ASU students should be more engaged in class lectures through a new interactive technology, but classes using it are having several problems with the system.
CPS, or Classroom Performance System, allows students to answer multiple-choice questions during lectures using "clicker" response pads.
ASU now has 22 classrooms equipped with CPS at a cost of $300 per room, according to Sandra Johnson, director of ASU Information Technology.
Approximately 50 faculty members have been trained on CPS, and there are currently 15,000 to 20,000 clicker pads in use at ASU, she said.
The system, which has been on campus for a little more than three years, was designed to provide teachers with immediate feedback on how well a class is digesting lecture material as well as give students a more interactive experience in larger classes, she added.
"When you're engaged in the learning process and you're thinking about the answers you're giving, you retain the information - as opposed to just reading it in a book and answering a test question," Sandra Johnson said.
But various problems with CPS, including online registration and defective clickers, have led to mixed reactions among faculty and students.
Professor Deborah Sullivan said she has experienced problems, though she still supports the CPS system.
"I love the idea of it, if it worked as promised," she said.
Sullivan, who has used CPS in the past, said her Introduction to Sociology class experienced issues for almost a month into the semester despite a strong effort by ASU's Information Technology department.
Sullivan's class is not alone.
Sandra Johnson said members of her team are often in classes for the first three weeks of a semester to fix problems, though she said her goal is to reduce that time to one week next fall.
"We want to make sure faculty are having a really good experience with this," she said. "We don't want it to be a problem for anybody."
Students in classes equipped with CPS are required to purchase the $20 clicker and register with CPS online for $15, though often the class textbook will come with a coupon reducing the price.
One of Sullivan's students, marketing sophomore Jesse Mayfield, said with the current problems, he doesn't feel the system is worth it.
"I registered my name [on the CPS Web site] and it wouldn't show up," he said. "I lost points one day for not having [a working clicker]."
CPS technical support could not solve the issue and eventually Sullivan had to manually input his name, he said.
Sandra Johnson said online registration is the biggest problem for the system, though it's largely because of user error.
"If you have a six digit registration number and one of the digits is wrong, then you've registered wrong and you have a problem," she said.
But many students have not had problems with CPS and support the system because of the participation points often given for answers.
In Sullivan's class, a point is awarded for correct answers and half a point is given for incorrect responses.
Over the course of the semester, the accumulated CPS points equal that of an exam in her class, Sullivan said.
"It's easy points," said marketing sophomore Billy Clayton. "You also get to see exam questions."
ASU geology lecturer Julia Johnson said she used the system last year before taking a break this semester to "remind myself what it is like not to use it."
Overall, the positives of CPS outweigh its setbacks, and she plans to use it again next semester, she said.
Reach the reporter at: steven.bohner@asu.edu.
