Frequently-asked questions

Why should I take the time and energy needed to use Menti with my students? Where’s the evidence that it will improve things?

Feedback

Feedback from staff and students consistently tell us that it is a useful and valued tool for learning and teaching.

Results from the most recent student survey on uses of Mentimeter are shown below, suggesting that a clear majority of students are positive about different aspects of its use. This was completed by 599 students across five departments with all three faculties represented.

Figure 1: Attitudes to Mentimeter: How far do you agree with the following statements? (%)

Staff should continue to use Mentimeter on my course

The purpose of using Mentimeter is always clear

I feel positive when I see that staff are going to use Mentimeter in a session

Mentimeter makes teaching more effective on my course

Mentimeter is used in a variety of ways

It would be good if the use of Mentimeter increased on the course

Responses indicated that students value a broad range of aspects.

Figure 2: How important do students consider different aspects of Mentimeter to be? (%)

Anonymity

Checking understanding

Active participation in class time

Change of pace

Variety

Fun

Stimulating reflection/deeper learning

Receiving feedback

Interaction with teaching staff

Seeing what others understand or think

Giving feedback to teaching staff

Case studies

Case studies collected at the University also give testament to the positive impact it is having on learning at the University.

Research studies

Beyond the University, several research studies point to the value of including Mentimeter activities for learning.

Mayhew et al.’s (2020) study found that uses of Mentimeter across different disciplines at the Universities of Reading and Surrey were perceived to improve enjoyment, enhance attention and interaction, and to have a positive impact on student voice/dialogue, increasing willingness to participate without fear of embarrassment, and increasing staff-student and student-student dialogue. They also found that there was surprisingly little variation between disciplines despite conceptions that Mentimeter would be more challenging to usefully employ in humanities subjects.

This was one of the first studies to explore Mentimeter as an example of a ‘new generation’ of web-based polling tools offering a flexible range of functions beyond the pre-fixed multiple-choice questions that were typical of previous ‘clicker’ technologies. Paul et al. (2020) highlight how these tools can extend the benefits of anonymous engagement to a broader range of formative activities and discussion, allowing for more inclusive engagement from those who may not otherwise feel comfortable to make a contribution, and increasing opportunities for feedback to support self-assessment processes and increase a sense of self-efficacy.

In addition to these ‘newer’ aspects of classroom polling, Menti offers the capability to carry out the MCQ-based ‘clicker’ approaches that have been well researched over decades within Higher Education.

Studies have consistently highlighted the benefits of classroom polling for active learning, engagement and inclusion, with a stress on the benefits of anonymity for increased participation (Heaslip et al., 2014). They have also pointed to a number of benefits for learning (improved learning outcomes, more fruitful interaction patterns involving increased dialogue, peer-to-peer discussion, and opportunities for teaching staff to adapt approaches according to responses), the classroom environment (increased attendance, engagement, attention and participation), and an improved focus on formative assessment and feedback provision (Kay and LeSage, 2009).

A range of studies have also focused on the use of classroom polling within broader pedagogic frameworks, suggesting patterns of effective activity and/or proposing underpinning reasons why polling can be advantageous for student learning. These include studies focused on:

• activity frameworks such as peer instruction and learner-authored test construction which aim to move beyond the use of MCQs for factual recall towards deeper learning approaches (Draper, 2009; Arico and Lancaster, 2018).
• uses of classroom polling to improve existing tried and tested approaches to student discussion activities, feedback gathering and provision, and fostering social cohesion (Hoekstra and Molborn, 2012).
• explorations of why polling seems to be effective focusing on the pedagogic value of questioning and its impact on processing, engagement and metacognition (Campbell and Meyer, 2009).
• Attempts to look beyond the individual level towards wider institutional goals, such as Laxman’s (2011) report on the uses of classroom polling within and institution-wide approach to moving from passive to active learning and teaching methods and Arico and Lancaster’s (2018) explorations of how classroom polling can be integrated within broader patterns of engagement and flipped learning approaches.

Taken together, these elements suggest that using Mentimeter will offer you a useful option to improve the learning environment for your students.

References:

• Aricò, F. R. and Lancaster, S. J. (2018). Facilitating active learning and enhancing student self-assessment skills. International Review of Economics Education, 29, pp.6–13. [Online]. Available at: doi:10.1016/j.iree.2018.06.002.
• Campbell, J. and Mayer, R. E. (2009). Questioning as an instructional method: Does it affect learning from lectures? Applied cognitive psychology, 23 (6), pp.747–759. [Online]. Available at: doi:10.1002/acp.1513.
• Draper, S. W. (2009). Catalytic assessment: understanding how MCQs and EVS can foster deep learning. British journal of educational technology: journal of the Council for Educational Technology, 40 (2), pp.285–293. [Online]. Available at: doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2008.00920.x.
• Heaslip, G., Donovan, P. and Cullen, J. G. (2014). Student response systems and learner engagement in large classes. Active Learning in Higher Education, 15 (1), pp.11–24. [Online]. Available at: doi:10.1177/1469787413514648.
• Hoekstra, A. and Mollborn, S. (2012). How clicker use facilitates existing pedagogical practices in higher education: data from interdisciplinary research on student response systems. Learning, media and technology, 37 (3), pp.303–320. [Online]. Available at: doi:10.1080/17439884.2011.568493.
• Kay, R. H. and LeSage, A. (2009). Examining the benefits and challenges of using audience response systems: A review of the literature. Computers & education, 53 (3), pp.819–827. [Online]. Available at: doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.05.001.
• Laxman, K. (2011). A study on the adoption of clickers in higher education. Australasian journal of educational technology, 27 (8). [Online]. Available at: doi:10.14742/ajet.894.
• Mayhew, E. et al. (2020). The impact of audience response platform Mentimeter on the student and staff learning experience. Research in Learning Technology, 28. [Online]. Available at: doi:10.25304/rlt.v28.2397.
• Paul, M. W. et al. (2020). Engaging the control-value theory: a new era of student response systems and formative assessment to improve student achievement. Research in Learning Technology, 28. [Online]. Available at: doi:10.25304/rlt.v28.2454.

