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Interwrite PRS User Manual

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InterWrite PRS
User's Guide

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  • Page 1 InterWrite PRS User’s Guide...
  • Page 3 Its use as an electronic audience response testing and polling system is unrivalled, but the real appeal of PRS lies in its ability to provide an instructor with instant feedback about each student’s understanding of the lesson or lecture. The InterWrite Personal Response System (PRS) easily tracks and records each individual response coming in from the audience.
  • Page 4 This is the setup phase of the PRS system. In the vernacular of this section of PRS, Classes are defined and, typically, associated with a Roster of students.
  • Page 5 The primary function of the Classes section is to uniquely name a Class and type it. When PRS is used in an RF environment, the RF-Type Class is the focal point of operation. The options on the RF Menu (described in the Menu section of this chapter) illustrate this point.
  • Page 6 Chapter 1 Response Map During a typical PRS Session in an IR environment, a Lesson is presented to the students in the Class. A Question and its Response options are displayed at the top of the Session dialog and a Response Grid or At- tendee List is displayed at the bottom in the Response Area.
  • Page 7 Many textbook publishers provide electronic Question Sets with their textbooks. Most use the QTI XML storage format for their Question Sets, which is supported by PRS, so they can be easily imported directly into a PRS Lesson. PRS’s powerful Question Editor can then be used to modify...
  • Page 8 Response Grid in RF. The recorded Responses from a PRS PowerPoint Session are saved in a standard PRS Session file. The file is listed in the Sessions Section List Win- dow, making PowerPoint Session results accessible to the Session functions described next.
  • Page 9 Chapter 1 InterWrite PRS – Sessions Sessions A Lesson is presented during a Session to the students in a Class for their Responses. A Session can be started from the Sessions section, or from the Lessons section. Below is a summary of the process leading up to, and including, the Session.

  • Page 10: Self Paced Mode

    No Lesson While the purpose of this manual is to describe the features of PRS, it is important to note that one can easily use the assessment and testing functionality of PRS’s audience response system without using its Lesson capabilities.
  • Page 11 Every teacher knows each class has its own dynamic—no two classes are the same. The PRS system can be used to present and review content in a way that keeps the students in each class engaged and to immediately evaluate their level of comprehension, giving the teacher the flexibility and functionality to react accordingly.

  • Page 12: Screen Elements

    The Section Tabs provide a way of moving from one section to another. Each of the four PRS sections has a set of Function Buttons that allow you to create, edit, and delete the components of that section with additional, specialized functions specific to the section.
  • Page 13 Default System Font By default, the display font used throughout the PRS system in Windows is Comic Sans MS. The default font on the Mac is Arial. Click on the Down Arrow to display a list of the fonts installed on the computer.
  • Page 14 Start Class This menu option displays the Start RF Class dialog, the same dialog displayed when PRS is started up (and an RF Receiver is installed). Stop Class This menu option is selected when you want to end the RF Class.
  • Page 15 Use this menu item only when an RF Receiver is attached to a USB port on the computer. Or, when the RF Receiver has been moved from one USB port to another after the PRS software has been started. Configuring Normal is the default Clicker Type.

  • Page 16: Connection Menu

    InterWrite PRS – PRS Menus Chapter 1 Configuring The Student ID is attached to each transmission sent to the PRS software. In the Open Class paradigm, the student enters his Student ID, which is saved Clickers for a Closed Class in the memory of his personal Clicker.
  • Page 17 Chapter 1 InterWrite PRS – PRS Menus Port Check menu option, verify the IR Receiver is powered-on, and send a signal from a powered-on IR Clicker to the IR Receiver. If the IR Receiver is connected to the COM port you selected in the Connection Menu, a Clicker Identified message will appear in the black Port Check window.

