Three leading vendors of "personal response systems" have scheduled open demonstrations on campus over the next few weeks.

The schedule:

• July 19, 9:30 to 11 a.m., Turning Technologies, Kevin Owens, 307 Surge IV.
• Aug. 3, 10:30 a.m. to noon, eInstruction, John Burgess and Jim Knight, location to be announced.
• Aug. 4 (tentative), 10-11:30 a.m., Interwrite, Kevin Quinn, tentatively located in 307 Surge IV.

Each session will start with a 30- to 60-minute demonstration, followed by about 30 minutes of questions and answers.

"Personal response system" refers to "clickers," or the small remote-control devices that students use to submit answers in classrooms wired for interactive educational technology. For more on the subject, including an article in the Spring IT Times, search the archives at technews.ucdavis.edu.

Information and Educational Technology wants to have a personal response system selected and in place for the start of the 2006-07 school year.

The information for the August demonstrations will be updated after the times and locations are confirmed.