Mentimeter is the University of Oxford’s centrally supported live polling tool for teaching and events.
It allows you to create live polls, quizzes, word clouds, and open text questions that students and participants can respond to using their phones or devices — in real time or asynchronously.
Cost
As part of the University's agreement, all staff can access Mentimeter under a site-wide licence, which includes prioritised support. This tool is available to all staff without additional cost.
Why use polling tools?
Polling tools like Mentimeter help you break up lectures, spark student thinking, and adapt your teaching in the moment. Whether you’re checking understanding, running a discussion, or gathering feedback, tools like Mentimeter increase participation and give all students a voice.
Polling tools:
- Promote inclusive participation, helping students feel more confident engaging in class.
- Help students engage and focus, with students reporting higher attention levels during sessions using the tool. (Mayhew et al, 2020)
- Quickly reveal knowledge gaps and changes in understanding.
- Can be beneficial for exam preparation and clarifying difficult concepts (Kuritza et al, 2020)
- Increase interaction in large lectures, through real-time quizzes and polling (Mohin et al, 2020; Smith P, 2012).
Mentimeter features
Mentimeter allows you to:
- Run multiple-choice, open text, ranking, and word cloud questions
- Add interactive polls within a slide deck
- Use quiz mode with leaderboards for friendly competition
- Access detailed analytics and downloadable results
- Use presentation templates or upload your existing slides
- Use with PowerPoint, depending on your Office version (for more information, please see How to use the PowerPoint Add-in | Mentimeter Help Center).
Get started with Mentimeter
You can access Mentimeter using your Oxford Single Sign-On: http://mentimeter.com/join/universityofoxford.
Quick-start resources
Online learning and support
Support and help
If you have any issues or questions:
Accessibility and inclusion
When using Mentimeter, please consider student access to devices. Offer alternative participation methods when needed, especially for those who may be unable to use smartphones or laptops.
