eInstruction works with University of Massachusetts to send assessment technology to students in Ghana
Educational technology company teams up with the university to provide 700 student response pad "clickers" to University of Cape Coast in Ghana
DENTON, Tex. (March 5, 2009) — eInstruction&trade, a premier global provider of interactive learning solutions, announces the donation of 700 clickers to Cape Coast University in Ghana. eInstruction collaborated with the staff and students of the University of Massachusetts Amherst to collect Interwrite® PRS IR (Personal Response System Infrared) clickers and 100 receivers for the University of Cape Coast in Cape Coast, Ghana.
PRS is a powerful assessment technology that enhances classroom productivity and student interaction. The infrared wireless clickers allow students to answer questions and record their responses with a simple click of a button. PRS is used for taking attendance, quizzes and tests, and lesson review. Instant grading and reporting features enable educators to focus more time on instruction and reduce time spent grading.
UMass Amherst began using clickers in the Physics and Resource Economics Departments in the 1990s, but their use really took off after UMass Amherst received two successive grants from the Davis Educational Foundation to redesign large lecture courses to engage students through more active learning. Although those grants are completed, they laid foundation for continued improvements in PRS use. Over 12,000 students use PRS each semester.
When UMass Amherst transitioned from infrared clickers to radio frequency clickers students were given the option of donating their old clickers to the University of Cape Coast. More than 700 students did so, and Amherst College also donated their infrared clickers.
University of Cape Coast's Dr. Daniel Obuobi, head of department for computer science & information technology and senior lecturer, served a sabbatical at UMass Amherst in the fall of 2006. During his time there, he was particularly impressed with the pedagogical benefits of the PRS clickers.
"When I first witnessed PRS in action, I saw the huge benefits for both students and professors," says Dr. Daniel Obuobi. "I wanted this technology for my students very badly, but our university's budget was limited. When I found out about the donation, I felt truly fortunate. This technology will benefit our students and instructors for years to come."
Professor Richard Rogers, associate provost for academic technology at UMass Amherst, worked closely with Obuobi during his sabbatical and organized the donation to help bring the technology to the university. eInstruction was pleased to arrange logistics for the export and cover the related transport costs. The clickers were shipped on February 9th.
"When Professor Rogers informed our company about this donation, we wanted to help out," says Steve Kaye, CEO of eInstruction. "We couldn't be happier to lend a hand to the deserving students and educators of the University of Cape Coast. They will join the hundreds of colleges and universities benefiting from our powerful technology."
eInstruction pioneered the first student response system for the education market during the 1980s. Its Classroom Performance System (CPS) provides instructors and students with real-time feedback on comprehension during instruction. Today CPS remains the leading student response system in education, being used by over 1.5 million students in more than 60,000 K-12 classrooms and over 400,000 students in more than 400 colleges and universities. In 2006, eInstruction acquired FSCreations and integrated its ExamView® and Learning Series content into CPS; so instructors can seamlessly use publisher and proprietary question banks in lesson plans, quizzes and tests with eInstruction technology. The result is an integrated system for instruction and assessment with real-time feedback. In 2008, eInstruction joined forces with Interwrite Learning®, another premier global provider of interactive learning solutions to the primary, secondary and higher education markets. For media inquiries, please contact Christy Oberley at Dittoe PR at 1-317-202-2280 ext 16. To learn more about eInstruction's Interactive Classroom solutions, please visit http://www.einstruction.com.