Classroom Performance System (CPS)
Release Notes
Release 6.51 February 2010
Contents
General Information
Description
The Classroom Performance System (CPS), developed by eInstruction Corporation, is a software and hardware package. The hardware consists of radio frequency (RF) or infrared (IR) clickers and a receiver or hub. The CPS software provides the tools to create and deliver course-relevant questions and standards. Students use their clickers to respond to the questions. The receiver transmits the students’ responses to the CPS software. CPS compiles and reports the students' performance results.
System
Requirements
Minimum System Requirements:
- Microsoft Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, or Windows 7
- Intel Pentium IV processor 1GHz equivalent or higher (or equivalent)
- 512 MB RAM (1 GB RAM for Vista)
- 500 MB hard disk space for installation
- Video Card and display capable of XVGA (1024 x 768) or higher resolution with minimum of 16-bit color
- One available USB port
- Microsoft Office 2003 or 2007 (for PowerPoint integration)
Recommended:
- Microsoft Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, or Windows 7
- Intel Core2 Duo processor 2GHz equivalent or higher
- 2 GB RAM
- 1 GB hard disk space for installation
- CD-ROM Drive for installation
- Video Card and display capable of XVGA (1024 x 768) or higher resolution with minimum of 24-bit color
- One available USB port
- Microsoft Office 2003 or 2007 (for PowerPoint integration)
Known Issues
General Operation
- No known issues
CPS
- Essay question support limited to TMA, TLSMA, and Practice modes
- Merging of homework sessions not supported
- If the PC is not restarted after installation, CPS™ may experience performance issues on initial startup.
- When engaging in multiple CPS™ lessons using Cricket, CPS™ will display a communication failure to the receiver if multiple different lessons are engaged in succession. Recommendation to avoid this behavior is to close CPS™ between each session.
- CPS™ Gen2 clickers used in a Higher-Ed classroom may encounter a situation where after the clicker is powered on, it will appear to have joined the correct class, but may have joined another teacher’s class that engaged a CPS™ session before the teacher in the student’s current class. The exhibited behavior will allow the student to respond to questions, but on the official teachers grid, the student’s response will not show and data will not be recorded for the current class.
This situation may happen under the following conditions:
- The student powers on the clicker before the official teacher (where the student exists in the active roster) engages a session. In this case, the student would have been joined to another roster in an adjacent classroom where the teacher had already engaged a lesson.
- The student is not in the class roster for the current class. In this case, the student’s clicker will join and will send responses to questions, but none of the student’s responses will be recorded.
If this behavior is encountered, the student clicker should be powered off and powered back on after the official teacher has engaged the CPS™ lesson. At this point, it should join the correct channel, but the student should verify the channel number to be sure.
Device Manager
- The SoftKeys on the Mobi Learner may not work properly if the device is connected while the software is being installed or upgraded. Remove the Mobi Learner from Device Manager, install or upgrade the software, and then rediscover the device to solve the problem.
- SoftKeys can be programmed to perform Interwrite functions or to launch applications. They cannot be programmed to launch files in the application associated with the file.
- When you use the upper button on the side of the electronic Interwrite Pen (sometimes referred to as the right or top button) to perform a Ctrl-Click, depress and hold the button for a second or two before releasing it. When the button is pressed two or more times in rapid succession, the system may enter a state in which it appears that no button presses were processed, either from the Pen, or from the mouse. The cursor will move, but no button presses/mouse clicks are processed. To get out of this state, hold the Pen close to the whiteboard or tablet and press the upper button on the Pen an additional one or two times. The system will return to normal.
- The Show correct answer on clicker option does not work with PRS RF clickers and Cricket clickers when the correct answer is alpha (A, B, or C, etc.). Use a numeric correct answer (1, 2, or 3, etc.) as a workaround in a mixed class environment.
- In Ubuntu, Java windows may appear blank when Desktop Effects are enabled. To disable Desktop Effects, select System -> Preferences -> Appearance -> Visual Effects and then, select None.
Installation
Information
Installing the CPS software from the CPS CD
- Insert the CPS CD and the Install window should appear.
- Click the Install CPS or Install CPS PPT button / icon to start the installation.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation of the software.
Release Notes