This is my research project that I chose to do on VIA Response, program that you can download onto the device of your choice and is a more advanced version of clickers.

1. Emerging ICT’s:
VIA Response
IDC 4U
By: Alisha Esteves

2. What are Classroom Response Systems?
 Classroom Response Systems,
sometimes called Student Response
Systems, are a combination of
hardware and software that allow
teachers to:
 Ask multiple-choice questions to their
students
 Allows the students to respond to the
questions using a device
 The responses are then computed into a
graph to see the students’ answers (C)

3. Classrooms Before Response Systems
 Students would not be able to
pay attention for a long time:
after 10 – 18 minutes of passive
learning, an individuals
attention lapses. (C)
 The professor would be unsure
if the students are actually
understanding the content (C)
 Interaction, engagement and
participation are challenging
with a large classroom (N)

4. What Classrooms Needed
 The professors needed to know whether or not the students were
understanding the concepts, and if they weren’t understanding
the concept, then professor needed to know what was the
knowledge gap or misconception causing this (N)
 Students needed to be given the opportunity to respond and
contribute their opinion in class discussions and debates (N)

5. Clickers
 A device similar to a simplified
television remote control used in the
classroom setting (N)
 First used in Universities and Colleges
in 1998 in order to increase student
interaction and participation (N)
 “Putting up your hand in class is
pretty complex thing, kind of
dangerous, socially and academically.
But everyone is willing to give
anonymous answers. Everyone is
equally involved and the answers are
honest. And fast.”-Victor Edwards (C)

6. How Clickers Solved Issues in the
Classroom
 The main purpose of clickers is to allow the students to respond to a
multiple-choice question designed to test for common
misconceptions that the professor asks the class (N)
 After everyone answers the question with their clickers, the results
are projected on the screen .From the results, the professor can see
whether or not the class is grasping the concept (N)
 If student’s aren’t understanding the concept, the professor will then
instruct the students to pair up and explain to each other why they
think the answer they chose is right (N)
 After this, the professor will get the class to answer the question
again, if they are still not grasping the concept, he will then re-
explain the concept, highlighting the misconception (N)

7. How Clickers Solved Issues in the
Classroom
 By doing this, the professor is able to
ensure that students are grasping the
concept (N)
 Students are also given the opportunity
to work in groups and interact with
other students (N)
 Students are able to participle in class
anonymously, without having to worry
about anyone judging their answer (N)
 By asking the class questions, you are
engaging the student and enabling
them to pay more attention in class (N)

8. The Downside to Clickers
 Clickers can be expensive and
sometimes you have to buy a clicker
for each different class (N)
 The receiver, connection wires and
software of the system costs several
thousand dollars (N)
 For large classrooms (300 – 400
students), a technician or staff
member may be required to
operate and maintain the system
during lessons (N)

9. The Next Generation of Clickers:
VIA Response
 A more interactive and cheaper
version of clickers combined with
social media, cloud computing and
mobile devices used in the
University and College setting (F)
 It is a cloud-based mobile
application students can download
onto a device of their choice (F)

10. What is VIA Response?
 Focuses on increasing
participation, communication and
assessment in large classrooms
by allowing students to respond
to questions using device of their
choice (VW)
 Allows you to interact with your
teachers and classmates both in
and outside of the classroom (I)

11. About the Creator
 Created by VIA Response Technologies (VRT) from Orlando, Florida
(I)
 VRT is a one-year-old software company that focuses on
developing a more interactive and engaging learning environment
through response platforms (F)
 VIA Response is in the pre-commercial product sales stage (F)

12. The Two Parts of VIA Response
VIA Response
VIA Engage VIA Connect
(Instructors) (Students)

13. VIA Engage (Instructors)
 VIA Response is divided into a platform that
serves instructors (teachers, professors) on
one side and students on the other (F)
 Via Engage is the instructors side of the
platform (F)
 Allows the instructors to communicate with
the students in and out of the classroom (F)
 Has many tools to make the class more
organized and lessen the work load for the
instructors (F)
 Free for instructors ! (V)