How can I integrate Mentimeter with my Powerpoint slides?

There are several options for integrating Mentimeter slides with PowerPoint:

1. Switch between PowerPoint and Mentimeter (Recommended in most cases as the most straightforward and effective option)
2. Create your whole presentation in Mentimeter by creating content slides to use alongside your question slides or using the AI assistant to convert an existing file.
3. Use the PowerPoint add-in to bring your Mentimeter question slides into Powerpoint.
4. Import or embed your PowerPoint presentation into Mentimeter.

See the guide to Integrating Mentimeter questions into presentations.

Can I use Mentimeter outside of live face-to-face sessions (e.g. for pre-lecture preparation or post-session follow-ups)?

Yes, you can use all questions types asynchronously with the exception of competitive quizzes by switching to ‘survey mode’. If you would like to add a menti to the VLE, you can use the Blackboard Mentimeter LTI to do this. This can be done anonymously, or you can gather names with responses. You can also link the Menti to the VLE site gradebook to be able to see engagement and performance data in the VLE site.

Once the results are in, you can display them live to give feedback in a subsequent session, or asynchronously by embedding them in your VLE site or downloading and sharing the results as a pdf or excel file.

See the Asynchronous use of Mentimeter page for more information on this.

What is the best way to reuse presentations?

In most cases, it is best to duplicate your Menti presentation for reuse with different cohorts. This will create a clean copy for you to use and existing responses will be visible in the original. It is possible to reset results to reuse them but this limits access to previous results.

See the Organise and reuse your Mentimeter presentations page.

How do I share my Menti presentations with teaching assistants, module co-leads, or guest lecturers?

If you would like to collaborate to develop presentations, you can give access to colleagues to edit or comment on your Mentimeter presentations if they have a University Mentimeter account, or if they have a pro or enterprise Mentimeter licence, eg. from another institution.

You can also give copies of existing presentations to others so that they can make a clean copy for their own Mentimeter account.

When you use the Blackboard Mentimeter LTI to embed a Menti presentation in a VLE site, all instructors in the site will also automatically be given collaborator access when they open the presentation from the VLE (See the Asynchronous use of Mentimeter page for details about the LTI).

See the Collaborating with others on Mentimeter presentations page for details.

What should I do if the Wi-Fi drops or Menti fails?

Feedback suggests that there have been very few issues with the use of Mentimeter at the University, but, In general, it is a good idea to have a back-up plan for teaching with Mentimeter with alternatives in case of service failure. This could include an analogue ‘show of hands’, a ‘turn and talk’ activity, or simply reverting to static slides.

If you experience issues with the Wi-Fi in a specific teaching space, see the Wi-Fi troubleshooting page for information on how to report this for investigation.

What is this I hear about Mentimeter presentations expiring? I need to be able to plan my sessions well in advance so what can I do to avoid expiration?

Mentimeter codes (8-digit numbers participants insert at menti.com to connect to presentations) will expire after 2 days by default (extendable to 7 or 14 days in the settings). However, this will not affect a presentation unless you share the code outside Mentimeter (eg. send it to participants in advance or include it in your PowerPoint slides). If you have created the presentation in advance, a new code will be displayed automatically at the beginning of your session each time you use it (See Giving joining instructions).

For asynchronous uses, it is usually better to share the link to join your presentation rather than the code. Links (and also QR codes) never expire. If you are planning to use Menti in the VLE, the Blackboard Mentimeter LTI provides the best option (See Asynchronous use of Mentimeter).

I have a visually-impaired student taking my module. How can I use Menti effectively without excluding them?

In live sessions, you should always use Mentimeter as if there is someone in the room who is not able to see what you are displaying on your screen as this may well be the case for those whose view is obscured or are sitting further away as well as those with visual impairments. You should always read any text on screen aloud and describe visual elements where they carry important information (if they are simply decorative they can be ignored). You should also describe any results gathered from participants and be explicit about any visuals shown such as numbers or the relative sizes of bars in charts displayed on screen.

