Classroom Polling

Why Use Polling?

Audience response (ARS) can be an effective way to engage learners’ attention and participation during a lecture that might otherwise consist of one-way communication. The presenter poses a multiple-choice question and all participants enter their responses. The poll results can be displayed immediately to show the distribution of responses.

Ways to Use Polls for Teaching

Check for Understanding

  • Pre- and post-tests to gauge whether learners’ understanding of the materials has improved during the presentation.
  • Mid-lecture polls to determine whether any concepts need to be reviewed.
  • Case presentations in which learners choose the most appropriate course of action at multiple points.

Assessment & Formative Assessment

  • Review “games” where learners answer sample test questions and compare their responses to those of the class.
    • example: Jeopardy with questions that are faculty or student generated.
  • Ask students to predict what will happen next or what a practitioner should do
  • Administration of quizzes in the classroom.

Discussion

  • Anonymous polling of controversial topics to foster discussion and exploration.

Assess Student’s Attitudes or State of Mind

  • Take the room’s “temperature” by asking students how they are feeling, such as their current:
    • stress level
    • comfort or confidence in the topic
  • See student attitudes or beliefs by asking them to place themselves on a spectrum
    • example: What level of effect does our diet impact our health?  From one end of the spectrum: “Diet has no effect on our health” to the other end of the spectrum: “Diet is the ONLY factor that determines our health”

What Tools Are Available?

Poll Everywhere and Zoom built in polling

The choice of polling tool depends on the type of class session and individual preference.

The School of Medicine is using Poll Everywhere for Foundations classroom activities. To learn more about Poll Everywhere, visit Poll Everywhere Basics.  Poll Everywhere offers a wide range of question types: from multiple choice, to freeform answer, to word bubbles, to name a few.

Poll Everywhere is good for polling large groups, or if you want the polling to be anonymous. Poll Everywhere requires some preparation in advance, and when possible it’s recommended that you test your polls in the classroom beforehand. Guides for using PollEV are here https://support.polleverywhere.com/hc/en-us

There’s also a guide for using PollEV to poll Zoom audiences https://www.polleverywhere.com/screen-sharing-on-zoom-poll-everywhere.pdf

If you are holding your class in Zoom, there is a built in polling tool.  Zoom polling allows for multiple choice questions. Polling needs to be turned on in your Zoom account and poll creation requires some advance preparation. Polls don’t need to be embedded in Powerpoint. To test polls, set up polls in your meeting, and then respond by visiting the meeting on a different device. See more about Zoom polling here https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/213756303-Polling-for-meetings

Informal polling with a show of hands, cards or post-its on a whiteboard might be good choice if you aren’t concerned about anonymity, if there are only a few polls, or if you have a smaller group. If it’s a small group, you could do the polling with post-it’s on a white board, too, to get people moving around.

What Are Some Best Practices?

  • Keep questions straightforward – but not easy.
  • Plan on 3 to 5 minutes for each question: 1-2 minutes for the polling and 2-3 minutes for discussion.
  • Determine your thresholds in advance. How many incorrect responses will warrant elaboration on each poll question?
  • Don’t overuse.
  • If lecture slides are going to be posted before the lecture, consider posting a version without the poll information so learners don’t skip ahead. Poll results could be posted in a post-lecture version of the slides.
  • Have a back-up plan in case the technology does not work.
  • Writing a poll question is a lot like writing a quiz or exam multiple choice question. It takes time and is not easy.
  • Create the polls in advance.  If using Zoom you can preload the questions into the scheduled meeting.

For more information, or for help in getting started, please contact: somaltsupport@uw.edu