Introduction to Poll Everywhere

Poll Everywhere is a student-response tool that offers class participation and assessment through teacher-designed surveys, polls, and discussion boards. Teachers create and project surveys; students use specific survey codes to text or submit responses from laptops, computers, or cell phones. Poll Everywhere adds live audience interaction and students respond with the devices they have on hand, changing the presentation screen instantly as live results roll in.  

Website: Poll Everywhere 

Ideas for engaging students with Poll Everywhere. 

  • Use multiple-choice questions to kickstart classroom debates. 
  • Quickly crowdsource possible solutions from a myriad of options. 
  • Create polls for pre-existing knowledge to get a sense of what students already know and think about a topic. 
  • Transform any image into an interactive exercise. 
  • Collect open-ended response data and put it into a word cloud for students to review and analyze. 
  • Use polls as a discussion starter. 
  • Use surveys to engage students after class is finished for lingering questions. 
  • Divided the class in groups for team competition and games. 
  • Use Poll Everywhere for students to vote. Instructors can use then results to change how they manage class in response to students’ learning needs. 
  • Turn multiple choice questions and agree/disagree statements into a poll. 
  • Help students distill complex topics into single words. 
  • Adjust your lecture on the fly using live feedback 

The main function of Poll Everywhere is for polling. Using a variety of activity types, instructors can break the ice, take the pulse of the room, assess learning, build consensus, or facilitate honest discussions with groups of any size.  

  • Desktop and Mobile 
  • App 
  • Open-ended questions, multiple choice, and word clouds. 
  • Clickable images, graphs, maps, photos 
  • Incorporate into Powerpoint, Keynote, and Google Slides 

4.5 Star –

4.5/5

Poll Everywhere ranks 4.5/5 stars for accessibility. To learn more about the accessibility review, contact otl@du.edu.   

  • Supports Text to Speech (TTS) such as NVDA, Jaws, or Voiceover 
  • Partially Supports Speech to Text (STT) such as DragonSpeaks or Voice Dictation 
  • Supports Alternative Input Experience/Keyboard Navigation 
  • Supports Screen Magnification and Color Contrast 
  • Dedication to Accessibility and Content Creator Experience

Poll Everywhere Webinars 

Poll Everywhere Videos 

This technology is not included with the University of Denver. Faculty, staff, and students may need to purchase a subscription. The technology may offer educational pricing with an “edu” email address. Free trials or free accounts may also be available through the technology website. 

The University of Denver does not directly provide technical support. The Office of Teaching and Learning may consult on pedagogy.    

Poll Everywhere support 

Kappers, W. M., & Cutler, S. (2014). Poll Everywhere! Even in the Classroom: An investigation into the impact of using PollEverywhere in a large-lecture classroom. In 2014 ASEE Annual Conference. 

Shon, H., & Smith, L. (2011). A review of Poll Everywhere audience response system. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 29(3), 236-245. 

OTL Technology Rating
YELLOW technologies are not widely supported. DU may or may not have a 3rd party vendor security agreement for the use of these tools. However, some uses of this tool may be appropriate for teaching if certain conditions are met.