Why use ResponseWare?
Instant voting systems come into their own in large classrooms where class-wide discussions or Q&A style sessions are often impossible. Used creatively, they can be used to promote and enable creative and engaging teaching in large and small classroom contexts.
How does it work?
Teachers create interactive polling question slides in PowerPoint using the TurningPoint plugin. Students answer using their own devices that allow them to go online (smartphone, tablets, laptops). The results are automatically entered into the same slide after students have answered. Teachers and students can then review and discuss the results.
Step 1: Setting up Basics
To get an instructor account, please contact eden.digital@lse.ac.uk with your LSE email. We will send you an invitation (check your junk mail, just in case, because it comes from turningtechnologies)
TurningPoint works as a plugin for PowerPoint. To get the plugin installed on your office computer (PC), search for the LSE Self Service software download centre and download TurningPoint from there.
To download the software onto your private computer (home, or laptop), sign in to the instructor account (https://instructor.turningtechnologies.eu/#/downloads). At the top there is a download icon, from which you can download the software.
If you encounter any problems with the installation of the software, please contact the Service Desk (ext. 5000)
Step 2: Creating questions
Once you have the TurningPoint software on your machine open the programme.
The dashboard will give you the option to poll, to create content in Powerpoint or directly in TurningPoint.
Use TurningPoint with PowerPoint.
Click on the PowerPoint Polling column, which will call up PowerPoint with TurningPoint integrated as a menu. You can then create interactive slides from this menu.
Create your interactive question slides by clicking on New and choosing a question type (e.g. multiple choice). Then simply put the question into the title and add answers into the text box.
Save your presentation.
Step by step guides and video tutorials are also available on https://www.turningtechnologies.com/turningpoint/turningpoint-desktop/quick-start-guides/
Once you have finished creating your slides click on the refresh button, to make them appear properly.
Step 3: Running your presentation
Open TurningPoint:
you will be asked to login with your instructor account details (lse email and whichever password you chose when you created it). From the dashboard, click on the PowerPoint Polling tab on the left. Go to File and find your PowerPoint.
Before you start:
If you are trying it out just after editing, refresh the slides
If you are re-using slides that have polled before, reset all slides.
When all the charts are “flat”, i.e. no bars are showing you are ready to go live. (We recommend to refresh and reset just before, to be safe).
Enable mobile responses:
(Click on Mobile responses - if it is green, your session is live).
Also choose your session options.
Here you make choices about how students join. Students only need a session id. This can be reserved beforehand (we recommend using your course code, eg DV123, but you can also choose something more personal like Kattiespolls2020, which you can use for any session). Click on reserve, enter it, save. It will appear in the session ID dropdown. If you don’t do this, TP will choose a random number for every session you start.
Session options
Session options:
Untick require participant accounts. Ideally don’t require names, though this is up to you. Messaging is a useful thing, as it acts like a chat during the session.
Note: Make sure you don’t tick “require participant accounts” and if you want to make it neater for students choose “don’t show” for session login information. All of this can be set from the ‘Session options’ button which can be found after clicking polling. TurningPoint will remember these settings once you save them, so you only have to do it once.
Save your session options.
Click on start session. Make sure you tell your students the Session ID so that they can join your poll.
You can then close this pop up screen (not “end session”). Your session remains “live” until you logout again or log off the computer. Participants can join by typing responseware.eu or ttpoll.eu into a browser on any sort of device using a browser. Poll questions will show on their device as they appear in the presentation.
Start your PowerPoint presentation (the screen icon or F5). When you come to a question slide, the showbar will be on the screen. In zoom, this will not be shown to participants. It is where YOU control the slides. When the poll is open, the right hand side will be green. When you close the poll, so that no more answers can be submitted, it will be red.
How do students participate?
Students can use any web browser to participate by going to ttpoll.eu which should take them to https://student.turningtechnologies.eu where they can enter the Session ID to join your poll.
Note: Remember to untick “ask students to register”, or their joining will take up more time.
Students may be asked or shown a screen to enter profile information, but they can leave it blank and choose JOIN SESSION without entering anything. This can be prevented from appearing by the presenter in settings (see above).
Make sure you run through your TurninPoint presentation ahead of your teaching so you are familar with the process. If you have any queries contact eden.digital@lse.ac.uk
Alternative voting technologies
We do not support these officially, but we can give general advice on a variety of these. Contact s.grussendorf@lse.ac.uk if you would like to discuss your needs and ideas using TurningPoint or alternatives or a combination of both.
PollEverywhere – is free to use for up to 40 people per poll
Socrative: Online polling system/ mobile device app polling system, free account for up to 50 students per session (“room”).
Plickers – A “low” tech alternative which does not require students to own or use devices; instead they hold up cards and the lecturer scans the room with an app on their phone.
Further resources
Derek Bruff’s blog. This blog accompanies a book called “teaching with classroom response systems”, a comprehensive guide about using instant voting systems in education.
Bruff, D. (2009). Teaching with classroom response systems: Creating active learning environments. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Mazur, E. (1997). Peer Instruction: A User’s Manual, Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-565441-6
http://ericmazur.com/ has lots of useful resources on his website
https://teach.com/blog/teaching-question-writing/