  • Page 18: View Menu

    Session, you can set up PRS to accept input from the computer keyboard that simulates Clicker input signals. When you want to test a Lesson, you can run a test Session without having a PRS Receiver connected to your computer.
  • Page 19 This option links to the GTCO CalComp Web site where it checks for the Updates current version of the InterWrite PRS software. If there is a newer version of the software, you will be given the option to download it. You should check for updates periodically to make sure you have the latest and greatest version of the PRS software.
  • Page 20 InterWrite PRS – PRS Menus Chapter 1 Basic Operating Instructions for IR Clickers...
  • Page 21 Chapter 1 InterWrite PRS – PRS Menus Responding to Different Question Types Using the IR Clicker...
  • Page 22 InterWrite PRS – PRS Menus Chapter 1 Self Paced Session Instructions This set of instructions describes how to respond to Questions during a Self Paced Session when using an IR Clicker. Confidence Level A Confidence Level designation allows a student to qualify his Response to a Question.
  • Page 23 PRS and Blackboard possible. The primary focus of this User’s Guide, though, is the PRS software. A chapter is devoted to each of the four tabbed Sections of the PRS soft- ware with detailed descriptions of each section’s functions and proce- dures.
  • Page 24 Chapter Seven PRS Registration Applications This chapter first describes how to install and set up the Web-based PRS Registration Application, and then how to install the PRS Blackboard Registration Application and set up the PRS Tab in Blackboard. Both applications are included on the InterWrite PRS CD.

  • Page 25: Windows Installation

    Windows by an Administrator. Installation Log in as Administrator. Insert the PRS CD into the CD drive on your PC. The installer will autorun. If it doesn’t, click on the Start button on the Windows Task Bar and select Run from the menu.
  • Page 26 Hardware Receivers and IR Clickers support a one-way, line-of-sight transmission from Clickers to Receivers and on to the PRS software. The RF Receiver Hubs and RF Clicker Remotes support two-way radio frequency transmis- sion. Responses are transmitted from RF Clickers to RF Receivers to the PRS software and status messages are returned via the Receiver to the individual Clickers.

  • Page 27: Receiver Installation

    The RF Receiver is automatically assigned to a COM Port and that infor- mation is communicated to the PRS software, so there is no need to set the COM Port on the Connection Menu. In a Windows installation: The unsigned RF Receiver driver is already installed on your computer.

  • Page 28: Input Keys

    PRS System Installation – RF Clicker Chapter 2 The RF Clicker ships with the batteries installed, so there is no real setup Clicker involved. Setup and Operation Input Keys Multiple Choice Option Keys 2-Line Numeric Keypad Display Navigation Keys Minus Sign...

  • Page 29: Navigation Keys

    RF Clicker begins Autoscanning for a Class to join. 2a Press the Quick Jump number, displayed in angle Brackets (< >) on the PRS Status Bar, to quickly find your Class. Scroll , if necessary, to your Class and press...

