How to Create and Launch a Poll using Zoom

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.
   
2. Click the class meeting link under the Topic header for the Zoom meeting to which you’d like to add the poll.
   
3. Scroll down to the Poll header at the bottom of the Manage Meeting page. Click 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.
   
5. On the Manage Meeting page, click the Import CSV button.
   
6. Select your saved CSV file and click Open.
   

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.
   
2. Click on the + Create button. This will open up your default web browser where you can add questions to the poll.
   
3. Click Untitled Poll to change the name of this set of polls.
   
4. Click the Untitled Question area to edit the name of that polling question.
   
5. To the right of the name of the polling question, click the drop-down menu to choose the type question:
   • Single Choice: Poll participants can select only one of the provided answers.
   • Multiple Choice: Poll participants can select multiple of the provided answers.
     
6. Click on the blank for each choice to enter an answer for participants to select from.
   
7. Optional: Click Add a Question to create an additional question.
   • Note: Each question and individual answers for a question can be reordered as needed.
     
8. Optional: To allow participants to answer questions anonymously, click the Options button [1] and click on the Allow participants to answer questions anonymously checkbox. This option allows poll participants to choose to have their answers associated with themselves or to provide answers to the poll anonymously.
   
9. Click Save.
   
10. 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.
   
2. At the top of the Polls window, select the poll you would like to launch (if multiple polls were created).
   
3. When you’re ready, share the poll with meeting participants by clicking the Launch button.
   
4. The participants in the meeting will now be prompted to answer the polling questions. The Zoom Meeting Host will be able to see the results live.
5. When you’re ready to close the poll, click the End Poll button.
   
6. Click Share Results to share the results to the participants in the meeting.