A screen shot of the PRS in action.
By Melanie Butler
I decided to serve as the contact person for the mathematics department (and later as the contact person for anyone wishing to learn to use the system in one of the classrooms). This position meant that I would help train instructors to use the PRS, help alleviate problems, and just generally try to keep enthusiasm high. It also meant that I would need to be successful using the PRS in my fall 2004 College Algebra classroom of 200 students. Through these processes, I learned some things about students and new technology.
Something will always go wrong!
Learning to use the new PRS was somewhat daunting. The only training provided by the university occurred a mere week before classes started. By learning the system on my own and through contacts with the company, I was able to help the other instructors get a head start. Having someone in the department willing to take on this responsibility made a difference in the learning curve that we all experienced. The departments where someone stepped forward are using the technology, whereas the departments that didn’t have a contact are having more trouble getting it off the ground.
As the semester began (and we had less time to learn about the PRS than we had hoped), things went wrong. The transmitters wouldn’t send a signal. The software wouldn’t run on the computer. People were upset. At this point, it was important for one person to remain optimistic and ready to work on the problems. As the semester has progressed, we have had fewer and fewer problems (or at least we have learned to deal with the problems that we encounter in a better way). Giving ourselves time to deal with the new technology, to feel frustrated but to keep working was very important.
The students will do it!
Before the semester began, we were all nervous about how the students would respond to the PRS. Being nervous about using the technology ourselves only made the problem worse. I walked into my college algebra classroom with the attitude that this technology was new, fun, and that we were going to use it faithfully. The students didn’t bat an eye. Many of these students have grown up in a time when they are constantly adjusting to new technology. The students took this new aspect of the course as they would any other change (a new text, a new syllabus, etc.).
The PRS questions were factored into the students’ attendance grades. A relaxed attitude toward the PRS helped the students to feel comfortable with the new technology on which they would be graded. I didn’t get upset if something went wrong, and neither did the students. If the PRS didn’t work for whatever reason, I made sure that the students understood that it wouldn’t affect their grades.
Students like to have a say!
There is something neat about asking a question to 200 people and being able to see immediately (or in 30 seconds or so) what everyone thinks. Would you like me to do another example like this? Why were the grades on this last test so much better? How do you factor this polynomial? As an instructor and as a student there are so many benefits to seeing what everyone thinks (plus it’s just cool).
Moreover, as a student, it is great to have a say on what is going on in the classroom. When the graph of student responses is displayed, every vote is counted. 156 students understand this example, or 122 students need more explanation. Asking the students a question, considering their responses, and adjusting a lecture accordingly does a world of good for showing 200 students that you care about them. With the PRS, I can easily do these steps several times a class. It’s too soon to say if the grades will show any effects from PRS use (I had one section with PRS and one section without), but, from an instructor’s perspective, classroom engagement was definitely affected.
I plan to use the PRS in a college algebra class in the fall. I also plan to help more people learn the technology and the benefits that it can bring. Members of the IML are currently conducting research into the effects of PRS use. I hope to see more research and resources for PRS use in the future.
Melanie Butler is a member of the Institute for Mathematics Learning at West Virginia University. Please feel free to contact her at mbutler@math.wvu.edu.