14. VIA Engage:
What Instructors Can Do
Manage all of your classroom assessment activity in one-place:
 Instructors can conduct Quick Polls to initiate class discussions and get
the students’ attention
 Teach main concepts through the discussion board
 Create multi-question quizzes to assess students and see if they are
understanding the concepts being taught (VH)
 Get attendance through class polls (F)
 Update the students’ marks (F)
 Monitor class discussions and blogs (F)
 Manage quizzes and homework (F)

15. VIA Engage:
What Instructors Can Do
Questions And Assessments
 A wizard allows you to easily develop questions and create a question bank
 No limits to how you can build your formative exams, assessments and questions
 The Question bank supplies performance feedback from the students over time (V)

16. VIA Engage:
What Instructors Can Do
Increase interaction in the
classroom:
 Get the class to participate by
creating polls for your lectures
 The responses are sent to the
cloud which keeps you polling
and assessment data in a single
area (VH)

17. VIA Engage:
What Instructors Can Do
Grade Book
 Manage all formative assessments in
one place
 Able to weight the categories
 Able to personalize the Grade Book
however you want so instructors can
focus more enhancing the students’
educational experience (VH)

18. VIA Connect (Students)
 VIA Connect is the student’s web-based
response platform used in conjunction with
VIA Engage (the instructors platform) (F)
 VIA Connect is comprised of a web based
application and an application for their
device (F)
 Students can download the application onto
their notebook, iPad, tablet PC, iPhone,
Android or Blackberry device (F).
 Gives students the freedom to choose ! (F)

19. Helps Students
Manage Work Flow
and Gives Them
Total Visibility
• Students can manage
their in-class activities
(such as polls) through a
portal that they can
personalize (F)
• Provides students with
reminders of due dates
and class activities (VW)
• Students are able monitor
and anonymously
contribute to class
discussions or message
the instructor (VW)

20. Attendance
• Students can respond to
attendance polls by entering a
password given by the instructor
that day (I)

21. Participation
• Students participate more and
contribute to class discussions by
answering a range of question
types:
• From objective-based writing
exercises
• To self-paced homework
assignments and assessments
• Class polls (F)

22. Students’ Grades
• Students are able to see the
weight for each category (F)
• Students can see their updated
marks to see how much more
studying they need to do and
what they need to work on (I)

23. Why VIA Response Is Better than Clickers
 Clickers cost $50 and sometimes students
have to buy more then one clicker
depending on the company the professor
prefers (F)
 VIA Response is more flexible and
functions better then clickers (F)
 Students don’t have to buy a brand new
device, they can use the one they already
have and just purchase an application
subscription that is 60% cheaper then
clickers (F)

24. The Future of VIA Response
 VIA Response is currently being previewed at 12 leading
Universities on 3 continents
 The future of next generation of VIA Response is still to be
determined (P)

25. Bibliography (APA)
 Bruff, Derek. (n.d). Classroom Response Systems (“Clickers”). Vanderbilt University. Retrieved April 4,
2012, from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/technology/clickers/#why (C)
 Author Unknown. May 2005. 7 things you should know about Clickers. Educause Learning Initiative.
Retrieved April 2, 2012 from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7002.pdf (N)
 Florida Venture Sourcing. (n.d). Via Response Technologies. Florida Venture Sourcing. Retrieved April
9, 2012 from http://www.floridaventuresourcing.com/startup/via-response/ (F)
 VIA Response Technologies. (n.d). 2011. Via Response. Via Response Technologies. Retrieved April 9,
2012 from http://www.viaresponse.com/Whatisit.html (VW)
 iTunes. February 27, 2012. Via Connect Mobile. Apple iTunes. Retrieved April 9, 2012 from
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/via-connect-mobile/id439216156?mt=8 (I)
 PRLog (Press Release). December 9, 2011. Via Response Technologies Previews Dynamic New
Educational Tool at 12 Universities Around the World. PRLOG (Press Release Distribution). Retrieved
April 27, 2012 from http://www.prlog.org/11745845-via-response-technologies-previews-dynamic-
new-educational-tool-at-12-universities-around-the-world.html (P)