Vevox and Kahoot – Overview:
As a long-time Kahoot enthusiast, I’ve historically found it difficult to find another tool which adds the excitement Kahoot brings to learning. As I continue to witness challenges with access and licenses to certain tools, I think I have finally found a Kahoot rival. This blog post, will share an opinion piece on comparing the value of Kahoot with Vevox.
Kahoot:
- Vibrant and Engaging: Kahoot has been around for a long time and is renowned for transforming learning into a joyous, game-based experience. Its real-time quiz results and podium create a lively competitive environment that students absolutely love. With a full license, the varied question options (from sliders to image reveal) are exciting and versatile. Tried and tested!
Vevox:
- Versatile and Interactive: Vevox has a professional feel suited for adding polls, Q&A sessions, and quizzes to meetings and conferences. In recent years, it is proving to be a powerful tool for interactive learning experiences.
Opinion:
I must stress again that I am, and continue to be, a long-standing fan of Kahoot, but Vevox has recently impressed me, leaving me no choice but to concede that they are both EXCELLENT tools for making education more interactive, fun, and engaging.
For one reason or another, I have been working with others who do not have access to Kahoot. This has annoyed me because I have seen the value a fun-filled, light-hearted yet powerful and engaging experience Kahoot can bring to learning. I have tried various alternatives to fill the shoes of Kahoot but never settled on any tool that offers the seamless, easy-to-use, competitive fun that Kahoot offers until Vevox added its new features!
Vevox – Exciting New Features
Vevox’s professional feel has been very suitable for adult learners (maybe more so than Kahoot), but it was missing the fun engagement aspect that Kahoot has historically offered. However, Vevox now has three valuable features to make their quiz options fun (Vevox has Kahootified its offering is how I put it):
Vevox Enhancements:
- Leaderboard: Vevox lets you display a leaderboard after each question. This leaderboard reveal keeps the suspense alive for participants. This feature has been present in Vevox for a long time but just didn’t have the impact of Kahoot (the next enhancement is what was missing!)
- Speed Points: Vevox now awards points for speed, making the game more dynamic and engaging. This is one of the most important features! (Read on to find out why).
- Background Music: Vevox offers background music to set the mood. While I haven’t found a tune as catchy as Kahoot’s iconic jingle, it’s an addition that adds to the atmosphere.
How to set Vevox up for fun:
As per the screenshots below:
- Open settings on the right-hand menu: Click the toggles for ‘Display real-time results’, ‘Enable countdown’ and ‘Speed scoring’.
- Identification (in the same settings section): Click ‘Identification’ – ‘Identified’ and ‘Show names’
- Leaderboard: After each question, click the trophy at the bottom right of the screen (this appears when you have clicked the ‘Stop’ square to end each question). Click ‘Close leaderboard’ when the excitement is over and you are ready to move to the next question. Repeat!
Why are These Features Important?
One of the most important features is awarding points for speed. This is incredibly valuable because it adds a thrilling, dynamic element to learning that keeps students engaged and motivated. More importantly, it shifts the focus from merely getting the correct answer to enjoying the process and pace, making the activity more about fun and participation than correctness. This approach reduces pressure on students, encourages quick thinking, and (in my opinion) promotes a lively, fun, competitive atmosphere. Having the leaderboard stop at each question builds excitement but also provides a valuable opportunity for educators to discuss important points, identify prior knowledge, consolidate knowledge, address misconceptions, or ignite curiosity, hence linking the ‘quiz’ explicitly to learning outcomes and the learning process (depending on when and how you use it).
Improvements Still to Be Realised:
While Vevox is catching up, it still lacks a couple of features found in Kahoot: the double-points option for mixing up the leaderboard and an asynchronous leaderboard for added flexibility. It would also be ideal if the leaderboard could be set to appear automatically at the end of each question. However, these minor gaps do not overshadow the excitement of its new features coupled with the adult-like feel, data analytics, PowerPoint add-on, and collaborative features.
Conclusion
Both Vevox and Kahoot are incredible tools for creating interactive, engaging learning experiences. Kahoot has set the gold standard for educational quiz fun with hundreds of quizzes ready to use, but Vevox is catching up fast. Each tool offers unique strengths, allowing educators to choose based on their needs and budget. I’m delighted to see Vevox bringing the competitive fun I love in Kahoot to its users, meaning we can all share in the fun of learning!