{"id":4942,"date":"2017-07-24T01:00:23","date_gmt":"2017-07-23T15:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sydney.edu.au\/education-portfolio\/ei\/teaching@sydney\/?p=4942"},"modified":"2017-07-26T18:28:09","modified_gmt":"2017-07-26T08:28:09","slug":"building-interactive-polls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/building-interactive-polls\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Effective Interactive Polls for Lectures"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In our previous article on <a href=\"http:\/\/sydney.edu.au\/education-portfolio\/ei\/teaching@sydney\/interactive-polling-tools-review\/\" target=\"_blank\">Interactive Polling Tools<\/a>, we reviewed three popular <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">polling tools<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with the aim of helping <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you select the most suitable polling platform for your specific needs.\u00a0<\/span>Now, we continue the discussion on interactive polling by looking at the best ways to use and deploy these tools in your lectures.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We will cover some frequently asked questions and concerns around using polling in the classroom, give some tips to help you effectively incorporate polling into your lectures, and provide some example questions to get you started.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2><b>What makes a good (or bad) polling question? <\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Constructing good polling questions is one of the most important parts of effectively using polling in a lecture.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to start building a good set of questions:<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start with a question that builds confidence.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Word the questions in a familiar form. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Include a question that will spark a discussion or debate in the classroom.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t make all the questions too easy! <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider using questions that have multiple &#8216;correct&#8217; answers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to write a good question and use it well:<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be consistent \u2013 have at least a couple of questions for each topic.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Balance computational\/mechanical questions with theoretical\/conceptual ones.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If possible, include a (GOOD!) conceptual question that may help you identify particular misconceptions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Difficult questions help students more, but easier questions build confidence.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u02bct be afraid to use the \u201cQuestion on the fly\u201d option in your chosen polling tool.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Include an \u201cI don&#8217;t know\u201d option so that students who are stuck can still participate (and so you can accurate gauge understanding without the noise from guesses).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure you discuss your students&#8217; responses and the reasoning behind the possible answers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How should I use questions in my class? <\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How you use polling in your class depends on your motivation. There are a number of different types of polling questions\/surveys. For example:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Information-seeking (e.g. what level of mathematics have you studied in the past?)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Computational\/mechanical<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Theoretical\/conceptual<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Common errors &#8211; questions to help identify and\/or clear up common misconceptions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exit survey &#8211; feedback from the lecture (e.g. what did you find difficult in today\u2019s lecture? Polling helped me learn, etc.)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Logistically, how can I fit polling into my lectures and still cover all of the content? <\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is possible to use polling in your lectures and still fit most\/all of the content you would have originally covered. Make sure you remember to plan time for the polling questions into your lectures. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, one approach includes: <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start with a quick question to check understanding on previous material\/concepts.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the start of the second half of the lecture, ask 1-3 questions related to the material JUST introduced that session.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Depending on the topic, conclude the lecture with 1 more advanced (conceptual) question OR conduct a short 1-3 question exit survey on the lecture.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Examples of good polling questions <\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To get you started, w<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e created a Google Doc (<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/usydpollingqs_exemplars\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interactive Polling Tools &#8211; Exemplar Polling Questions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) that contains a\u00a0set of sample questions (including information-seeking, exit survey, and discipline specific questions) and links to other existing online question bank resources. Please feel free to add any additional questions\/resources you create or find to this document.\u00a0Here are two examples:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Post-lecture quick feedback from students<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Q. What is one thing that confused you in today\u2019s lecture?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A. [Open response].<\/p>\n<h3><b>Discipline Specific (an example from Statistics)<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(kindly supplied by Di Warren from the School of Mathematics and Statistics)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><strong>Q. The interquartile range measures:\u00a0<i>(conceptual thinking linking numerical and graphical summaries)<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<ol style=\"list-style: upper-alpha;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the average of the bottom 25% of the data <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the median of the middle 50% of the data <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the length of the tallest part of the histogram <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the length of the box in the boxplot <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the span of the middle 50% of the data<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A. the correct answers are both D and E, \u00a0as the box in boxplot goes between Q1 (1st quartile) and Q3 (3rd quartile), so length is Q3-Q1, which is the span of the middle 50% of the data.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Want to know more?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hopefully this has helped get your creative polling juices flowing! <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Much of the above advice has been adapted from the great resource \u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cwsei.ubc.ca\/resources\/files\/Clicker_guide_CWSEI_CU-SEI.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An instructor&#8217;s guide to the effective use of personal response systems (&#8220;clickers&#8221;) in teaching<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d written by the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative. This is a great starting guide, written to help educators use polling in an easy and pedagogically effective manner. For more information on how to integrate polling tools into your course, check out the resources below:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI) &#8211; <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cwsei.ubc.ca\/resources\/clickers.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clicker Resources<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI) &#8211; \u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cwsei.ubc.ca\/resources\/files\/Clicker_guide_CWSEI_CU-SEI.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An instructor&#8217;s guide to the effective use of personal response systems (&#8220;clickers&#8221;) in teaching<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cwsei.ubc.ca\/resources\/clickers.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clicker Question Collections (aka \u201cConceptests\u201d)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a collection of question banks from the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EDUCAUSE &#8211; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/library.educause.edu\/topics\/teaching-and-learning\/clickers\">Clickers<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Art and Science of Teaching &#8211; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ascd.org\/publications\/educational-leadership\/mar14\/vol71\/num06\/Using-Polling-Technologies-to-Close-Feedback-Gaps.aspx\">Using Polling Technologies to Close Feedback Gaps<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li>University of Cornell \u201cTeaching with Technology\u201d &#8211; <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cte.cornell.edu\/teaching-ideas\/teaching-with-technology\/classroom-response-systems.html\">Classroom Response Systems<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li>Teaching@Sydney\u00a0&#8211; <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sydney.edu.au\/education-portfolio\/ei\/teaching@sydney\/tools-flipping-class-2-response-systems-polling-formative-assessment-feedback\/\">Tools For Flipping Your Class #2: Response Systems For Polling, Formative Assessment And Feedback<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au\/index.php\/IISME\/article\/view\/7074\">Engaging students in large lectures of introductory biology and molecular biology service courses using student response systems<\/a>\u00a0presented at the 2013<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Presentation: \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.slideshare.net\/DannyLiu8\/choose-your-own-adventure-using-live-feedback-to-place-learning-back-into-the-hands-of-students\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chose your own adventure: Using live feedback to place learning back into the hands of students<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d by Dr Danny Liu (University of Sydney).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In our previous article on Interactive Polling Tools, we reviewed three popular polling tools with the aim of helping you select the most suitable&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":213,"featured_media":5000,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59,57],"tags":[],"coauthors":[524],"class_list":["post-4942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-teaching-research","category-teaching-tips","post-item","post-even"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/213"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4942"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5045,"href":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4942\/revisions\/5045"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4942"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=4942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}