Designing an EVS hardware management
system
Paul Burt
Senior Learning and Technology Adviser
Centre for Educational and Academic Development (CEAD)
University of Surrey – key facts
 circa 12K students
 four faculties:
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Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Faculty of Management and Law
 single compact campus in Guildford
3
EVS ownership
 the university purchased 1000 TurningPoint RF handsets in
2006
 a further 1500 purchased in 2007
 45 USB receivers owned
EVS Pilot 2006-2007
 aimed to learn how lecturers approach using EVS
 varying class sizes (40 – 200) and levels
 focused on those lecturers willing to use it regularly
 frequent session observations, supported by ongoing dialogue with
CEAD staff
 different handset distribution models trialled
 loan for semester (admin by lecturer/department)
 distributed by lecturer at each session
 distributed by CEAD staff at each session
Pilot findings – hardware management

student attitude towards handsets
 low perceived monetary value = little care taken
 if students had handsets for extended duration then many returned
‘dirty’ from being in bottom of bags/pencil cases

manual loan system
 difficulty of documenting handset codes
 deciphering handwritten names
 greater losses than per session distribution

distribution per session
 only really manageable in small cohorts (<30)
 difficulty of dealing with latecomers/early leavers
 difficulty of dealing with multiple room exits
Objectives – hardware management
 maximise use and availability of a limited resource to support
widespread usage
 many of the distribution models trialled in the pilot were not
sustainable in terms of requiring staffing resource to implement
 not financially possible to sustain regular handset losses
 want to encourage regular, rather then infrequent, EVS usage
 unlike in pilot, high probability of having in-range sessions operating
simultaneously and therefore need to avoid radio interference by
using unique RF channels
Solution – hardware management
students:
 borrow an single handset each via Library
staff:
 attend “Using an Electronic Voting System to Support Active
Learning” three hour course
 fill in web form to request to teach with EVS
 once request approved, are lent USB receiver
(paper loan form used)
 receivers all programmed to unique RF channels
 given a slide to append to presentations that shows channel number
 given leaflets to pass onto students
Setting the channel on your voting handset
This session is on channel XX
1. Press GO
(light flashes red/green)
2. Enter the two-digit channel number
3. Press GO (light goes green)
Important: if the light does not end on green
you have not successfully changed the
channel and need to try again
8
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Student buy-in leaflet
Solution – Library handset loans
led to the following challenges:
 convincing Library colleagues to take on responsibility
 individual handsets needed to be available on shelves
 lack of physical space on handset to attach TALIS compatible
barcode
 need to prevent theft of handsets from library
 desire to raise perceived value of handsets
 desire to offer physical protection to handsets
 need to provide handset instructions (channel reprogramming)
Solution – handset cases
 students use self-issue
facility to borrow
handset
 handset is in a case
which can only be
unlocked by decoupler
in Library foyer
 channel reprogramming
instructions on rear of
case
Handset cases – in detail
 small lockable cases imported from Hong Kong
 foam inserts designed in-house and made by foam specialist
 paper sleeves designed in-house and printed/die-cut
 handsets etched using ‘Selectamark’
 temp staff employed for assembly (approx four people/two
weeks)
Reflections and evaluation*
pros:
 zero financial loss over 2.5 years of operating
loan system (approx three students have
paid for replacements)
 students now unquestioning of method
cons:
 not ideal for staff new to EVS to experiment
 semester long loan prevents maximising
usage when staff don’t commit to using EVS
regularly
 students forgetting handsets
* student employed to evaluate system 2008