Brock University has not chosen an official classroom response technology. However, many different classroom response technologies are being used across the campus by our faculty, staff and students.
Generally, these technologies are used for formative feedback reasons, but have been employed for both low- and high-stakes testing across the campus. The Centre for Pedagogical Innovation can consult on the use of classroom response devices and encourage best practices with their use. However, technical issues with a specific technology should be addressed to the support departments of the respective technology vendor.
Top Hat
Top Hat is a teaching response platform that helps professors engage their students inside and outside the classroom. It is a software based “Clicker” and digital distribution platform which students access via their existing personal devices (phones, tablets, laptops).
Through an Approved Vendor agreement between Brock University and Top Hat, Brock students receive a discount when purchasing Top Hat Classroom licenses.
The Brock University LMS, Isaak/Sakai, has an integration that allows students to register their clicker information for easy instructor collection. This tool is labelled TopHat and can be located in course sites in the Site Info >> Manage Tools >> External Tools area. In will be released for the FW 2018 term.
TurningPoint
Echo360 and Turning merged in 2021, all information about the Turning Technologies platforms can now be found through echo360.com. TurningPoint is a software and/or hardware-based solution for student engagement and evaluation, both during and after class. Students respond with the option of hardware or software based “Clickers”, which work in conjunction with an instructor base station. The software can be accessed by students through the use of their existing personal devices such as Phones, Tablets, and any Computer.
Brock University Students receive a discount when purchasing clickers or software licenses at the bookstore, or online.
The Brock University LMS, Isaak/Sakai, has an integration that allows students to input their hardware or software clicker information for easy instructor collection. This tool is labelled TurningTechnologies and can be located in course sites in the Site Info >> Manage Tools >> External Tools area.
iClicker
iClicker is a hardware based solution for classroom polling and evaluation. Like TurningPoint, their primary business involves the use of hardware “Clickers” that work in conjunction with an instructor base station.
Other Services
Other services and smartphone-based solutions are available. Brock University will not disclose student information on behalf of students without an agreement on the care of private information. Instructors may ask students to input their own information into 3rd party services. Students should consider the conditions they are agreeing to and not agree to anything they are not comfortable with.