Using the Socrative polling tool, or any polling tool for that matter, can add an element of engagement to a Zoom meeting. Typically, professors use polling quizzes to check for knowledge, prepare students for exams, check for the “muddiest point” at the end of class, or to get a pulse on a topic. Socrative is more powerful than Zoom’s basic polling tool and the Pro version even allows for rosters to keep track of student performance.
Socrative also includes a competitive game for teams called Space Race. What follows are instructions for using Space Race with breakout rooms in Zoom.
Socrative Space Race via Zoom Breakout Rooms
First, be sure to update Zoom and practice with your cell phone or another device in the student role in advance. Advise students to update Zoom as well: https://zoom.us/download If you don’t already have a Socrative account, be sure to select the free version. For Pro, see: WWU’s Socrative Pro: Student Response System
- Set up your quiz in advance such that correct answers are what would advance each team’s icon across the leaderboard. This sounds obvious, but it does not allow for short answer or, if using multiple correct answers, it does not allow for partial credit.
- Give the Socrative student login link and room name as well as full instructions to students prior to placing them into breakout rooms in Zoom.
- Tell students that ONE team member will be responsible for submitting their answers, so only one person from each team will login to Socrative.
- Have these “submitters” login before going into breakout rooms but prior to launching the quiz. It will say “waiting for activity to begin.”
- Tell students you will be sharing your screen to the breakout rooms, but this only works with updated versions of Zoom. So, tell them you will also use the “broadcast message” tool to give them updates on who is in first place, etc., and when the activity will end.
- Students should be prepared to use the chat and turn on mic/video so that they can communicate withe each other quickly.
- Optional: If you know in advance what color each team is (randomly assigned by Socrative when they log in), you can name the breakout rooms to match the colors. After 1/24/22, an upgrade to Zoom will allow you to change breakout room names after breakout rooms are launched.
- Put teams in breakout rooms.
- Launch Space Race with your preferred quiz, setting it up with enough teams to match your groups, with your preferred icon, and with the Countdown Timer set to None (unless cutting off the activity abruptly is important to you). A time limit can be applied to the breakout room activity in Zoom or you can end those manually.
- Start using the “Broadcast Message to All” tool to give “live” updates to the breakout rooms. Being very active helps participants feel more engaged. Consider offering an incentive for winning such as getting first choice of a project topic or first choice on delivery of a presentation.
- Optional: Share the web browser that shows your Socrative leaderboard with the breakout rooms. From Share Screen, put a checkmark in Share Screen with Breakout Rooms.
NOTE: The process is similar for launching the prepared quiz as a Quiz. The quiz results can be shared in a similar fashion without the gaming/competition element.
Socrative Space Race via Zoom and Teams/3rd Party Tool
Essentially, you could use any 3rd party method for students to communicate in their team outside of Zoom. If all team members can use FaceTime or SnapChat, that could work well. Much of the prep work in Socrative is the same as above. If using Teams, you would set up a class “team” in Teams, adding students to it, and then setting up sub groups with specific students for each team. The Zoom breakout rooms would need to match the team member groups. It is advised to test this out a week before your activity to ensure students can use the chat feature in Teams easily.
Using a 3rd party tool works well for students and allows them to remain in the main room of Zoom where you can share your screen of the leaderboard. They can easily communicate with you and you with them via Chat or possibly verbally. You still might need to use the Chat to communicate (or duplicate your communication) if they are using the same device to participate in Zoom and in the 3rd party tool verbally.
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Image credit: Poll by Adrien Coquet from NounProject.com