Background
Dr. Sahil Dutta, an academic at The School of Policy & Global Affairs (SPGA), embarked on a journey to enhance his teaching methods by integrating Poll Everywhere, an interactive polling tool. He attended a workshop titled “Introduction to Poll Everywhere” run by the Digital Education Team to familiarise himself with the platform and learn how to effectively incorporate it into his PowerPoint presentations.
Challenges and Goals
Dr. Dutta faced two primary challenges with Poll Everywhere:
- Interface Complexity: The platform’s interface was not intuitive, making self-teaching difficult.
- Embedding Polls: He needed guidance on smoothly embedding Poll Everywhere into PowerPoint slides to boost classroom engagement.
His goals for using Poll Everywhere were:
- Recall and Reinforcement: To check students’ understanding of key concepts and reinforce learning.
- Discussion Stimulation: To prompt participation through open-ended questions and quizzes during lectures.
Training Experience
The workshop provided Dr. Dutta with essential knowledge of Poll Everywhere:
- He learned the basics of setting up polls, integrating them into PowerPoint, and troubleshooting common issues.
- Practical use cases were demonstrated, such as using polls for recall-based activities and sparking discussions in large classes.
Dr. Dutta applied this knowledge by embedding Poll Everywhere polls into his lectures. He used polls:
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- At the beginning of class: To recap material from the previous week, helping students focus as they settled in.
- During lectures: To reinforce concepts through quick quizzes and facilitate discussions based on student responses.
Outcomes and Reflections
The training enabled Dr. Dutta to effectively integrate Poll Everywhere into his lectures, achieving the following outcomes:
- Increased Engagement: Students interacted with polls to participate in class discussions and check their understanding.
- Teaching Enhancement: Dr. Dutta used polls strategically to break up lectures, stimulate critical thinking, and reinforce learning.
Reflecting on his experience, Dr. Dutta shared some personal insights:
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Initial Hesitation: “At first, I was quite apprehensive about using Poll Everywhere. The interface seemed daunting, and I wasn’t sure how my students would respond. But the workshop really helped demystify the process.”
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Student Reactions: “It was rewarding to see students actively participating in polls. Their enthusiasm was palpable, especially during the initial weeks. It made the lectures more interactive and enjoyable for everyone.”
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Adapting to Challenges: “The Wi-Fi issues were frustrating at times, but they also taught me to be flexible and have backup plans. I started incorporating more offline activities to keep the momentum going.”
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Sustained Engagement: “I noticed a dip in student enthusiasm by mid-term. It was a learning curve for me to keep things fresh and engaging. I’m now exploring other tools and methods to complement Poll Everywhere.”
Suggestions for Improvement
Dr. Dutta identified areas for enhancing his use of Poll Everywhere and related tools:
- Subject-Specific Examples: Advanced sessions tailored to specific disciplines would be more useful after the introductory training.
- Exploring New Technologies: He expressed interest in learning how to incorporate tools like ChatGPT into teaching, given the growing use of AI by students.
Conclusion
The “Introduction to Poll Everywhere” workshop successfully equipped Dr. Dutta with the skills needed to integrate Poll Everywhere into his teaching. By addressing initial technical and usability challenges, the training enabled him to enhance classroom engagement through interactive polls. However, sustained support and training on subject-specific applications and emerging technologies like AI could further refine his teaching practices.
This case illustrates the value of tailored digital tool training in empowering educators to create more dynamic and participatory learning environments.