Real Time Surveys with PollEverywhere

Have you ever wanted to survey a group of people and just ended up asking for "a show of hands?" How effective was it? Did you count them all and then write down the numbers?

What about if you ask a question to the group. Do you go down the rows, writing down each person's response? You might do the first, but it's probably unlikely that you'd do the second. But what happens when you really need that data? Do you send out a survey and hope to get responses?

This is exactly why I love to use PollEverywhere. You can poll a group in real time quickly and easily....and anonymously. This means nobody has to feel embarrassed about their answer or worried that the others will judge them. All you need is an internet connection, which means it can be done on a computer or mobile device. Instructors create the questions beforehand and then share the unique code with the group. The group goes in and submits their answers and a few seconds later they pop up on the instructor's screen.

I've used this a few times in classes before, but the most important time I used it was when I was gathering student ideas for upcoming events. Before I left my position as an academic librarian for this degree, I had started an event called Popcorn & Politics. At this event, I invited professors, campus, and community leaders to lead discussions with students about politics. Since college students are still learning about politics and their place in the world, this was a great opportunity for them to start developing opinions in a safe neutral environment. Each month had a different topic, and the speakers I brought in were knowledgeable in those areas. The first semester was wildly successful, and we decided to continue it the following semester. Students were already requesting topics as they saw me in the library, so I decided to use PollEverywhere at the end of a session to gather topic suggestions. Those responses helped me make important decisions about how to continue the next semester and who I needed for speakers.

The next time you need to get answers in a quick anonymous way, consider PollEverywhere! It's easy and anyone can access it from any device, which makes it incredibly accessible. It's certainly helped me before, maybe it can help you too!