Frequently Asked Questions
Remote and Dual Teaching
Can I use PointSolutions over Collaborate / Zoom / other?
You can! It should work exactly the same whether your students are all on campus, joining over Zoom (et al), or a mixture of the two. In all cases, just do as you normally would: start your session, share your screen, and your students will be able to join in by using the app or going to Responseware.eu on their device.
Can I use PointSolutions in my recorded lectures?
… eek, well now. Recorded lectures are asynchronous, so you can’t deliver your polling material in the same way because nobody’s there to join in. I suggest you take a look at PointSolutions Web, which is entirely browser based. Within PointSolutions Web as well as running live sessions you also have the ability to schedule content to run between designated dates and times. You can setup a quiz, schedule it to be ‘live’ between X and Y, and then share a unique ‘join’ link with your students. As it isn’t synchronous the students don’t go to Responseware.eu and enter a Session ID. There’s just a single link that they click to open the quiz on their laptop, tablet or mobile, and then work through the questions at their own pace. So you could run quizzes whenever you please, but if you’d like to weave something into your recorded lectures you can setup a quiz specifically designed for students to work through whilst they watch. Pretty nifty! (The caveat here is that if you’re using the software anonymously as most do, the students who take part in this way won’t be able to review their performance as they go. But you’ll still get all that juicy participation data to pour over and share with students after the fact.)
Sessions
How do students join live PointSolutions sessions?
Students join your live sessions by opening the browser on their device (phone, tablet, laptop etc) and going to either of the following addresses:
They both work exactly the same way, so it doesn't matter which one you give to your students. However, it is essential that they go to .eu instead of .com, because all of our accounts and sessions are hosted on .eu servers.
Is there an app they can use instead of their browser?
Yes there is, and it's free for both iOS and Android devices. The app is a great way for students to join in with your sessions. It terms of actual functionality there's very little difference between using the app and going to Responseware.eu in a browser, but the app is slightly nicer to look at and allows students to stay logged in, which is handy if your sessions require participants to have PointSolutions accounts. (To be clear: the app also allows anonymous guest access to polling sessions. Accounts are not required.)
As an instructor you're welcome to try the app for yourself, but do note that you can't use it to create any quizzes or actually run sessions. It's purely for participation.
How many students can join a PointSolutions session?
When conducting a live polling session our licences provide you with 500 'seats', which means you can have 500 participants connected and taking part in your polls at the same time. If you require a higher number of seats then please drop us a line.
Software
Does PointSolutions work with a Mac?
Sure does! Although there are some minor differences between the PC and Mac versions (detailed here), you can do the vast majority of stuff on both.
Can I find PointSolutions software for my Mac in the Software Centre?
No, sorry. If you want the Mac software you'll have to download it directly from your instructor dashboard as detailed on our Install Software page.
How do I access TurningPoint in teaching rooms?
If you're using PointSolutions Web then this is entirely browser based, so simply fire up your browser of choice and login to your instructor dashboard.
With regards to PointSolutions Desktop, this softare should already be installed in any centrally timetabled teaching room: How to access PointSolutions Desktop in teaching rooms
Fixes
When I close my poll it skips onto the next slide without showing my results - what's happening?
Eek, sorry about this. It's a small bug that can be easily fixed/prevented with a quick tweak of the preferences.
(Side note: Using a Mac? You have the click Stop on the presentation bar to close the poll and show the results. Then click on the slide to move on.)
I accidentally set the server region incorrectly when installing the desktop software. Is all hope lost?
Thankfully not. This should get you back up and running: How to reset the PointSolutions server region
Misc
What if I want to use PointSolutions but don't like PowerPoint?
That's okay. Whilst the PowerPoint integration is PointSolutions's flagship product, it also has an Anywhere Polling tool which is a stand alone program that hovers over other windows you may be using - say, a Prezi, Google Slides, or a web browser. You can load in pre-prepared questions or work entirely adhoc and construct them as you go. Check out the Anywhere Polling section on our Guides page for a couple of videos that will set you on your way.
Additionally, there's also PointSolutions Web where it all happens in the browser and doesn't require any desktop software.
Can I still use clickers?
Although we've largely moved away from clickers, you can still make use of them if you wish. Drop us a line and we'll help you arrange the necessary handsets and USB receiver.
Is PointSolutions accessibility friendly?
PointSolutions are "committed to serving the disabled community" - they offer a range of PDFs detailing the accessibility of their software.
