Instructor's FAQs

ctalk email address: ctalk@physics.utexas.edu

UT-cps-homepage: http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~ctalk/faqs/index.htm (Section numbers below are referred to this page)


 

Password:

1. What if I forget the password to my account at eInstruction?

·         Email eInstruction tech support directly at techsupp@einstruction.com. (See Sec. I.5, for more information on technical support.) 

 

2. What if I forget my password to get into my class record (Sec. II.2) on the web?

·         Please send your email to ctalk  to ask for your password word, which is referred to as the “signup password”.

 

Using the system in the classroom:

3.  During a question/answer session, how do I change the respond board size.

·         Click the "Grid" button on the response board to toggle between the enlarged-mode and reduced mode.

 

4. What happens if I forget to close the response board/ or the question menu bar at the end of a class?

·         Send an email to ctalk right away, we might or might not be able to redeem your record.

 

5.  What happens if you have opened cps-system did not ask any question on that day?

·         You will receive an automatically generated email informing you that the class record is empty.

 

6.  Is the UT-cps Support Project affiliated with eInstruction?

·         No, it is not. Our project could have been named as: UT- Wireless Classroom Communication System Support project. "Classroom communication system" is a generic term for a system, which is, by means of hi-tech, designed
* to promote classroom attendance and participation,
* to engage students' attention and
* to make the instructor more aware of the comprehension level of the class.

We believe in this approach. Many students in our past and present classes have benefited from this approach.

The goal of our support-project is to improve the quality of undergraduate teaching, especially large-class teaching on our campus through promoting and supporting the use of wireless classroom communication system(s).

The present cps-system represents our best effort in getting a cost-effective system for our instructors/students. As far as our support-project is concerned, we would like to make sure that the present system continues to stay competitive. In the future, if a better system coming along, we may consider switching to it to further benefit instructors/students.

 

7.  Since students need to pay to use the cps-system, is there any departmental endorsement on the use of the system?

·         In UT Physics Department, the undergraduate committee has reviewed the use of cps-system in physics classes. Below is the committee's position. The use of cps-system is meant
* to promote classroom attendance and participation,
* to engage students' attention and
* to make the instructor more aware of the comprehension level of the class.

Since a student pay the enrollment fee only once in a semester, the more classes using the system, the more benefit will it be to the student. Its usage is on a voluntary bases. The committee endorses the use of the cps-system, including the ongoing fee structure.

 

Classroom equipped with/without CPS:

8.       Which classrooms in College of Natural Science (CNS) are equipped with CPS?

·         Following CNS multi-media classrooms are presently equipped with cps: GEA 105, PAI 2.48, PAI 4.42, PAI 3.02, RLM 4.102, RLM 6.104 and WEL 3.502.

9.       What should I do if I want to use CPS in a multimedia room which is not equipped with CPS?

         We must distinguish between College of Natural Science(CNS) MM-rooms and Non-CNS MM-rooms.

·         For the former CNS-dean's office is responsible for funding the technology in the classroom and maintaining everything about the classroom. All the classrooms in GEA, BIO, ESB, PAI, WEL, RLM, TAY, and GEO belong to Natural Sciences. The dean's office buy multimedia equipment for those rooms, including CPS systems. And the staff of the dean's office install and maintain the equipment.

·         Multi-media classrooms in other buildings belong to other Colleges. For instructors who would like to use cps in one of  NON-CNS classrooms, there are two scenarios:

1)  the instructors may contact the respective college, which has the jurisdiction over the classroom, see if the college is willing to install cps. If so, the instructor should contact us (UT-cps-Support Project: chiu@physics.utexas.edu) and also signup at Sec. I.2 on the UT-cps-Support Project homepage.  

2) Alternative they should contact Morrie Schulman of CIT ( email-to:  <schulman@mail.utexas.edu>) for individual faculty cps-support.

10.    Has there been inquiry on the use of cps in colleges other than college of natural science and college of Engineering on UT campus?

·          Yes, see for example the entry on UT (cps) Bulletin dated 4/21/03.      .