Information Technology Services

• About PRS
• What are the benefits to students?
• How to get a transmitter unit
• How can I register my transmitter unit?
• Instructions for registering your PRS transmitter via Blackboard.
• How do students find their Radio ID on the new RF transmitters?
• How do students enter their NDSU Student ID into a RF transmitter?
• Things NOT TO DO when using PRS
• My PRS unit didn't come with the instruction sheets
• Taking care of your transmitter
• What if I lose my transmitter?
• How can students buy/sell or lend/borrowor each other's units?
• If your transmitter is out of order

NDSU is exploring ways to enhance teaching and learning, and one of these is a new personal technology tool called PRS (Personal Response System). It is designed to encourage active learning and increase class participation, especially in large classes.

1. You answer questions in private--no need for you to raise your hand and be called upon. This can encourage shy students to participate more readily.

2. The answers are collected automatically and practically instantaneously. This allows you and your professor to make efficient use of your time together as a class.

3. The system will give a summary of all the answers transmitted right after the question timer quits. Both you and your instructor will get valuable and immediate feedback because of this. With this feedback, your instructor will know what points need more discussion and explanation, and which points are understood.

Purchase the transmitter unit from the NDSU Bookstore for $52. If you have more than one instructor using this technology, the transmitter works for any class that uses the technology. In other words, you can keep the transmitter for your whole stay at NDSU, and it will be your unique PRS ID for that whole time. You will definitely save money if you hang onto the transmitter until you're ready to leave NDSU. Everytime you sell it back and then buy another at a later date, you lose money!

We have changed how PRS transmitters are registered. You no longer go to a web site to accomplish this task, but use Blackboard instead. Before you can register your transmitter, you must know what the ID is, and that's not as simple with the new Radio Frequency transmitters as it used to be with the Infrared transmitters. With the new transmitters, it is NOT the number printed on the back -- that is the serial number. There are instructions below for how to find the ID's in the new transmitters. Once you know your transmitter ID, use the Blackboard course for the class you enrolled in to record the PRS ID.

1. Go to the Blackboard course that is using PRS.
2. Choose the TOOLS button, or if there isn't one, find COURSE TOOLS in the box below the menu.
3. Choose the Register PRS Unit tool.
4. On the next screen, enter the unique "Radio ID" of your transmitter into the blank. Then Submit. (Instructions can be found further down on this page for how to find your unique "Radio ID" in your RF transmitter.)
5. If you need to change your Radio ID, just follow the same instructions, but type over the previously entered ID.

To locate your unique "Radio ID," follow these instructions:

1. Turn RF transmitter on.
2. Press the * button 1-3 times until you see Setup menu in the readout window.
3. Press the UP or DOWN arrow buttons to move through the menu choices until you see Diagnostics.
4. Press the green arrow button to choose "Diagnostics".
5. You should see the percentage of battery life left and the Radio ID.
6. The Radio ID displayed is your transmitter's unique ID. Make note of it!
   
7. Press the * button again to leave the menu system.

After purchasing a new Radio Frequency PRS transmitter, you must enter your unique NDSU student ID into the setup information in your transmitter. You cannot use the transmitter in class until you finish this task.

1. First you will need to know your "NDSU Student ID." It is a number that is that is printed on your Bison card.
   
2. Once you know what your "NDSU Student ID" is, turn your RF transmitter on.
3. Press the * button 1-3 times until you see Setup menu in the readout window.
4. Press the UP or DOWN ARROW buttons to move through the menu choices until you see ID:
5. Press the green arrow button to enter the "ID:".
6. Enter your numeric "NDSU Student ID" by pressing the correct digits in order, without the leading zeros. Example: If your number is 0059999, press 5, then 9 four times. (If you make a mistake and want to backup, use the BACKWARDS ARROW key between the green enter key and the "*" key as a backspace.)
7. Press the GREEN ARROW button to store your NDSU Student Id as your "ID:" in the transmitter.
8. Press the * button again to leave the menu system.

Here are some common mistakes to avoid when using PRS in class:

• Don't turn off your transmitter in between questions - You will no longer be part of the RF class that you joined at the beginning of the PRS session. Let your transmitter go to sleep to save batteries instead of shutting it off.
• Don't turn off your transmitter to wake it out of sleep mode - Use any key except the power switch to wake it.
• You must follow the instructions above for registering your unit in Blackboard and entering your NDSU ID into the transmitter. It is very important that you follow these instructions carefully, before you use the transmitter in class.
• After pressing the answer for a question, remember to also press the Enter key to send the answer to the receivers.

During the NDSU Bookstore buy-back, used PRS units are sometimes returned without the instruction booklet. You can view or print copies of the instruction booklet here.

1. Bring your transmitter to every class period.

2. Replace the AAA Alkaline batteries at your own expense when required. You can find out how much battery life you have left by pressing the * Menu button 1-3 times until the setup menu appears in the window. Then use the DOWN ARROW to move to the Diagnostics choice and press the green arrow key. The top line of the readout will tell you what percentage of battery life is left.

3. If you lose your unit, you will have to purchase another one and return to the "Register PRS" tool in your Blackboard course to register your new PRS ID number. Please warn your instructor(s) of the change also, since they may need to change their roster.

1. First check the room(s), local lost and founds, and your instructors in case the unit was found and turned in.

2. If you still can't find it, contact Nancy Lilleberg (nancy.lilleberg@ndsu.edu, 231-7140, IACC room 250B) or the Help Desk (231-8685, IACC 150) to report it lost. If the unit is turned into ITS, we will contact you.

3. If you need to replace your unit before it is found and turned in, you will have to return to the "Register PRS" tool in your Blackboard course and register your new PRS ID number. Tell your instructor what your new PRS ID number is so that he/she can update the class files to reflect that change.

Students can buy/sell/lend/borrow PRS transmitter units from other students. The student who is buying or borrowing the unit will be able to register the unit as his/her own using the "Register PRS" tool in the Blackboard course. It is possible for two or more students to share the same PRS transmitter during a semester because each transmitter number is unique only within a class. For this reason, two students in the same class cannot share a transmitter.

To share a transmitter during the same semester, the students will need to change the "ID:" setting in the transmitter menu system prior to each class they will use it for, with each student entering his/her own NDSU student ID into the ID: setting each time the transmitter is used. There are instructions above on how to do this.

If your PRS transmitter stops working, please take it to the NDSU Bookstore for replacement.