  • Page 30: Key Command

    Clicker configured as a Master or Closed Master Clicker enables the instructor to send commands to the PRS software during a Session and control the presentation from anywhere in the room. The following table summarizes the key assignments for an RF Clicker configured as a Master Clicker.
  • Page 31 Chapter 2 PRS System Installation – IR Receiver IR Receiver The IR Receiver must be positioned at the front of the room where it can capture the line-of-sight signals from the IR Clickers. A glass window on the Setup and...
  • Page 32 GTCO CalComp if you require a special configuration. Contact information is in the Appendix. Making the The PRS software needs to be informed where to pick up data collected Connection by the IR Receiver. It needs to be told which COM port the Receiver is connected to.
  • Page 33 Menu, select a COM Port and run a Port Check, as documented in Chapter One, PRS Menus. Repeat for each COM Port. If the IR Receiver still fails to show up, leave it connected and restart the computer. In most cases, the IR Receiver will now show up as connected to the COM Port.
  • Page 34 Responses, depending on the type of Question being asked. Clicker Operation Instruction sets can be accessed from the Help Menu (Chapter One, PRS Menus). Display the relevant instruction set prior to the beginning of the Session.
  • Page 35 L Modifier Keys, which on a regular IR Clicker are used to attach a Confi- dence Level to a Response, are used on the Master IR Clicker in combination with the Command Response Keys to send commands to the PRS software instead of Responses.
  • Page 36 PRS, the PRS Default Data Directory is pointing to the correct drive letter for the Flash Drive. If it’s not, PRS will build new a default data directory on the local drive, and it won’t see the PRS directory on the Flash Drive.
  • Page 37 Chapter 3 Classes Classes is the section of PRS where each meeting, or Class, is defined and profiled. The primary function of the Classes section is to establish an association between the Class profile and the Roster of students in that Class.
  • Page 38 The Class When PRS detects an RF Receiver connected to the computer, it goes into RF Mode. Upon startup of a new installation of PRS, you will be in the reminded that you have not defined any RF-Type Classes and, as a result, Environment have no Classes to start.
  • Page 39 Chapter 3 Classes – New RF Class A Class Roster does not have to be in place in order to run a Session. Each RF Clicker has been registered to the student’s Student ID. (The RF Clicker will Autoscan for Classes, but will not allow the student to join a Class until a Student ID has been entered and saved.) The Student ID is transmitted with every Response, providing a way of identifying the student and attributing his Response.
  • Page 40 Class ID must be unique and should not be used by any other PRS users within 500 feet of your location. If you were to share a Class ID with another classroom within that radius, the Clickers in that other classroom could join your Closed Class.
  • Page 41 Chapter 3 Classes – New RF Class Settings Response Map A limitation of the IR environment that does not exist in the RF environment is that there is no way to return receipt confirmation messages to the IR Clickers. In that environment, user identification is displayed in a Response Box to confirm that a Response from that user was received during a Session.
  • Page 42 Classes – New RF Class Settings Chapter 3 You can establish, as part of the Class definition, the default settings for how you want the Results Chart window to display for this Class. The following table describes the options for each of the Chart window settings. Option Settings Description...
  • Page 43 The Class The Class identifies and names a group of students. The Class definition addresses three different aspects of the PRS Class: 1) Class Name and Type, in the IR 2) the Response Map, which assigns each student a fixed position in the...
  • Page 44 Class Roster to a permanent location in a Response Grid. It is a virtual seating chart. The Response Grid is displayed in the Response Area below the Ques- tion and Response Choices. In a PRS PowerPoint Lesson Session, the Response Grid can be sized and moved to any location over the Question Slide.
  • Page 45 Response Map field above the Response Map List Window. Add more Rows and Columns if you either expect more students, or plan to run test Sessions and use Key Input (Chapter One, PRS Menus, Connec- tion Menu) to simulate Response transmissions.
  • Page 46 Classes – IR Class Response Map Chapter 3 Select either the Sequential or Random response option and click on the Next button. The Response Map Row/Column prompt displays. Use this option to de- scribe how you want the individual Re- sponse Boxes arranged in the grid.
  • Page 47 Chapter 3 Classes – IR Class Response Map Use the green arrow buttons to reposition the yellow Assignment Block. Click on the Clear button to remove the Clicker ID currently in the Response Box with the Assignment Block. Click on the Resume button to activate the Assignment Block and register the correct Clicker ID to that Response Box.
  • Page 48 Classes – IR Class Settings Chapter 3 Grid Settings The options set in the Grid Settings section below the Response Map Section Function Buttons pertain to the Response Map defined here. Each setting is described in the table below. Option Settings Description Bottom Line...
  • Page 49 Chapter 3 Classes – IR Class Settings Default Settings Default settings for the Response Grid Window and the Results Chart Window are established on this tab. These windows are displayed during a Session. Some of the settings established here can be changed on the New Session dialog before the Session is begun.
  • Page 50 Classes – IR Class Settings Chapter 3 Option Settings Description and overwrite the initial Response in that Re- sponse Box. All overwritten Responses will have already been recorded, so no Response data are lost when a smaller Response Grid is defined. This is the opposite of what happens when a Response Map is defined.
