PointSolutions (TurningPoint)
PointSolutions (TurningPoint) is a system that allows students to participate actively in a class by giving responses to polls. This system fully integrates with Microsoft PowerPoint and enables students to use this website to participate in presentations and lectures by submitting responses on any device with an internet connection.
To use PointSolutions you will need to log in using your account details and create a session. Students can then use their smartphones to join the session using the session ID you provide them.
This page covers the steps for setting up and using PointSolutions 9, including a tutorial on how to create a simple interactive PowerPoint presentation and a troubleshooting section with the most frequently encountered issues.
The following guideline is based on PointSolutions 9 installed on a Windows operating system
TurningPoint 8 PowerPoint presentations are compatible with PointSolutions 9. However, the other way is not guaranteed
Set Up
For efficient use of PointSolutions, certain settings are preferred. This section describes PointSolutions requests, installation, user login and software preferences. Furthermore, an explanation is presented on how students can access the polling session of a PointSolutions presentation.
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The starting point to get access to this tool is to fill in the PointSolutions request form, via the Self-Service Portal. After processing your request, you will receive an email to create your account. If you already have a PointSolutions account and want to reactivate or change your amount of seats, you can fill in the same request form.
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- For Windows users PointSolutions can be installed via the Software Center on your TU Delft laptop. The Software Center can be found via the Windows Start menu.
- For Mac users PointSolutions can be installed via the TU Delft Self Service Application for Mac.
- If you are not looking to integrate the polling in your PowerPoint, you can also create a simple polling in the browser.
Recommended settings
There are two recommended settings:
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This setup repairs the correct rendering sequence of PointSolutions objects, such as the correct answer indicator.
- Launch the PointSolutions application and Sign In using your PointSolutions login details.
- After logging in, you will see the PointSolutions dashboard.
- Click the Preferences icon located on the bottom right of the dashboard page. A new window will pop up.
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- Select PowerPoint from the left menu displayed in the new Preferences pop up window.
- Scroll down to the section Presentation and select Screen Image from the Slide rendering for mobile responses drop-down menu.
- Finalise by clicking Close.
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You can set the PointSolutions plugin to automatically launch when you open PowerPoint. However, you will have to log in every time you launch PointSolutions.
- In Preferences, click Software on the left menu. Checkmark Add-In Always Loaded. Finally, click Close to save your settings.
Set Up Polling
There are 2 ways for students to join your interactive polling presentation, via mobile or web application.
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For these types of virtual applications, you need to enable mobile responses and create a session ID which students can then use to join the polling using a mobile and or web application. Please follow these steps to do so:
- On the top right side of your dashboard, click Enable Mobile Responses to set up the session properties.
- You can then choose to reserve a personal ID (i.e. your course code) by clicking on Reserve or generate a random ID.
- Your session ID will be created once you click Start Session.
Mobile Application
Students can download the mobile application in Playstore or Appstore and join the polling using the given Session ID.
Web Application
Students without the mobile application can also join by going to https://ttpoll.eu and entering the given Session ID.
PowerPoint Tutorial
The next titles will guide you through the different steps when opening and creating interactive PowerPoint presentations.
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- Go to the Content tab.
- Click the Content drop-down menu and select Import.
- Browse your computer and find the existing PowerPoint Presentation.
- Select the PowerPoint file and click Open.
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- Start a new PowerPoint Presentation by clicking Start now on the PowerPoint Polling dashboard.
- A new Blank Presentation opens. Select the PointSolutions tab.
- Click New and select the type of question you wish to include from the drop-down menu. You can choose the following types:
- Multiple Choice
- Short Answer
- WordCloud
- Numeric Response
- Hotspot
- True/False
- Essay
- Demographic Assignment
- Priority Ranking
- Likert
- Ice Breaker
- To follow the example described below, select Multiple Choice.
- Type your question in the top text box. You can include up to 10 possible answers, although more than 5 is often hard to read in the lecture room.
- Configure the question options in the Slide Preferences tab located on the right side of the page. There, you can format bullets, determine whether or not the question allows for multiple responses, and whether to show the responses during or after polling.
- Select the correct answer at the bottom of the Slide Preferences Pane, after which PointSolutions will automatically change the other options to incorrect. The correct answer will be highlighted green, the incorrect answers will be highlighted red.
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To make your presentation more interactive, you can include objects via the Objects functionality. In this example we will insert a timer to our slide.
- Click Objects from the main menu.
- Select Countdown and then Square. A counter will be added to your slide bottom.
- The object properties can be edited in the Objects’ Preference tab that shows on the right side of the page. In this case, select Objects and adjust the amount of time the timer should count down.
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As mentioned above, when using internet applications, you will need to enable mobile responses to create a session ID. This can also be done after launching PowerPoint in PointSolutions by clicking Mobile responses.
Starting a presentation can be done by pressing F5 to enter the presentation mode. However, in case you run multiple tests of the presentation prior to its start, it is advised to Reset the Session by clicking on the reset icon before pressing F5.
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- Click Save session to Save the PowerPoint presentation session.
- Saved sessions can also be loaded by going to Manage > Session > Import.
- After saving or loading a session, click on Reports to view the results of the session.
- Here, you can:
- Filter the question based on a certain criteria
- Generate statistics
- Export the results to Excel, CSV or HTML
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