Using Choice to stimulate discussion

What is a choice in Moodle?

The Choice activity allows you to ask a question and set up buttons which learners can click to make a selection from a number of possible responses. They can choose one or more options and they can update their selection if you allow them. Choices can be useful as quick poll to stimulate thinking about a topic, to allow the class to vote on a direction for the course, or to gauge progress.

You can write text questions, but also add images, podcasts and videos.

Choice is a secure way to gauge understanding of a topic without asking students in public. The teacher  will only see their response. You may also wish to allow them to update their choice, to show progression in their understanding and confidence.

A choice with only one option may serve as an attendance record or a course contract.

It can also be used to select a project in a list and prepare for grouping students.

As a teacher you can always see the results, but you can also choose whether or not to allow learners to see each others' choices and whether or not to allow them to see the names or merely the percentage of votes. You can download their responses in a variety of formats. Responses may be 'published', made visible, once the learner has made a selection, or visible once the choice is closed. Choice options may be restricted so only a certain number may make a particular selection, and you can also opt to display a column showing who has not made their selection.

Example

You could set up two groups where one group has the role of “new staff” and the other the role of “manager”.

The manager group has to select the most important information to teach the new staff and the “New staff group” has to choose what they think it is most important to learn about their job first.

At the end, a feedback comparing the results of two groups is given.

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Two examples using Choice are given on this course's main page.

The first one ask users to select their favourite cloud in order to create groups of maximum 5 students; results are given as a table: https://etrp.wmo.int/mod/choice/view.php?id=3477

The second one shows results with a dynamic graphic and gives access to a data chart: https://etrp.wmo.int/mod/choice/view.php?id=3478

How to set up a choice

You can add a Choice by clicking an 'Add an activity or resource' link (or, if not present, the "Add an activity" drop down menu) and selecting Choice.

As often in Moodle, you have to give a name, and can choose the availability, restrict access and activity completion settings for your Choice activity.

The description box is the place where you ask the question or expose the issue to be solved.

You then have different options to display the possible answers to choose between. You can display them horizontally or vertically, and you can allow students to change their minds or not. They can be allowed to choose only one answer or several of them.

Then, you can choose whether students will see the results or if only teachers will be allowed to see them. Think carefully about whether (and how) you wish student to see the responses. 'Publish' simply means 'display to students'.

More information on Choice settings can be found on Moodle docs website: Choice Settings.

Moodle Learn also offers a video on Choice.

Practice - Set up a Choice