Troubleshooting

While PRS is a wonderful tool, it is not foolproof and occasionally things do go wrong. The good news is that many resourceful and determined instructors have been using PRS for years and have found solutions for many of the common problems you may experience.

Common Problems

A few of my students got “Error not sent” messages when they attempted to submit answers.  What should they do?
The first thing a student should try is simply resending their response.  If the message repeats, then the student has probably lost connection with the class.  They should restart their clicker, reconnect to the class, and try again.  If the problem persists, the student may wish to try changing their clicker's batteries or try sitting closer to the front of the class since there is some possibility it is a problem with their clicker’s signal strength.

I can’t seem to connect to the RF receiver/When I load up PRS it doesn't offer to start my RF class.

  • 1. Make sure both Interwrite PRS or Interwrite Response programs are closed and exited out.
  • 2. Unplug your USB RF Reciever from the USB port.
  • 3. Replug (if you can, into a different USB port) the USB RF Reciever.
  • 4. You should recieve a mini-ballon notification that it is installing drivers for the new device - if not, download and install the drivers from the Interwrite Website.
  • 5. Give it about a minute to ensure USB RF Reciever is connected to the computer; the USB RF Reciever should have a blinking green light indicator.
  • 6. Start either Interwrite PRS or Interwrite Response.
  • 7. (Interwrite PRS) Once you start the program, it should pop-up a window "Start RF Class" if the USB RF Reciever is working properly.
  • 8. (Interwrite Response) In the main Interwrite Response window, near the bottom you should see a box displaying "Number of Receivers Detected: RF(1)" if the USB RF Reciever is working properly.
  • 9. If none of these steps works, restart your computer (with the receiver connected) and then try restarting the program.

Please Note:

If you do not see a "Start RF Class" for Interwrite PRS, or the box displays "No Receivers Detected" for Interwrite Response even after doing a clean start, you should test your USB RF Reciever first on a different USB port and second on a different computer with PRS/Response. If you continue to experience issues, you may have a faulty USB RF Reciever and should seek a replacement.

My PRS PowerPoint Add-In is not showing up in the Add-Ins tab - therefore I can't add PRS questions to my presentation!
Go to the PowerPoint Add-on Setup page for more information.



More Help

If your problem is not listed above, there are still more resources for you to try.

If you feel that the problem is an issue with the receivers or the hardware in the room please contact the Instructional Media Lab, Bill Russell or Steve Pielock immediately.
You can also use the resources below for more specific issues:

  • eInstruction PRS Help- Select InterWrite PRS help from the Help menu in PRS or view the same information online. You can search for terms or browse the index.
  • User Manual- You can download the PRS manual to your computer for further reference or you can contact the Instructional Media Lab for assistance.
  • PRS Blog – The PRS blog is an excellent place to get information and advice from experienced PRS instructors.
  • Contacts- If you can't find a solution to your problem in the manual or help pages and no one on the mailing list has been able to help, you may need some more specialized assistance. Please see the contacts page for the appropriate person to assist you.
  • Contact eInstruction- eInstruction (formerly InterWrite Learning) is committed to being the leader in interactive classroom technology. If you have a complaint about any of the features (or a wish list) they want to hear about it. Contact them through their technical support page.

 

You can find additional troubleshooting help on the eInstruction website:
http://www.interwritelearning.com/support/prs/rf/troubleshooting.html