  • Page 51 Chapter 3 Classes – IR Class Settings Option Settings Description Automatically Yes/No When this option is set to Yes, after the Timer has Advance expired and the Results Chart has been closed, Question the next Question will automatically display. When set to No, you must manually advance to the next Question in the Session.
  • Page 52 Classes – IR Class Settings Chapter 3 Chart Section Responses are graphed to provide immediate, visual feedback about the Response distribution for each Question during a Session, making the Results Chart an excellent tool for on-the-spot assessment. After a Question is run during a Session, the Results Chart is displayed either automatically, or manually by clicking on the Show Chart button on the Session dialog Toolbar.
  • Page 53 Chapter 3 Classes – Class Function Buttons Select a Class definition in the Classes List Window. Click on the Edit Class Function Button. The Class definition window displays. Make your changes to any of the settings in the tabbed sections. Note that everything about the Class definition can be edited, except the Class Name.
  • Page 54 Class until he has entered his Student ID. A Class Roster can be created by adding names here in the PRS application, or a Roster can be imported. Existing Class Rosters can be imported into, as well as disassociated, or removed, from the Class.
  • Page 55 Web-based PRS Registration Application described in Chapter Seven. The Web-based PRS Registration Application can be set up so that students required to buy a PRS Transmitter for one or more classes can register online for those classes. The resulting Roster, in addition to being managed online in the Admin portion of the PRS Registration application, can be downloaded to the PRS/Roster directory for import into a Class definition.
  • Page 56 .csv file format. Imported Rosters can come from a variety of sources. They can be created in PRS for another Class, created as a .csv file in Excel, downloaded from the PRS Web Registration Application (Chapter Seven), or created in a Course Management System, such as Blackboard (Chapter Seven), WebAssist or Web CT.
  • Page 57 Student ID and, for IR, the IR Clicker ID number. Click on the Add button to save the profile to the PRS database in the PRS/Roster directory. The Add Names To Roster dialog is persistent, allowing you to edit and add as many profiles as needed to the Class Roster.
  • Page 58 Classes – Class Roster Function Buttons Chapter 3 Select the name you want to delete from the Class Roster and click on the Delete Name From Roster Function Button. A prompt will display to verify that you want to delete the selected name from the Class Roster.
  • Page 59 Chapter 4 Lessons is the section where you define and organize your questionnaires, PRS Lessons which are called Lessons. Each Lesson is made up of a series of Questions. The Lessons main screen, shown below, is divided into two panes. The Lessons are organized in the Lesson Tree in the left pane.
  • Page 60 Branch in the Lesson Tree. In the context of the PRS system, a Lesson is a questionnaire and consists of a series of Questions. The Lesson is merely a storage container for the Questions and their default presentation settings.
  • Page 61 Chapter 4 Lessons – Question List Window The Question The Question Function Buttons become active when a Lesson is selected in the Lesson Tree. New Questions can be created for the Lesson, and List Window existing Questions can be edited, copied and deleted. Questions can also be rearranged in the Question List Window by moving them up or down.
  • Page 62 Lessons – New Lesson Chapter 4 The New Lesson Function Button is used to create Branches in the Lesson Tree and Lessons within those Lesson Tree Branches. To create a Branch, click on the location in the Lesson Tree where you want the new Branch to appear and click on the New Lesson Function Button.
  • Page 63 Chapter 4 Lessons – New Lesson, Defaults Option Settings Description with smaller, classroom-size groups. But, with groups of several hundred, serial processing can be an issue. Just be sure to set enough time on the Timer so that every student has a reasonable chance of getting their Responses to each Question processed.
  • Page 64 Lessons – New Lesson, Defaults Chapter 4 Option Settings Description Response will not count against the number of Chances a student has to answer the Question. The instructor should inform the students how many chances they have to select the right Response during the allotted time for each Question, and remind them to watch the Re- sponse Grid (IR environment) to make sure all...
  • Page 65 Lesson. As described earlier, Lessons are made up of Question Sets. These Question Sets can be imported into a PRS Lesson from a variety of sources, shown in the screen shot below. Note that you can opt to use the question default settings from the imported file, or you can unselect this option at the top of the Informa- tion tab and set PRS Question Defaults on the Question Defaults tab.
  • Page 66 Lessons – Export Lesson Chapter 4 When you choose to import a Question Set into a PRS Lesson, the PRS directory will display in the left pane. Browse to the directory where the files of the File Type you chose are stored. When you have reached the...
  • Page 67 Branch and click on the Select button. A prompt will display verifying the location of the file containing the exported Sub-Lessons. If this file is moved to another PRS system and is imported, it will recreate the Branch in the Lesson Tree and all the Sub- Lessons in that Branch.
  • Page 68 Lessons – New Question Chapter 4 A Lesson is made up of a series of Questions. When you have profiled the Lesson, click on the New Question Function Button to display the Question Editor, shown below. The editing tools you can use when creating a Question are arranged in the Toolbar.
  • Page 69 The PRS Question Editor is an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) editor. It has somewhat different formatting requirements than a standard text editor. The special- ized HTML Editing Tools described above provide the formatting commands you...

