Texas Tech University

Classroom Polling Systems (Clickers)

Interested in Using Clickers This Semester?

TTU Worldwide eLearning provides training and support for the use of Turning Technologies student response polling solution (“clickers”). Clicker technology is an effective tool that helps facilitate pedagogical best practices and enhance student learning.

Instructors can immediately gather real-time feedback of course material. Students engage using a ResponseCard clicker or the ResponseWare app to select from a set of multiple choice options. Instructors can then display a chart of the aggregate student responses. As results display, students can see where their comprehension level compares to others and instructors can adapt their teaching in class. Each ResponseCard or ResponseWare app is registered or assigned to an individual student, and responses can be saved for data analysis.

Benefits of Clickers

  • Allow every student to participate—even in large lecture environments
  • Engage students in active learning
  • Increase students' attention and interest
  • Promote class discussion and student collaboration
  • Increase student retention of lecture content and information
  • Gauge student understanding of learning concepts in real-time

Getting Started with Polling Software

All instructors and students must have a Turning Account created with their TTU.edu email address.

  • Note:  If you have created a Turning Account when using ResponseWare, you do not need to create a new account. You will want to connect your Turning Account to your Blackboard course.
  • Note: All students are required to have a Turning Account and License to receive polling grades.
  • Note: See the note below for international students not physically on campus.
  1. Create a Turning Account - login to Blackboard and connect your Turning Account to Blackboard by adding the Turning Account Registration from the Tools menu.
  2. Download the software from your Turning Account left-side panel.
  3. Determine the best TurningPoint Cloud solution for your lecture by reviewing some of the software tutorials. Choose a polling solution that best meets the needs of your environment and teaching style.
    1. PowerPoint Polling: Author and poll interactive slides natively in PowerPoint® with a minimal learning curve. If you know PowerPoint, you know TurningPoint.
    2. AnyWhere Polling:Use existing course material and poll from Keynote® or PowerPoint presentations, PDF documents, web pages, live videos and more. No preparation necessary.
    3. ResponseWare: ResponseWare turns mobile devices into a virtual clicker. Participants can respond to interactive questions with any web-enabled device including smartphones, tablets, laptops or desktops. ResponseWare allows participants to respond via the Internet through any web browser and immediately transfers selections to TurningPoint polling software.
  4. Sign up for online training
  5. Request an Instructor Kit
  6. Submit your clicker order
    1. RFLCD and 1 Year Turning Account Bundle (Clicker & 1 year Turning Account License)
      • Multiple Choice, True/False, Multiple Response Only
      • 1 year of ResponseWare included with the 1 year license
    2. QT2 and 1 Year Turning Account Bundle (Clicker & 1 year Turning Account License)
      • Multiple Choice, True/False, Multiple Response, Short Answer, Numeric Response, Essay
      • 1 year of ResponseWare included with the 1 year license
  7. Update your syllabus
    1. Getting Started/Best Practices
  8. Update your lectures, where necessary
    1. Ensure they are saved in the most current version of PowerPoint
    2. Test your graphs to ensure they converted properly (delete and reinsert if they are not working)
  9. Practice, Practice, Practice
    1. Practice with the software
    2. Become familiar with the direct integration with Blackboard.

Turning Technologies Blackboard Integration

The integration with Blackboard® allows for Turning Technologies users to leverage response devices in class to easily collect student achievement data. You can very simply import a participant list from Blackboard into TurningPoint Cloud and then export assessment data into Blackboard.

Follow the User Guide to get started: Blackboard Integration Tutorial

Extra Password for Blackboard Learn :

  1. When you get to the Integrations step, use the Blackboard Server Address: https://ttu.blackboard.com.
  2. You will need to enter your eRaider user login name.
  3. The password will be a unique TurningPoint password. Please click here to receive your new unique TurningPoint user password (It will look something like this: 3c83xdad2912ca5ac382fba5b73c01cd:12504.)
  4. Copy and paste this new user password into your Connect to Integration screen.

Once you have taken these steps, the software will allow you to update your participants list and export your Turning Point Cloud Session results to a Blackboard course GradeCenter.

NOTE: Important update for International Students not physically on campus:

For international students studying online from their home countries, there is an important update in the TurningPoint registration process. Turning Technologies has created a web page for international students still overseas. These students can purchase subscriptions using the university's address as the billing address.

This will allow validation of the payment. This will only work with subscriptions. It will not work with physical clickers or other Turning Technologies hardware. Below is the link with updated information and instructions. Students can contact Turning support at the bottom of the article.

https://turningtechnologies.force.com/support/s/article/Non-US-Billing-Address-Purchases

(NOTE: Clickers cannot be used for remote instruction, only in-class, face-to-face, where clickers are distributed to students and collected at the end of every class. See ResponseWare mobile app alternative for all remote instruction for synchronous class polling, domestically and internationally.)

Clicker Support - Turning Technologies