When using Mentimeter asynchronously, you should follow digital accessibility guidelines such as making sure you use headings styles for all headings, ensuring adequate contrast between text and background, using descriptive links, using clear sans-serif fonts and adequate font sizes, and adding ALT text to all images that are not simply decorative. Use the accessibility checker to flag any potential issues before you share your Mentimeter presentation and see the following guides for further information:

• Present with accessibility and inclusion in mind
• Digital accessibility at the University of York

If I ask students to get their phones out for my Menti presentations, won’t that encourage them to check messages and otherwise disengage from my session?

Feedback suggests that using Menti at key points during teaching sessions can actively support engagement rather than detract from it. Discussing the issue and developing shared ground rules can be helpful and it can be worth reminding students that they can respond on their laptop if they are using a laptop already to take notes.

Only a proportion of students connect and respond to my Mentimeter presentations - what can I do to get more students involved?

Feedback suggests that Mentimeter can be useful for those who are observing the interactions as well as taking part, but possible ways to increase engagement include:

• Making it easy to join using clear joining instructions.
• Being encouraging and, in the early stages of use, giving a little extra time to encourage more people to connect before getting started.
• Starting with straightforward lower stakes questions (or socially-oriented ‘ice-breaker’ questions) to ensure that students can get connected and started before moving on to more challenging questions.
• Considering ‘think-Pair-Share’ approaches encouraging students to think about a question for a moment, turn to a partner to discuss their ideas, then share with the group via Menti.

I can see the purpose of Mentimeter for large lectures, but doesn’t it make more sense to get students to talk in seminars rather than communicate using their phones?

A number of Case studies show that Mentimeter can be just as useful in smaller-group teaching situations, including those from David Worsley (Department of Philosophy) who uses Mentimeter to tackle the issue of low participation in larger seminars and Thomas Davies (Department of Psychology) who uses it to help create a supportive and inclusive environment for learning his stage 3 seminar-based module.

These suggest that Mentimeter can be particularly useful in Seminars to elicit initial responses to key questions from across the whole group. This can allow a greater range of insights and avoid a possible tendency for the quickest or loudest respondents to set the agenda. Rather than being seen as a replacement for voicing ideas, staff report that the resulting text comments can provide a useful artifact for use in activities, eg. as a springboard for discussion and further exploration - so supporting rather than replacing students vocalising their ideas.

Is it really a good idea to ask students to contribute anonymously? I want them to own their comments and I’m concerned they will use anonymity inappropriately and disrupt my session.

Feedback from staff and students suggests that anonymity is greatly valued for inclusion and engagement, potentially supporting psychological safety in the classroom, increasing the number and range of contributions, and promoting honesty. However, it also shows that anonymity needs to be handled with care to avoid potential drawbacks such as time wasting or inappropriate responses. It is now possible to make Mentimeter presentations non-anonymous in both live sessions and in asynchronous uses of Mentimeter and there are a range of options for this. See the Anonymity in Mentimeter page for guidance, along with the safe anonymity in open responses page for strategies for the safe use of open text comments for those who do not wish to switch off anonymity.

Isn’t it all a bit gimmicky? And if we use it too much won’t students just get bored of it?

It is important to use Mentimeter purposefully and ensure that every slide has a clear pedagogical purpose, avoiding using it simply as a novelty or attention checking tool. Staff feedback and case studies suggest that the following elements are important:

• Aligning use of Mentimeter to learning objectives.
• Being clear on the rationale for questions and clearly communicating this.
• Providing feedback and/or making adjustments based on results to demonstrate that any input received is valued and impactful (Dealing with results).
• Using Mentimeter as part of a ‘balanced diet’ of different approaches acknowledging that students have different needs and preferences.
• Considering use of Menti for a range of different purposes rather than solely to check knowledge. The Case studies page includes useful examples from others on how it has been used for a wide range of different purposes including to promote active learning, trigger self-assessment and reflection, and support community building for example.
• Considering open and closed questions for a mix of qualitative and quantitative responses. The AI Grouping tools and the AI assistant can provide useful support to help you parse and respond to lots of open responses (Using AI within Mentimeter).
• Not being afraid to use the same question types where they best suit the goals of the activity, but also being alive to the possibilities brought by lesser-used question types such as scales or 100 point questions (closed questions).

Feedback from staff also suggests that it is important to consider how Mentimeter is used across whole stages and programmes rather than thinking solely at module level. This can help to ensure there is a balance in approaches, avoid overuse, and allow you build on staff and student experience as the course progresses. Students on some programmes have provided feedback that they were happy that Mentimeter was used extensively in early stages of their course but disappointed to see this fall off completely in later stages.

I used to use Padlet to get students to post ideas/links and respond to each other and Mentimeter just doesn’t work as an alternative. What should I do?

It is important to remember that Mentimeter is not a direct equivalent for Padlet. The open question type can be useful in live teaching sessions or asynchronously where you would like to gather short text responses, where there is no need for students to respond to one another, and where there is no need for you to add any responses directly but to respond elsewhere, eg. in a teaching session or item in the VLE. If you need further functionalities such as the ability to respond and to include images and multimedia, you will need to consider other alternatives such as discussion boards or Google Slides or Docs. See the alternatives to Padlet page for details.

If you would like to see a question added to this page, please contact us with your suggestion.