  • Page 70: Question Types

    Lessons – Question Types Chapter 4 Question Types You can choose from among five Question Types: • Multiple Choice • Numeric • Answer Series • True/False • Short Answer The Question Editor interfaces changes to accommodate the different Question Types. Following are some notes about what those differences mean when you are profiling the different Question Types.
  • Page 71 Chapter 4 Lessons – Question Types will click on the checkbox of the correct Response. When you do, the bar along the left side of the correct Question Choice will display as blue. Multiple correct Multiple Choice Questions are also an option. Simply click on the checkboxes of the correct Choices.
  • Page 72 Lessons – Question Types Chapter 4 Answer Series Question Type The Answer Series Question expects Responses in which the Answers are arranged in a predetermined order. For example, each Response might be a specific historical event and the Question would instruct the student to put the events in order from earliest to most recent.
  • Page 73 Chapter 4 Lessons – Question Types True/False Question Type Enter the statement in the Q window pane and indicate whether it is true or false by clicking on the radio button in the appropriate Response pane. RF Clickers have a key and an key, IR Clickers do not.
  • Page 74 Lessons – Question Types Chapter 4 Short Answer Question Type Short Answers can contain up to 11 alphanumeric characters. You will enter the correct Response in the Answer field. Students with RF Clickers will enter all the characters in the Short Answer Response and then press to send the answer.
  • Page 75 Chapter 4 Lessons – Question Function Buttons In the Lesson Tree, select the Lesson that contains the Question you want to edit. The Lesson’s Questions will display in the Question List Window in the right pane. Select the Question you want to edit. Click on the Edit Question Function Button to display the Question Editor.
  • Page 76 Lessons – Question Function Buttons Chapter 4 Click on the Select All Function Button to select all the Questions in the List Window. Each Question will have a green checkmark in the checkbox to the left of the Question to indicate it is selected. All selected Questions are included when this Lesson is presented during a Session.
  • Page 77 Windows and the Mac. In an IR environment, when a PowerPoint Slide Show with PRS Question Slides is run, PRS views this as a PRS Session and a New Session dialog displays, allowing you to configure the Session and indicate whether you want to display a Response Grid or Attendee List in the Response Area when a PRS Question Slide is encountered.
  • Page 78 Question Settings options. The settings you choose here will be saved with this PowerPoint slide, and the InterWrite PRS logo will display on the slide to identify it as a PRS PowerPoint Question Slide. The logo can be moved to any location on the Question slide.
  • Page 79 Question, leave this setting at the default Yes. On the other hand, you may have set up your presentation in such a way that PRS Slides further on in the Slide Show might reveal something that will hint at the correct answer in an earlier slide.
  • Page 80 Power- Point Slide Show. By default, the Enable PRS Session option is checked so that when you run this PRS PowerPoint Slide Show, PRS will automatically launch and the New Session dialog will display. If you want to run the PRS PowerPoint Slide Show so you can review the PRS Question Slides without launching PRS, clear the Enable PRS Session checkbox.
  • Page 81 By default, PRS is installed in the InterWrite PRS folder. Select the PRS AddIn.ppa file and click on the Open button. The PRS Add-in file will be listed in the Add-in List. Click on the OK button. Restart PowerPoint.
  • Page 82 Chapter 4 (This page left blank intentionally.)
  • Page 83 Appendix Appendix PRS Hardware IR RECEIVER SPECIFICATIONS Dimensions: 2.4 x 4.7 x 1.6 inches (60 x 120 x 41 mm) Specifications Weight: 3.8 ounces (108 grams) Power: 8-15V DC (via signal cable) Reception Cone Angle: Approximately 90 degrees IR CLICKER TRANSMITTER SPECIFICATIONS Dimensions: 2.25 x 4.25 x 1 inch (56 x 107 x 25 mm)
  • Page 84 Regulatory Statements Appendix These devices comply with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: These devices may not cause harmful interference, and These devices must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits of a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules.

