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Try this poll!

Poll Everywhere is available to all Dedman College faculty. It is a classroom response system and much more. It does not require students to purchase any clicker hardware or user license. Students can respond via desktop, laptop, or text message.

The following are the top 3 most frequently used poll types in Poll Everywhere:

Multiple Choice Polls (MCP)
MCPs are probably what you’ll use most often. They’re the workhorses used for quick formative assessment or for standard quizzes you intend to grade. Deploy a simple MCP every 10 to 15 minutes to bring wandering minds back into the fold.

Word Clouds
Word clouds are a great way to gauge students’ reactions to a topic, or to distill a topic to a one-word takeaway. They’re also a ton of fun (you’ll see words grow bigger and smaller on screen as students send in their responses). One of my favorite uses is a “before and after” activity. Ask students what they think of a topic before you cover it, then do the same at the end of class to see how students’ perceptions of that topic changed.

Q&A
Use a Q&A to collect feedback during a lecture, or just leave one open at the beginning of class as an always-on comments/questions/concerns forum. One very popular use for Q&A: leave one open behind students as they give a presentation, encouraging the class to engage with the material being presented. Keep in mind that students can upvote their favorite responses, so the most popular float right to the top.

Contact me if you would like to learn more about Poll Everywhere, or to request an account.

By Michael Robertson

Dr. Michael Robertson, Assistant Provost for Global, Online and Continuing Education, works with a collaborative team at SMU, building upon the ongoing vision of student-centered, external-facing educational offerings to enrich lives, foster innovation, and enhance productivity. His expertise is in technology planning, user training, instructional design, eLearning systems, and emerging technologies. He has published and presented on topics including innovation diffusion, instructional delivery methods, assessing user needs, and digital gaming. Prior to SMU, Dr. Robertson was Dean of eLearning at North Central Texas College where he oversaw all distance learning services, including systems administration, course development, and user training and support.