Socrative

Socrative Pro: Student Response Polling

ATUS manages a limited number of Socrative Pro annual licenses for academic use, available upon request (see How to Get Started, below). Socrative Pro is an easy, web- or app-based tool that provides instructors with strategies for posing questions and challenges to students and displaying student responses on the instructor's screen in real-time. Students can use any web-enabled device, such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop (available if needed via equipment check-out).

Socrative Pro benefits include:

  • FREE for students & instructors (ATUS will pay for a limited number of "Pro" instructor licenses, renewable each year.)
  • CAPACITY of 200 students per activity (free version is limited to 50)
  • UNLIMITED QUIZZES (free version is limited to 5)
  • ROSTER CAPABLE: Allows for activities that are limited to your student roster and with access by student ID.

Socrative can be used "live" in person or during a synchronous online course, or it can be implemented asynchronously.

  • Quizzes - Set each quiz as either anonymous or to require name/ID; allows for multiple choice, true/false or short answer. The results of a short-answer quiz can then be voted upon to rank order the responses.
  • On the Fly Questions - Start an exit ticket, multiple choice, true/false or short answer item with no advance prep work.
  • Team Challenges - Use the "Space Race" option for team-based activities.

What's it good for?

Instructors can poll students anonymously about topics relevant to the discussion, gauge student learning via mini quizzes, complement discussions with active learning approaches, quickly execute exit tickets, and much more. Each activity generates a report that can be opened in Excel. Contact CIIA/ATUS instructional designers in Learning Systems to discuss ideas or learn the basics.

What are the limitations?

  • Lack of Aggregate Report: Socrative does not generate an aggregate report showing all activities on one report. While Socrative Pro can be used to record attendance, this is not its best use due to this limitation, depending on how often you use it and with how many students.
  • Lack of Canvas Integration: Socrative is currently not integrated with Canvas. Importing quiz results is possible with significant reformatting.
  • Lack of Slides Integration: Socrative does not integrate directly into slide programs such as PowerPoint. Note that it can easily be run at the same time.
  • 200-participant Limit: This product simply does not meet the needs of some of our largest courses; however, there are strategies that may work for some. We may be able to direct you to another product as well.

How to Get Started

ATUS will pay for a limited number of Pro accounts for instructors.

  1. Create a “free” higher ed instructor account using your WWU email address, preferably using the username@wwu.edu version of your email address.
  2. Request an upgrade to "Socrative Pro" by setting up a brief appointment with or emailing one of the instructional designers in Learning Systems.
  3. Work with Learning Systems staff to get the upgrade, discuss ideas, and learn the basics.

Tutorials

Instructional Strategies for Using Response Systems

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Who should I consult with about my ideas for using Socrative?​
    • The CIIA/ATUS instructional designers in Learning Systems are happy to strategize with you.
  • What is the difference between Socrative and Socrative Pro?
  • How do I get a one-year Socrative Pro license for free via WWU?​
  • Do my students need an account?
    • No account is needed for students and students are never asked to pay for anything. Students access your activities via the "room number" that you create.
  • What happens to my license (and materials) after the year ends?
    • It can either be renewed or accessed via a regular/free account. Renewals for the Pro version may be at instructor cost if Western does not continue paying for licenses. Licenses are valid from September through August.
  • If I have a class smaller than 50 students should I just use the Socrative Free product? How?
  • If my class is bigger than 200, am I out of luck? 
    • Not necessarily. In the Pro version, you can use two Socrative spaces, called "rooms" at the same time; each is limited to 200.
    • Only rostered (private) rooms have a hard limit of 200. For public rooms, you can go over a bit before experiencing a maximum. 
  • How can I limit a Socrative activity to only my students? ​
    • The Pro version supports "private" rooms that require students to enter their Student ID. Instructors set this up by downloading their student list from Canvas or Banner and uploading the list as a "roster" to Socrative. Once a room has a roster attached, activities require the student ID and cannot be anonymous. For anonymous activities, the instructor and students can switch to a different room to run/access the activity without the ID. Either way, the instructor should click "finish" to complete an activity and prevent further access.
  • How do I connect my student roster to a Socrative quiz/poll?​
  • What are the system requirements for Socrative?
  • Can I use Socrative with PowerPoint?
    • While it does not integrate onto PowerPoint slides, it can be used at the same time. Providing simple instructions on the slide makes the process easy. See Socrative Instructions for Students, below.
  • Is Socrative considered Accessible?
    • While Socrative does not directly accommodate learners with special needs, the website and app can work in concert with screen-magnifying and screen-reading software programs. We have requested a VPAT from Socrative and we remind them frequently of this important aspect.
    • Socrative Accessibility Declaration
  • See the full Socrative Help Center and Frequently Asked Questions.

Background and Pilot Study

Based upon three pilot studies, ATUS purchased a limited number of Socrative Pro annual licenses for faculty, available upon request.

Phase 1 Study results - Spring 2016: ATUS learned that a Bring-Your-Own-Device model for Student Response Systems is viable. Nearly 90% of our students own and are willing to use their own device for these interactions. In the 10% of cases where students did not own a device, we found that the students were resourceful in borrowing a device.

Phase 2 Study results - Fall 2016: ATUS learned that cost-to-student and ease-of-use were the primary concerns by both faculty and students. Several systems were evaluated that included the basic features desired by faculty. While the various systems offer a variety of licensing options, funding an enterprise solution is not currently feasible.

Phase 3 Study results - 2017-18: ATUS learned that while the product isn't universally loved by all (see limitations above), it is loved and certainly liked by most! It continues to be a cost effective and easy way for instructors to engage with students in class. We will still continue to evaluate this product, as well as others, to best meet the need.

Socrative Instructions for Students

  1. Go to http://www.socrative.com/
  2. Click “Student Login.”
  3. Enter the instructor's room number and wait for the activity to begin.