User's Guide

2 Chapter 1
The InterWrite PRS electronic data collection process is divided into four sections. Each section
addresses a different aspect of the PRS audience response system from setup to assessment
and evaluation of recorded response data.
PRS Overview
The RF, radio frequency, hardware system features RF Clickers and RF Receivers that use a
two-way transmission protocol to send data back and forth between the RF Clickers, an RF
Receiver and the PRS software. The RF Clicker remote is a battery-operated device that
features an LCD display and a keypad that includes numeric, lettered and math symbol Input
Keys and a set of Navigation Keys. The RF Clicker’s LCD display makes it possible for the
student to see and edit Responses before they are sent and to receive, in return, status
messages about each data transmission. The USB RF Receiver hub is connected to the com-
puter. It sends transmitted data to the PRS software on the computer and status messages from
the PRS software back to the RF Clickers.
The interactive, two-way transmission of the RF environment affects how PRS is used in the
classroom. Some additional features are available—features that cannot be supported in an IR
environment, while other PRS features necessary for IR are not required in an RF environment.
Where differences exist, the basic functionality will be described and those features that
pertain to RF only will be identified by this icon, which is included in the PRS logo on
RF product labels.
Classes is the section that gives a name to the group of participants, who will be referred
to as students throughout the rest of this manual, that is meeting for a specific purpose.
This is the setup phase of the PRS system. In the vernacular of this section of PRS, Classes
are defined and, typically, associated with a Roster of students.
The Lessons section is where Questions are defined and organized into Lessons.
Sessions is the section where the Questions in a Lesson are presented to the students in
a Class for their Responses.
The Gradebooks section is where the results of a Session, which have been scored, or
Marked, for each student in the Class, are recorded and totaled in a Class Gradebook.