Category: Poll Everywhere

Posted on

Results from the first week of classes “pulse” survey

Earlier this week, Academic Technologies and the Harte Center created an Poll Everywhere survey about how the first week of classes is going. 

Here are the results (as of Thursday afternoon):

student responses to "how are you feeling about the first week of classes?"

student answers to "how would you summarize your first week experience?"

student responses to "what can we do to better support you?"

Students, if you’re reading this, please know that faculty and staff are committed to your academic growth. We want you to be excited about learning, know that we care about you as a person, and that W&L offers many avenues of support to help you pursue your goals and dreams. We’re here for you! Be on the look out for a new poll soon!

Instructors, polling is a great active learning technique that you can employ to engage students in thinking about course content, as well as assess their opinions, knowledge, and/or skills in real-time and with low- or no-stakes. 

Interested in a Poll Everywhere account? Want to talk about how to use polling in the classroom?

Contact the ITS Information Desk at help@wlu.edu, call 540.458.4357 (HELP), or stop by the ITS Information Desk on the Main Level of Leyburn Library.

Posted on

An example pulse survey/check-in poll for the end of the first week of classes

Pulse surveys — a short, 5-10 question survey that’s conducted weekly or monthly — are an easy way to quickly gather feedback.

In our virtual learning environment where valuable face-to-face time is lost, holding a pulse survey is a great way to check-in on your students’ well-being and collect feedback that could help you adapt your classroom to their needs.

Below is an example 3 question pulse survey that allows for anonymous participation:

Once students have the response link (which you can share in the Chat at the end of a Zoom class meeting or post in Announcements in Canvas), they’ll be able to take the survey until you lock it. Then, clear and archive the existing results before you distribute it again to start over with a clean slate.

Ready to try this out? If you have a PollEverywhere account, go ahead and log in at polleverywhere.com first, THEN click first week of class pulse survey to download it to your account.

Need a Poll Everywhere account? Or have a Poll Everywhere account and need help creating a poll or survey? Contact the ITS Information Desk at 540.458.4357 (HELP) or email help@wlu.edu.

Posted on

6 engagement strategies for creating temperament-inclusive classrooms

How to Care for Extroverts, from The Introvert’s Dilemma blogIn every classroom, students offer a mix of temperaments: extroverts, introverts, and ambiverts. Some crave sensory stimulation and are quick to speak up, while others are highly sensitive to noise or visual distractions and prefer conversing one-on-one in a quiet, calm environment. 

In “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking”, New York Times bestseller author Susan Cain outlines a value system of the “extrovert ideal,” in which individuals that work well in teams, socialize in groups, and prefer action to contemplation are the ideal student.

Embracing the extrovert ideal is a grave mistake, says Cain. Many of the world’s best ideas are fostered by introverts, who fuel their learning with observation and engaging in deliberate practice alone. 

Poll Everywhere recently suggested 6 classroom strategies to reach introverted students:

  • Institute “Think Time”
  • Write Down Responses First
  • Pairs, Small Groups, Singles
  • Offer Different Paths to Complete an Assignment
  • Be Available
  • Perform Anonymous Polling

How to Care for Introverts, from The Introvert’s Dilemma blogIt’s definitely worth a read!

Need a Poll Everywhere account?

No problem! Contact the ITS Information Desk at help@wlu.edu, call 540-458-4357 (HELP), or stop by the Main Level of Leyburn Library!

Posted on

10 active learning strategies that connect teachers with students

Poll Everywhere is a classroom response system that engages students on devices they already have: their phones. Educators create and embed live, interactive questions into their lectures, and students respond in real-time from the privacy of their phones. The results are immediate.

Poll Everywhere’s Maxwell McGee recently blogged about a few of the wonderful strategies teachers and professors alike have produced using interactive questioning. Each example actively engages students in the learning process, and includes a link for further exploration …

Use multiple-choice questions to kickstart classroom debates

Christopher Robertson helps his first-year law students at the University of Arizona understand the nuances of law with a technique called cascading persuasion. If too many students answer the question incorrectly, Robertson will not reveal the correct answer. Instead, he has each student turn to their neighbor and debate whose choice was correct. When the two reach a consensus, they find another pair of students and plead their case.

“Law students can easily go an entire semester passively attending class [only to] discover on the final exam that they have not grasped the concepts covered in class,” said Robertson. “I find that polling in class encourages active student participation and uncovers misunderstanding of how to apply the law.”

Eventually the entire class will agree on which answer is correct. Most of the time their consensus is correct, but on the rare occasion it’s not, Robertson says it’s an easy fix.

Law school example poll

Read more at https://blog.polleverywhere.com/active-learning-strategies/.

Want to try out Poll Everywhere? Great! Email Brandon Bucy or Helen MacDermott and we’ll get you set up!