Migrating from Mentimeter to MS Forms to support classroom delivery

Overview

This article provides a comprehensive comparison between Mentimeter and Microsoft Forms, focusing on key features, use cases, and differences. It highlights the benefits of migrating from Mentimeter to Microsoft Forms within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, including integration with PowerPoint for interactive presentations, data export capabilities, and higher response limits. The article also addresses FAQs related to customization, live audience engagement, and data analysis, offering guidance for users transitioning to Microsoft Forms for their surveys, quizzes, and interactive presentations.

Target Audience

Faculty

Migrating - What you need to know

Currently, there is no direct way to export content from Mentimeter and import it into Microsoft Forms. Mentimeter and Microsoft Forms are different platforms with distinct formats, and Microsoft Forms doesn’t support importing content from other tools like Mentimeter.

Workarounds:

1. Manual Transfer:

• You would need to manually recreate your questions, quizzes, or polls from Mentimeter into Microsoft Forms. Unfortunately, this is time-consuming but ensures your content is transferred accurately.  This process can be sped up a bit using Menti's export feature to build reference documents.

2. MENTIMeters Export Feature - Results and Questions

RESULTS

• You can export RESULTS (input the students have provided) from Mentimeter into a XLSX file (for data retention purposes only)

QUESTIONS

• A PDF copy of all your QUESTIONS can be downloaded (exported) for reference purposes only.  There is no automatic way to migrate your Menti's directly into MS Forms. Although, there is an in-direct way discussed next...

3. MENTIMeter's Quick Import Feature - Re-creating Questions in a properly formatted MS Word File, ready for Import

MS Forms does have the ability to import a properly formatted MS Word files using the QUICK IMPORT feature.

4. Third-Party Tools:

• At this time, there are no known third-party tools that automate the migration of Mentimeter content to Microsoft Forms.

Migrating - How to export and import

Step 1: Export RESULTS from Mentimeter to Excel (XLSX) - IF previous RESULTS are needed.

1. Log in to Mentimeter:
   • Go to the Mentimeter website and log in to your account.
2. Open Your Presentation:
   • Navigate to the presentation from which you want to export data.
3. Export Results:
   • Click on the Results tab. You have two options for Download
     1. Spreadsheet (XLSX) - Excel File
     2. All Slides (PDF) or Choose Slides
   • Choose the method you'd like to Download the data in, then click the Download button.

Step 2: Open the PDF File in your PDF writer program (FoxIT PDF Editor)

1. Launch your PDF Writer Program, such as Foxit PDF Editor.

Step 3: Copy Data from PDF to Word

Data can not be copied, immediately, from the Mentimeter Exported PDF file without the use of a PDF Editor program.  The college supports FoxIT PDF Editor.  If you don't have access to this software, you will need to either manually re-type your questions in MS Forms or manually build the Import MS Word File.  This may not be an issue if your Interactive Presentations are limited in scope and size.

If you don't have access to a PDF Editor program, it is recommended to skip the remaining Migration steps in preference of manually recreating your Interactive Presentations on the website https://forms.microsoft.com.  See this knowledge base article (Creating and Integrating Microsoft Forms into PowerPoint Slides) for guidance on using MS Forms.

1. Select Data:
   • Open the PDF file in FoxIT PDF Editor
   • In the EDIT Tab click Edit Text
   • You will be asked to "... run OCR in edit mode by clicking Recognize Text".
   • Click Settings
     • Make sure that Make All the Pages Editable is checked.
     • Click OK
     • Click Recognize Text

• In the PDF file, select the data you want to include in your form. This might include questions, options, and any other relevant information.
• Copy Data:
  • Press Ctrl+C (Windows)
• Open Word:
  • Launch Microsoft Word on your computer.
• Paste Data: Open a new Word document and press Ctrl+V (Windows)

Step 4: Format the Word Document

1. Organize Questions and Options: Ensure each question and its options are clearly separated. Use sequential bullet points like (A,B,C ...) or numbering (1,2,3 ...) to distinguish between different questions and their respective options.
   NOTE: You can use the built in bullet in Word, or manually type them in the document.  Using un-sequential bullets, such as dots, will cause the import to fail.
2. Add Headings: Use headings to separate different sections if needed. This helps in organizing the content better.
3. Save the Document: Save the Word document once you have formatted it correctly. Go to File > Save As and choose a location to save your document.

