#  Polling 

 



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“Polling” describes questions that students answer during class with their phones (or other digital devices). Anonymously polling is a great way to:

- Receive real-time feedback about what students think they know about a topic, or how well the class is understanding the course content.
- Find out—and potentially share with the class in real time—where students’ opinions may fall on a debatable issue, in order to encourage meaningful discussion.

This technique can be used in any type of class, but can be especially useful in large-enrollment classes.

## Polling For Comprehension of Course Content

Polling questions can focus on students’ conceptual understanding of course content. Good polling questions tend to be:

- True / False
- Multiple Choice
- Fill-In-The-Blank

When you ask polling questions depends on your learning objectives:

- Polling **BEFORE** a lesson can help identify assumptions or gaps in knowledge about course content. It can also enhance student “buy-in” to a lesson, because they have been shown that they don’t fully understand a concept. It can also lead to engaging discussions
- Polling **AFTER** a lesson can help check for comprehension, allow students to ask questions, and show instructors where more background information or review might be needed.

## Polling to Encourage Open Dialogue

Students may assume that their peers share their viewpoints on debatable or difficult topics. This often mistaken assumption can lead to self-censorship and limit instructors’ ability to foster open classroom conversations. Sharing the results of anonymous polling at the beginning of a class on a controversial topic can help give students a more accurate understanding of the range of views in the room. Using polling results can normalize engaging with perspectives that lie outside the mainstream. Alternatively, if there is in fact a narrow range of viewpoints in a class, instructors can press students to question this consensus and explore other perspectives.

## Polling Logistics:

Academic Technology for the FAS has [Resources on Polling Software](https://atg.fas.harvard.edu/classroom-participation-and-polling). Each of the types of polling technology supported by Academic Technology for the FAS can be uniquely coded to individual students, such that you can track a particular student’s answers throughout a semester.



 



###    For more information...  expand\_more  

 

["Classroom Participation and Polling" from the FAS Academic Technology Group](https://atg.fas.harvard.edu/classroom-participation-and-polling)

[Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative - Clicker Resources](http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/resources/clickers.htm)

[Tips and best practices for using clickers from CBE—Life Sciences Education](http:/www.lifescied.org/cgi/content/full/6/1/9)

[Derek Bruff's blog on teaching with personal response systems](https://derekbruff.org/?page_id=2#blog)

[Best practices on clicker use from Turning Technologies](https://www.turningtechnologies.com/higher-education/best-practices)

[Peer Instruction's blog](https://peerinstruction.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/3-easy-ways-to-use-clickers-and-peer-instruction-in-the-arts-and-humanities/)