  • Page 85: Declaration Of Conformity

    Appendix Declaration of Conformity PRS IR Receiver Declaration of Conformity Declaration of Conformity The “CE“ mark on this device indicates compliance under the EMC 89//336/ EEC Directive. Declaration of conformity according to ISO/IEC Guide 22 and EN 45014 Manufacturer’s Name: GTCO CalComp,Inc.
  • Page 86 Declaration of Conformity Appendix PRS IR Clicker Transmitter Declaration of Conformity The “CE“ mark on this device indicates compliance under the EMC 89//336/ EEC Directive. Declaration of conformity according to ISO/IEC Guide 22 and EN 45014 Manufacturer’s Name: GTCO CalComp,Inc.
  • Page 87 Appendix Declaration of Conformity PRS RF Receiver Hub Declaration of Conformity The “CE“ mark on this device indicates compliance under the EMC 89//336/ EEC Directive. Declaration of conformity according to ISO/IEC Guide 22 and EN 45014 Manufacturer’s Name: GTCO CalComp,Inc.
  • Page 88 Declaration of Conformity Appendix PRS RF Clicker Remote Declaration of Conformity The “CE“ mark on this device indicates compliance under the EMC 89//336/ EEC Directive. Declaration of conformity according to ISO/IEC Guide 22 and EN 45014 Manufacturer’s Name: GTCO CalComp,Inc.

  • Page 89: European Union Emission Directive

    Appendix European Union Directives European Union Emission Directive This product is in conformity with the protection requirements of EU Council Directive 89/366/ECC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to electromagnetic compatibility. This product has been tested and found to comply with the limits for Class B Information Technology Equipment according to CISPR 22/European Standard EN55022.

  • Page 90: Limited Warranty

    Coverage Parts and labor are warranted for one (1) year from the date of the first consumer purchase for the InterWrite PRS Receivers and Clickers. This warranty applies to the original consumer purchaser only. This warranty does not apply to any product purchased outside the United States or Canada.
  • Page 91 Appendix Limited Warranty Disclaimer of Unstated Warranties The warranty printed above is the only warranty applicable to this purchase. ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABIL- ITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. Assuming the warranty above stated is otherwise applicable, it is expressly understood and agreed that GTCO CalComp’s sole liability, whether in contract, tort, under any warranty, in negligence, or otherwise, shall be for the repair or replacement of the defective parts, and under no circumstances shall GTCO CalComp be liable for special, indirect, or consequential...
  • Page 92 PRS Web Registration – The Admin Module Appendix GTCO CalComp, Inc. GTCO CalComp, Inc. GTCO CalComp GmbH 8224 East Evans Road 7125 Riverwood Drive Kreiller Strasse 24 Scottsdale, AZ 85260 Columbia, MD 21046 81673 Muenchen Germany TEL: 800.856.0732 TEL: 800.344.4723 TEL: +49 (0) 89 370012-0 480.948.6540...

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