Baruch Computing and Technology Center (BCTC)
Classroom Student Response System (Clickers)
TurningPoint 5 (Classroom Student Response System software)
- Is it a challenge to get your students to participate, especially in jumbo classes?
- Do you want to illustrate how opinions in you class mirror or perhaps oppose survey results?
- Do you wonder if your students really understand the topic you just covered in your lecture?
One of the ways to achieve these goals is through the use of a classroom student response system (clickers). Using clickers, a faculty member can survey students during lectures with results displayed immediately within PowerPoint.
Each student checks out a handheld clicker device from the library and uses the device to respond to questions posed by the instructor through PowerPoint slides. All student responses are collected by the receiver and summarized results are displayed automatically as a chart. Instructors can save and download this data for analysis.
TurningTechnologies creates the Clicker software, called TurningPoint.
To see a demo of the TurningPoint 5 Classroom Student Response System, contact the Help Desk at (646) 312-1010 or by e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.org.
To schedule the use of the clickers and receiver in you classroom, please contact the Baruch Library Circulation Desk.
1. How do I use the clicker software (TurningPoint 5)?
The TurningPoint 5 software is installed on all classroom lecterns. TurningPoint 5 is a classroom response system, which a faculty member can use to survey students during lectures. Each student checks out a clicker from the library and brings it to class to respond to the questions you show on PowerPoint slides. The student responses are displayed immediately in PowerPoint. The Classroom Response System allows instructors to engage even large numbers of students in the classroom and to gauge their comprehension of course material. To get a better understanding of the software, you can visit the Turning Technologies web site and review their tutorials. The link to the tutorials is
2. When I open TurningPoint 5, I see a screen that looks like this (see image below). How do I get to my PowerPoint?
Click on “PowerPoint Polling”, the panel to the left. This will allow you to create a new PowerPoint or open up an existing PowerPoint.
3. How can I download the TurningPoint 5 software to my computer?
For any Baruch-issued computers you would have to contact the Help Desk at 646-312-1010 or email the Help Desk at email@example.com and request to have the software installed. If you would like to download the software to a personal computer, please visit the TurningTechnologies sit at http://www.turningtechnologies.com/responsesystemsupport/downloads and select TurningPoint 5 under polling software.
4. Is this software free to download?
Yes, this software is offered free to all users.
5. What is the difference between the "old" receiver and the "new" receiver?
The only difference that is significant is that the new receiver looks different: for example, it is smaller (2.7 inches vs. 3.5 inches). The new one looks like this:
Be careful to take it with you after teaching your class; otherwise, someone might mistake it for a USB thumb drive and take it.
6. Can the new receivers and clickers be used interchangeably with the older receivers and clickers?
Yes, the new and old receivers and clickers can be used interchangeably and they are compatible with TurningPoint 5.
7. Who should I contact if I would like a one on one tutorial or would like more information on the TurningPoint 5 system?
If you would like a one-on-one tutorial on TurningPoint, please contact the Baruch Computing and Technology Center Help Desk. You can also visit the Turning Technologies website and review their tutorials: http://www.turningtechnologies.com/support/current_tutorials.aspx. Also, you can check this page for any scheduled workshops: http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/bctc/training/faculty_training.html.