For Staff
...wanting to author e-learning materials
- Using the Course Materials Repository
- Using Online Coursework Submission
- Using the Plagiarism Detection Service
- Using Moodle
- Using WebCT
- Using Perception
- Using a Personal Response System
- SENDA
- Supporting Online Learning
- IPR and Copyright Guidance
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- Training
- Learning and Teaching
Personal Response Systems
Introduction
A Personal Response System (PRS) is a classroom technology that can be used to enhance the classroom experience by providing tutors an electronic way of interacting with students.Most people’s experience of this type of technology is in popular television programmes, such as “Who wants to be a millionaire?” where the participant can ask the audience to assist in the response to difficult questions. This technology (also known as classroom response systems or audience response systems) is increasingly being used within the higher education sector, as it enables the lecturer to interactively engage with a large number of students at the same time.
The process of using PRS, as illustrated in the image below, involves:
- The tutor poses a question, which can either be carried out verbally or displayed using presentation software or from within the PRS software itself.
- Each student has a handset that allows them to choose the preferred option for the answer.
- The handset is then used to transmit this information to a receiver which is attached to the lecturer’s computer.
- The software can be used to aggregate the responses and produce a graphical representation of the results, which can be displayed to the students via a data projector. These results can be discussed and the lecturer can then choose how to proceed with the next part of the lecture.
The system consists of the following:
- Handsets - these pocket-sized radio based handsets comprise a variety of buttons for transmitting responses to different question types (such as multiple-choice, true/false and numeric questions). They include an LCD display that enables students to see their answers, as well as notification that their answer has been received.
- Software - this gives the lecturer the flexibility to create questions within the PRS and/or utilise PowerPoint presentation slides. The lecturer can set up parameters such as time limits, number of choices, number of chances, and other options, as well as import questions from external sources. The lecturer can also select whether answers are anonymous (so no records are kept on individual responses) or known (where each response is recorded in a data file). With the latter option, individual responses can be graded and the results can be recorded and exported to a common Excel format.
- Receiver - the handsets transmit to the receiver which uses radio technology. This technology is faster in operation and more accurate in receiving signals than infrared. One receiver can support lecture halls of up to 2000 students.
What does PRS offer teaching staff?
Research has shown that the use of these systems offer pedagogical benefits to both the lecturer and the students.Benefits to the students:
- Encouragement to actively think about the material being presented improving depth of learning and retention time;
- Anonymity provided by the system encourages all to participate;
- Provides immediate feedback on their own understanding and allows them to benchmark themselves against their peers;
- Makes attending lectures more interesting and fun.
- Can quickly gain a clearer understanding of the level of comprehension in the audience;
- Allows the lecturer to tailor their presentation to meet the unique needs of each audience;
- Encourages attendance for particularly "dry" subjects;
- Facilitate constructive discussion between the students themselves and also between the lecturer and the students.
Support for PRS
- For training in the use of PRS, please contact the Learning Technology Team (email: ltt@essex.ac.uk).
- For loan of the PRS equipment and support with hardware issues, please contact Audiovisual and Media Services (email: avs@essex.ac.uk).
Please note: teaching staff wishing to use PRS will need to have had training in the use of PRS
before they can loan the PRS equipment for classroom teaching.
