At a Glance

In this guide for faculty and teaching teams, you’ll learn how to:

  • pre-create a poll for a scheduled Zoom meeting in Canvas;
  • create a poll during a Zoom meeting; and
  • launch a poll during a Zoom meeting.

To learn more about creating and launching a poll during your Zoom meeting, refer to the Zoom: Polling for Meetings documentation. Watch the video below for the basics of setting up a poll.

Pre-create a Poll for a Scheduled Zoom Meeting in Canvas

  1. In your Canvas course, click Zoom in the Course Navigation Menu.
    Screenshot of Zoom link in the Course Navigation Menu
  2. Click the class meeting link under the Topic header for the Zoom meeting to which you’d like to add the poll.
    Screenshot of Zoom page in Canvas with Topic link highlighted
  3. Scroll down to the Poll header at the bottom of the Manage Meeting page. Click the Download a CSV Template link.
    Screenshot of the Download a CSV Template link
  4. Open the CSV Template document on your device and fill out the questions you would like to ask. Save the document as a CSV file.
    Screenshot of the Zoom poll CSV Template document
  5. On the Manage Meeting page, click the Import CSV button.
    Screenshot of the Import CSV button on the Zoom Manage Meetings page
  6. Select your saved CSV file and click Open.
    Screenshot of a saved CSV file image

Create a Poll During a Zoom Meeting

Teaching teams can create polls “on the fly” during a Zoom meeting.

  1. During the Zoom meeting, click on the Polls button.
    Screenshot of the Polling button in Zoom
  2. Click on the Plus + button.
    Screenshot of an arrow pointing to the plus button needed to create a new poll
  3. Click the Untitled Question area to edit the name of that polling question.
    Screenshot of the poll editing window with the title selected
  4. To the right of the name of the polling question, click the drop-down menu to choose the type of question:
    • Single Choice: Poll participants can select only one of the provided answers.
    • Multiple Choice: Poll participants can select multiple of the provided answers.
    • Matching: Add any number of prompts that must match the answer using a dropdown.
    • Rank Order: Create a matrix where poll participants select one item per row.
    • Short Answer: Make a small box for written answers with minimum and maximum word counts.
    • Long Answer: Make a large box for written answers with minimum and maximum word counts.
    • Fill in the blank: Write a prompt with blank spaces waiting for an answer.
    • Rating Scale: Ask poll participants how they feel on an adjustable scale.
      Screenshot of the different options on the Create Poll window
  5. Click on the blank for each choice to enter an answer for participants to select from.
    Screenshot of the Answer Choices on the Create Poll window
  6. Optional: Click Add a Question to create an additional question. Note:
    • Each question and individual answers for a question can be reordered as needed.
    • Questions can be marked as required
    • You can show answers as a dropdown instead of a list. This is helpful if there are many possible answers to a question.
    • Breakout rooms can be created based on the answers to a question.
      Screenshot of Add Question button on the Create Poll window
  7. Optional: To allow participants to answer questions anonymously, click the Options button [1] and click on the Require answers to be anonymous checkbox. This option allows poll participants to choose to have their answers associated with themselves or to provide answers to the poll anonymously. You can also select Make it a quiz where you can provide correct answers to questions.
    Screenshot of the Allow participants to answer questions anonymously and make a quiz options
  8. Click Save.
    Screenshot of Save button on the Create Poll window
  9. To launch the poll(s) you just created, return to your Zoom meeting and follow the step-by-step instructions provided in the Launch a Poll During a Zoom Meeting section below.

Launch a Poll During a Zoom Meeting

  1. During the Zoom meeting, click on the Polls button.
    Screenshot of the Polling button in Zoom
  2. At the top of the Polls/Quizzes window, click on the blue text Polls/Quizzes.
    Screentshot of an arrow pointing to the button to get back to the list of polls and quizzes
  3. Click on the poll you would like to share.
    Screenshot pointing to a new poll
  4. When you’re ready, share the poll with meeting participants by clicking the Launch button.
    Click the Launch Poll button
  5. The participants in the meeting will now be prompted to answer the polling questions. The Zoom Meeting Host and Alternative Hosts will be able to see the results live.
    Screenshot of the host panel when a poll is launched
  6. When you’re ready to close the poll, click the End Poll button.
    Click the End Poll button
  7. Click Share Results to share the results to the participants in the meeting. Click on the three dots next to Share Recording to Re-launch the Poll, Download the Results as a CSV, and View Results from a Web Browser.
    Click the Share Results button