setting. (Students do not register with eInstruction, and therefore have no site space to contain information.) Students must use the same pad number each time classes are attended in order for grades to be correctly applied by the program. A benefit of purchasing kits is that once owned, they may be continued in use for semester after semester.
Online video tutorials and downloadable print document are found below. (Note: eInstruction classifies the pad "kits" as K-12.)
If you are interested in a product demonstration or want more information, call (x6964) or e-mail Sandy Valenti, who will be glad to give you a product tour, order you a faculty starter kit, or put you in contact with an eInstruction representative. To learn more about eInstruction, visit their website at eInstruction.com.