TurningPoint Introduction

What is TurningPoint?

TurningPoint is an Electronic Voting System for use within PowerPoint. It enables you to insert questions into a PowerPoint slide, and by means of a small handset and a USB wireless receiver have your audience respond. At a basic level this could be a Yes/No answer, or a question with a number of options for the class to vote on. The responses are displayed as a percentage against each answer. You can use this to gauge an audiences opinion or quickly assess your students understanding in a lecture.

• What do I need?
• Download TurningPoint
• Get started
• How do I hold a vote?
• Notes

What do I need?

• A University PC or laptop with PowerPoint and TurningPoint installed
• The TurningPoint handsets and receivers

You can request wireless handsets and receivers from Teaching Room Support. The School of Biological Sciences also has handsets for loan, and further information about Electronic Voting Systems.

Download TurningPoint

1. Start > All Programs > Program Installer

2. Choose TurningPoint 2008 from the list of program

3. Click on Install

It can also be downloaded free from the TurningPoint website for use on home computers.

Get started

You will need to devise one or more questions. For this example, the question is "Which river runs through Newhaven in Sussex?" The answer is the Ouse. Have some incorrect answers ready - Trent, Thames, Nile.

1. Ensure that TurningPoint is installed
2. On a University PC go to Start > All Programs > Turning Technologies > TurningPoint 2008. This launches PowerPoint with a TurningPoint tab. You must open TurningPoint, not PowerPoint.

3.  Make a new slide, or open an existing presentation with an appropriate template.

4.  On the TurningPoint tab, click Insert Slide, and for this example, select Vertical Slide.

 5.  Type your question where Enter question text is displayed.

6. Enter your answers.

7. Enter a second question and so on.

8. On the TurningPoint tab, enter your Answer values with the correct/incorrect value.

9.  To add a correct answer indicator click on Insert object > Correct answer indicator > Smiley face.
 

10.  Choose Save session and it is ready to hold a vote.

How do I hold a vote?

In the teaching room, the headsets and receiver will be required, but you can test your slides without these devices.

1. Open TurningPoint
2. On the TurningPoint tab, click on the menu and select Keyboard Keys 0-9. You can then use the numerical keys 1-9 to answer your question.

3.  Save the presentation and open it in TurningPoint. You will see at the top right  of the screen that polling is open.

4.  Press the numerical keys to count responses by the audience using the headsets.

5.  When voting is finished, click and the chart will appear with percentages against each response.

6.  Click again, and the correct answer indicator will be displayed.

7.  To hold a vote or test again you will need to reset the slide - on the TurningPoint tab click Reset > Current Slide

Notes

• The presentation is prepared and displayed in TurningPoint.
• You can view slides in PowerPoint, but to use any of the voting features you must use TurningPoint:

    Start > All Programs > Turning Technologies > TurningPoint 2008

• Some older versions of TurningPoint will not work in PowerPoint 2010
• Test your final presentation on the computer you will be using for your talk