Personal Response System
“Ask the Audience in Your Lectures”
AcF213A Students using the PRS
System
The Radio Frequency Personal Response System (PRS) is used
to test students’ understanding through a series of questions. These questions
may take a number of formats; true/false, multiple choice, numerical or
ordering of answers - as used on the Ask the Audience part of the television
programme ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’
Each student is provided with a handset with which they register their
vote for the correct answer. The amount
of time given to answer questions may be adjusted depending on the type of
question being asked. When the students have answered questions, a chart
summary of voting will appear on screen, providing instantaneous feedback on
the students’ understanding of course material.
Advantages of PRS
The PRS
has a number of advantages that have been documented in published teaching
articles. For example, the PRS can:
·
maintain
student interest and levels of concentration,
·
increase
the level of participation in lectures,
·
Facilitate
active learning and allow students to appreciate their level of understanding
and that relative to their peers during class time.
Most
importantly the PRS allows the teacher to discover the level of understanding
of students, then having the ability to revisit material that students found
difficult. Students in the Department of
Accounting and Finance have responded very favourably to the use of this technology
in my classes. The PRS handsets allow
staff to ask different types of questions (i.e. not just Multiple Choice
Questions). Questions can be asked that
require students to give numerical, short text or a succession of multiple
choice answers.
The
accompanying PRS software package can be used in conjunction with PowerPoint
and Excel. This means that a member of
staff can write PRS questions as part of a PowerPoint presentation, rather than
having to switch between software applications.
The clear benefit of using the software with Excel is that students will
be able to log onto a handset using their student id number, class lists having
been previously downloaded. The system
can be used to test students and accurately monitor students’ attendance as
well as progress since individuals are ‘logged in’ and responses can be traced
to an individual student. It is even
flexible enough to use in class tests, or to review homework as students can
upload answers prepared at home at the start of a class.
Experience of Using the PRS
I
have found that this system is very effective at promoting active learning and
providing feedback quickly to students.
Hence, I would expect students to benefit from staff being able to
tailor teaching to the level of understanding of students, while student
interest and concentration levels are maintained. The ability of staff to ask more than just
multiple choice questions will ensure that a much greater number of staff will
see scope for using a PRS, thus benefiting students across the university.
Dr Wendy Beekes and Dr Caroline
Elliott of
Adding the PRS
Software at
The Interwrite PRS software may be
added to your office machine from the ‘Add Programs’ section of the Control
Panel. This software is loaded on to all
teaching machines. However the necessary
updates to machines for running the system are in place in the following LTs
only:
o
Biology
LT
o
Bowland
North Seminar Room 6
o
Elizabeth
Livingstone LT
o
Faraday
LT
o
Furness
LT2
o
Fylde
LT3
o
George
Fox LT 1 & LT 5/6
o
You can’t add on the
hardware yourself and it won’t work unless this is done J. Book a job with the
Helpdesk if your teaching room isn’t here and you wish to use the PRS
Booking the PRS
Handsets in LUMS
The PRS handsets may be booked from
Management School Reception. There are a
total of 350 handsets which are contained in 11 bags (each bag contains 32
handsets). To run the system you need a
bag with a hub in it which is contained in the bag with the ribbon on the
handle. We have 2 hubs, meaning 2 PRS
sessions can be run at the same time in different classes. Please mention to reception the number of
handsets required when booking the PRS, so that this may be co-ordinated in the
booking.
When using the system, please could
you (1) ensure that you count in all of the handsets at the end which you hand
out, and (2) place the hub and the wires back as you found them in the bag with
the ribbon on the handle. Please note:
If you are only running one session and not taking all the bags, please ensure
you only take one hub bag (i.e. only one bag should have a ribbon on the
handle).
Interested in Finding Out More About
the PRS?
Useful
links
For further
information, please contact Wendy Beekes by email w.beekes@lancaster.ac.uk
Updated
27/2/08