Apps in Library Sessions

I've recently been experimenting with the use of different audience response apps in my sessions to liven things up a bit, and to gather feedback. I think that as both a provider of instructional content, and as a provider of (what I perceive to be) an essential service it's important to ensure that I am always looking for ways to improve. Here are my experiences with apps in sessions so far;

IQPolls

 

IQPolls was the first app I started using in my sessions. Polls can have up to two questions, and answers can be multiple choice or on a numerical scale. I put together a simple poll asking students to rate the utility of the session I had just delivered on a scale of one to ten. Students are able to access the poll using their phone/tablet/computer, and without signing in, or giving any personal information give answers. While this is useful for gathering simple feedback really quickly, I don't think the numerical systems works well for actionable feedback. There are also some downsides to this system, in that I suspect that students are too afraid to give bad feedback (ie. a score of four or less) because while it is anonymous, it is still public and live.

Mentimeter

Mentimeter allows my students to respond to questions without having to create an account and is anonymous. At the moment I use Mentimeter to prompt students with questions about information at the beginning of sessions. I ask students three questions; where does information come from, what do you want your information to be like, and what do you want your information to do for you. Responses from students are displayed on the screen as word-clouds, speech bubbles, or in a grid-like pattern.

Kahoot!

Kahoot! allows you to put together simple quizzes that look amazing with very little effort. I use it to reinforce points I have just made, and to gauge whether students have actually understood what I've said. I also like to use a quick quiz on Google at the beginning of sessions on internet research to see what facts and myths students are already aware of. Students aren't required to create an account, though they are asked for a name when joining the quiz, so the results aren't totally anonymous. Using names, along with the allocation of points for correct answers gives the quiz a nice friendly competitive feeling, and keeps students engaged. Students are able to give feedback at the end of the quiz, which is always a nice touch.

mQlicker

I found mQlicker to be the most disappointing of the apps I trialed. The user interface for creating polls and quizzes was overly complex and difficult to understand. After struggling for an hour or two, I gave up. I suspect that if you were to use mQlicker as intended you would find the end result very similar to the quiz functionality in most VLE's such as Moodle and Blackboard, but with more effort involved.

Poll Everywhere

While very similar to Mentimeter, I like Poll Everywhere in that you can insert your polls into PowerPoint presentations and see the results on screen. Once the presentation is over you can save the responses as part of the presentation file - which is handy if I am asked to email a pdf of the slides the lecturer later on. Students don't need to create an account to participate, and submissions are anonymous. Responses can be displayed as a word-cloud, text wall or even as a ticker.