How does a university reimagine student engagement in classrooms, staff interaction across departments, and even participation in University conferences? The University of Leeds had the answers... Vevox.

In this webinar, Stuart Robinson, Systems Manager for Digital Education at Leeds University, shared the university’s outstanding experience in procuring, implementing, and integrating Vevox as their institution-wide polling solution. From overcoming pilot fatigue to skyrocketing student participation with creative, real-time polling strategies, Leeds stands as a testament to Vevox's versatility, accessibility, and ease of use across the entire university ecosystem.

Take a watch and get a an overview of the takeaways in our breakdown below. You can also read a customer story with Leeds University here to learn more about their success. 

Why Leeds University needed a polling solution

Leeds was grappling with a common issue in higher education: the lack of an institutionalized polling tool that met both teaching and technical needs. Previous tools were cumbersome, underused, and held back by limited integrations. The faculty wanted something fast, intuitive, effective in large lecture halls, and capable of scaling without technological barriers.

Stuart stated: “Staff wanted something straightforward, something with minimal cognitive burden, something easy to use, so they could concentrate on teaching rather than managing technology. We needed a tool that could integrate seamlessly with Minerva (Blackboard) and Microsoft tools like Teams and PowerPoint.”

Why Leeds University chose Vevox?

To address their challenges, Leeds embarked on a meticulous procurement process. Vevox consistently scored higher across all their criteria, emerging as the most robust, scalable, and user-friendly solution on the market. Leeds opted for immediate deployment instead of running a pilot after experiencing “pilot fatigue” from previous rollouts. This bold decision gave the university the momentum and visibility it needed, ensuring staff confidence in its longevity.

Stuart mentioned on the webinar “Going straight to business-as-usual gave the tool visibility and momentum. This ensured staff had confidence that it was here to stay. Vevox scored consistently highly across all areas in procurement... its ease of use and integrations were game-changing.”

Implementation: One Person, Endless Impact

What’s remarkable is that Leeds successfully implemented Vevox university-wide with just one dedicated staff member managing the project. Training played a critical role. Vevox conducted “train-the-trainer” sessions, empowering Leeds’ learning technologists and central system teams to act as advocates within faculties. This distributed knowledge ensured adoption at scale.

On the implementation, Stuart said: “It was really easy to roll out a tool which sells itself... the ease of use of the tool and the product's very easy to sell. It was refreshing that the implementation could be managed by one person! The integration needs were quite contained. With SSO and LTI, it was a 10-minute job. The time-consuming part was internal change management, but LTI just works!”. 

Innovation in Action: How Leeds Uses Vevox

Leeds didn’t stop at traditional classroom polls. They expanded Vevox’s use across departments, conferences, and even team-building events. Some highlights of Vevox being used were: 

• Using real-time polling during museum exhibitions via QR codes, tied to specific exhibits for dynamic audience engagement.
• Incorporating Vevox into senior leadership town halls and away days, creating competitive, interactive quizzes.
• Engaging students and staff in large seminars with anonymous Q&A sessions to ensure everyone feels heard.

The results have been astounding:

• First year: 478 active users (more than double the initial success target of 185)
• Second year: 863 active users
• Projected third year: 1,000 active users

“Seeing someone very high up in the university using [Vevox] without problem is quite encouraging. It’s pretty safe to say that everyone at Leeds has been exposed to Vevox.”

Positive Feedback from Students and Staff

The numbers back up the success story. More than 180,000 participants over 19,000 polls in 3,800 Vevox sessions during the second year of deployment. Students reported that Vevox’s interactive features were refreshing, making lectures engaging and enjoyable. Faculty praised the tool for being intuitive and its ability to seamlessly convert existing content into interactive polls.

Student feedback: “[Vevox] lectures were more engaging and enjoyable; it was my favorite module! We value the opportunity to test our knowledge in real time and actively engage with material rather than just passively listening in a lecture.”

Staff feedback: “We use [Vevox] to pause lectures, poll students, and address areas that need clarification. The anonymous feature allows students in large cohorts to ask questions without fear. It’s invaluable.”

The University of Leeds shared some key takeaways from their Vevox implementation. Skip pilot fatigue. Avoid long pilots. Commit to a full rollout from the start to build momentum and staff confidence.

On this Stuart said: “A pilot is a surefire way to kill a product on campus... our approach was educational for us. Visibility is key. Put the tool in front of as many staff and students in as many contexts as possible, from conferences to senior leadership meetings. Seeing senior staff use Vevox in big events makes others jump on the bandwagon. Peer advocates were more persuasive than any central promotion we could do.”

Leeds now plans to consolidate its strides and aim for over 1,000 active users in year three with a blend of innovative practices, central support, and organic adoption. If Leeds’ success story is anything to go by, Vevox proves that simplicity, integration, and visibility are the ultimate keys to unlocking dynamic engagement.

“It was really easy to roll out a tool that sells itself, and that’s been our experience with Vevox at Leeds.”

Transform engagement in your institution today!

Vevox has not just been a tool; it's been a transformative force at the University of Leeds. It has redefined engagement and paved the way for a future where learning is interactive, enjoyable, and effective. As the university looks toward new heights of interactive learning, Vevox will undoubtedly be at the heart of this innovative journey.

Eager to see similar results in your own institution? Discover how Vevox can revolutionize your educational approach and create an environment where every voice is heard and valued. Then apply for our limited places on our pilot scheme to experience the power of Vevox in your University. 

If you know someone making a difference in Higher Education? Find out more about ‘Top Voices in Higher Education 2026’ and make your nomination here.​​​​​