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Classroom Performance System (CPS) is a student response system developed by eInstruction which allows faculty to receive immediate feedback from students wirelessly with the use of small handheld devices commonly referred to as 'clickers' (displayed on the right).
CPS can be used in conjunction with Blackboard to create a complete interactive learning experience. You can use CPS in the classroom to engage your students and provide them with instant feedback and then upload results from your class assessments conducted with CPS to Blackboard.
Hardware - The following components are needed to run CPS in a classroom or lecture hall: computer with CPS software on it, projector, receiver, CPS chackboard, and a response pad (clicker).
To watch an interactive overview on What is CPS please click here.
Additionally, please see the specs below for the computer requirements. NIU smart classrooms have the CPS software already installed on Faculty Member stations.
Software - The CPS software is included with the receiver unit. NIU has been provided with a site license and free upgrades for the life of the adoption.
More details regarding the system are available from eInstruction at www.einstruction.com.
To use Classroom Performance System in their classes faculty will need to have a CPS kit which includes a receiver, a response pad (clicker) and CPS software installation CD. NIU faculty should request their CPS kits through an eInstruction representative Susan Junior:
Susan Junior
sjunior@einstruction.com
eConsultant, eInstruction
Classroom Performance System CPS
(Office) 630.778.8523
(Cell) 630.542.0218
Faculty will need to provide the following information with the request:
School Name
Department
Course Name
Number of Students and Number of Sections
Faculty Name, E-mail, Telephone
Number of Faculty Starter Kits
Bookstore Contact Name, Address, and Telephone
Faculty will be given an ISBN number by the eInstruction representative which they can use to place an order through the NIU Bookstore to have students purchase CPS kits for their courses. When placing an order with the bookstore, faculty should provide an ISBN number, the number of pads and the eInstruction fax number (940.565.0959) for the bookstore to send the purchase order.
eInstruction will contact faculty members within 10 days by sending them a test kit, set-up instructions, a receiver and the CPS software. A faculty set-up code will be sent in an e-mail.
Click here for details concerning installation of CPS on a PC.
This resource page provides details on how to setup your CPS class roster in Blackboard and then have it automatically sync with the CPS software on your computer.
After the faculty member regisers the Blackboard course with CPS, students can then login to Blackboard and go to "Tools click CPS Connection" to register their clicker with. This step permits the student to then participate in assessments and class activities with their clicker.
Reports may be directly uploaded from CPS to the Blackboard gradebook. These same reports may also be applied to the CPS gradebook – faculty are able to keep them in one or the other place, or both, it’s up to them. All uploaded reports are also sent to the CPS system – however, most people using Blackboard tools opt to disregard this part of the system. If a study guide is uploaded, it will ONLY go to the CPS system and not Blackboard.
The requirements for uploading a report to Blackboard are rather simple: the report MUST be attached to a class that has been directly imported from Blackboard.
To upload a report to the Blackboard gradebook:
1. Select a report for a class that is within Blackboard
2. Press "Upload"
When you login to Blackboard, the gradebook for that class and enrollment will contain the newly uploaded data.
CPS offers a variety of online training sessions for faculty using CPS. These online training seminars are a great way to learn about your Classroom Performance System. All sessions are free of charge.
To view the schedule of upcoming training sessions or to register for a session, click here.
In addition, a wide variety of video tutorials are avialable here.
eInstruction offers a wide variety of customer support options for both faculty and students. Complete details regarding eInstruction customer support are available here.
To speak directly with a technical support representative, please call: 888-333-4988. Click here to email a technical support representative.
Bibliography of Classroom Response System Literature - Vanderbuilt University
eInstruction Best Practices & Support - Purdue University
eInstruction Best Practices & Support - University of Central Florida
eInstruction Best Practices & Support - University of Wisconsin Madison
Educause Learning Initiative (2005). 7 things you should know about clickers. Available online at http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7002.pdf
Guthrie, R. W. & Carlin, A. (2004). Waking the dead: Using interactive technology to engage passive listeners in the classroom. Proceedings of the Tenth Americas Conference on Information Systems. Available online at http://www.mhhe.com/cps/docs/CPSWP_WakindDead082003.pdf
Martyn, M. A. (2007). Clickers in the Classroom: An Active Learning Approach. Educause Quarterly (2), 71-74. Available online at http://www.educause.edu/LibraryDetailPage/666?ID=EQM0729
Woods, H. A. & Chiu, C. (2003). Wireless response technology in college classrooms. The Technology Source, September/October 2003. Available online at http://technologysource.org/article/wireless_response_technology_in_college_classrooms
| PC Minimum Requirements | Mac Minimum Requirements |
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Yes! The CPS software can be run on either PC or Mac.
All CPS downloads are available here.
NIU faculty have created an email group to facilitate communication and coordination among faculty using CPS at NIU. More details regarding this email group, including a link to join the email group, is available at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/niuclickers/
If you plan to sync information from CPS with Blackboard, yes. You must have students register the clickers through their Blackboard accounts if you expect them to work with the Blackboard gradebook.
eInstruction offers a wide variety of customer support options for both faculty and students. To speak directly with a technical support representative, please call: 888-333-4988. Click here to email a technical support representative.
Blackboard FAQAdditional questions?
Do you have other Blackboard questions that you can't find answers for? NIU faculty and staff can submit your question to the Blackboard experts here. Also, consider attending an upcoming Blackboard workshop.**Note - Support is only provided for NIU faculty and staff.
Last Updated: 09/05/2007