5 Things You Should Know About Clickers at UMBC

February 14, 2020

Update: As of Spring 2020, TurningPoint 8 is supported by UMBC. Turning Technologies no longer supports the software TurningPoint Cloud. All main lecture halls are up-to-date with the new software. TurningPoint products are not affected by the transition to TurningPoint 8. Clickers and subscriptions are compatible with the new software. Students will not need to purchase another clicker or subscription if it is still active. Rebates are no longer being issued. To learn more about pricing, visit the UMBC TurningPoint Pricing pdf. For more information on what is needed to participate in TurningPoint polls, visit our FAQ.

On Thursday, November 19 a Faculty Town Hall was held to discuss the current status of clicker software and to share survey results. Turning Technologies, our current clicker vendor, announced that they will no longer support our current software starting in June 2016. This announcement prompted DoIT to re-evaluate our current clicker software and conduct a market survey of other response systems available.       

Q: What is happening with clickers at UMBC?

A: Current clicker software will no longer be supported starting in June of 2016. UMBC will have to update from TurningPoint 5 to TurningPoint Cloud before this support period ends, or decide to use another response system.  It is important that our campus stays up-to-date with our software so we offer students and instructors the best classroom experience possible. A comparison chart of current clicker system is publicly available.

Q: What will be the cost to UMBC students?

A:  If we stay with our current vendor, TurningTechnologies, students who currently have a clicker will need to purchase a license for a Turning account after the TurningPoint Cloud upgrade in order to register their clickers for UMBC courses. The cost of this license is $34.99 plus tax; however, the $34.99 will be fully refunded to UMBC students through a mail-in process.

Students who do not have clickers will purchase a clicker bundle in the bookstore. The bundle will come with a physical clicker and a 4- or 5-year subscription to ResponseWare, the mobile version of the clicker. All bundles come with a $15.00 mail-in rebate.

Q: When is this change going to occur?

A: The transition from TurningPoint 5 to TurningPoint Cloud will begin in Summer 2016.  

Q: Where can I provide my feedback about this transition?

A: Please complete this survey and give detailed feedback about this transition.

Q: Where can I view the clicker survey results presented at the Faculty Town Hall?

A:  Survey results presented at the Faculty Town Hall have been shared here.