Turning Point
What is it?
TurningPoint is the audience response, or e-voting, system most commonly used at the University of Bristol. It consists of the following components:
- Add-in software for PowerPoint that enables e-voting slides (i.e. interactive multiple choice questions) to be added to a presentation
- Up to 1000 handheld keypads (each slightly bigger than a credit card) which wirelessly transmit students’ responses to questions posed
- A USB receiver which plugs into the presenters computers, collects students' responses and feeds back into the live PowerPoint slide where they are displayed displayed for immediate analysis and discussion
Why use it?
There are many e-voting systems on the market. TurningPoint has several advantages over these including:
- The software is very easy to learn and use - the basics can be taught in minutes! You just need to decide what questions will be most effective and at what point to ask them
- The software offers an excellent range of basic and advanced features
- TurningPoint keypads small and light - most people could carry several hundred at a time
See our page on e-voting for further information.
How do I start using TurningPoint?
We advise you start by emailing e-learning@bristol.ac.uk to request a consultation. A member of out team who specialises in this area will get back to you. S/he can help you to develop your ideas for practice, show you how to use the software and hardware and provide practical advice, e.g. strategies to minimise disruption when distributing and collecting handsets ).
To use the TurningPoint software to both create and deliver an e-voting presentation you will need to arrange for it to be installed. If you wish to install it on a University managed computer, put in a request to your local IT support and they should know what to do.
To install it on a non-University computer (e.g at home), downloaded the software directly from the Turning Technologies software download page, free of charge. The recommend version for PC is Turning Point 4.3.2. There is also a Mac version available should you need it.
Remember to book the equipment as early as possible. There are several sets of Turning Point equipment at the University. See the e-voting equipment page for information on which sets you can use and how to book them.