Polling provides an easy way to engage students in the material, to keep a class’ attention, and to move information into long-term memory. Whether looking to increase participation, facilitate quizzing, or measure performance, faculty often use polling to:
*Understand what students know about a subject before it is covered;
*Seek student opinions as a means to initiate a discussion;
*Clear up student misconceptions;
*Generate reflection on an issue or information; or
*Demonstrate whether students understood the material.
Did you know that more than 9000 UConn students already own an iClicker? While a variety of polling options are available on the market, UConn’s Educational Technology supports the use of iClickers, either the physical clicker or iClicker Cloud. iClicker allows students to participate using laptops, mobile devices, or iClicker devices. With iClicker Cloud (with Reef polling), classroom polling can be done as multiple choice, short answer, numeric, heat map, or long answer. With iClicker Classic (with iClicker device), classroom polling can be done as multiple choice.
Please consider the cost impact on students when selecting a polling product. iClickers are available at the bookstore as a bundle containing the physical clicker and a Reef polling code for $55. The polling code provides 5 years of iClicker mobile access. To save money, students can also purchase a used iClickers devices and a separate Reef code.
In contrast, TopHat costs $30 PER SEMESTER (cost paid by students). PollEverywhere is free for classes up to 40 students or $349 per semester (paid by instructor). Socrative is free for classes up to 50 students or $99.99 per year (paid by instructor) up to 150 students. Mentimeter costs $14.99 per month (paid by instructor).
For more information, contact: Educational Technology at edtech@uconn.edu