Unfortunately, Microsoft Forms currently only supports importing multiple choice and short answer questions through Word or Excel. Other question types such as Rating, Date, Ranking, Likert Scale, File Upload, and Net Promoter Score do not have an import mechanism through these formats.

For these other question types, you will need to manually create them directly within Microsoft Forms. There is no automated way to import these question types at this time.

Step 5: Import Word Document into Microsoft Forms

1. Open Microsoft Forms: Go to the Microsoft Forms website (https://forms.microsoft.com) and log in to your account.
2. Quick Import: Instead of creating a new form immediately, use the Quick Import option available on the home screen. This feature allows you to directly import questions from a Word document before creating the form.
    
3. When ready, click the button Upload from this device
   
   NOTE: You could read the Link See Import guidance to learn more about formatting your Word (DOCX) file to import.
    
4. Select Word Document: Browse and select the Word document you saved earlier. Microsoft Forms will automatically recognize the supported question types (Multiple Choice and Short Answer) from the document.
   Click Open
    
5. Choose whether you want MS Forms import wizard to create a ungraded Form or graded Quiz.
    
6. Once you make your choice your file will start to convert your Word (DOCX) file into a new Form or Quiz.
   
    
7. Once the migration is complete you will see this message.
    
8. Start review: After importing, Microsoft Forms will create a new form based on the imported questions. Review the form to ensure that all questions and options are correctly formatted, then make any necessary adjustments.

Tips for a Smooth Process

• Consistency: Ensure that the formatting in the Word document is consistent. Each question should be clearly defined, and options should be listed in a way that Microsoft Forms can recognize.
• Manual Adjustments: After importing, you may need to make some manual adjustments,in the new Form, to ensure everything is correctly formatted and all options are included.

By following these detailed steps, you can efficiently transfer your data from Mentimeter to Microsoft Forms, making it easier to analyze and gather further responses.

Feature Comparison Chart:

The college recommends we use Microsoft Forms as the replacement to Mentimeter.  MS Forms supports many of the same features and is already included in our MS Licensing.

FAQ for Migrating from Mentimeter to Microsoft Forms:

This FAQ addresses key concerns and helps guide your transition from Mentimeter to Microsoft Forms.

1. Platform and Ecosystem

Q: How does Microsoft Forms fit into the broader Microsoft 365 ecosystem?
A: Microsoft Forms is part of the Microsoft 365 suite, meaning it integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft tools like PowerPoint, Teams, Excel, and SharePoint. You can embed Forms into PowerPoint presentations for interactive live feedback and quizzes, which makes it easy to transition from Mentimeter.

2. Limits

Q: What are the response limitations in Microsoft Forms compared to Mentimeter?
A: Microsoft Forms allows up to 50,000 responses per form for Microsoft 365 users, while Mentimeter’s free version limits the number of questions and features. Paid Mentimeter plans offer more flexibility, but Microsoft Forms provides a higher response limit without additional fees.

3. Live Interaction and Audience Engagement

Q: Can Microsoft Forms handle live polling and interaction like Mentimeter?
A: Yes, when integrated with PowerPoint, Microsoft Forms allows real-time polling and audience feedback, similar to Mentimeter. However, while Mentimeter offers more advanced visualizations like leaderboards, Microsoft Forms focuses more on structured data collection.

4. Visuals and Presentation Mode

Q: Does Microsoft Forms offer advanced visual features like Mentimeter’s word clouds?
A: Yes, Microsoft Forms does offer advanced visual features similar to Mentimeter's word clouds. Microsoft Forms includes a feature that allows you to create word clouds from open-text responses. This feature helps visualize key phrases from responses, providing a quick overview of the most common terms used by respondents

Additionally, Microsoft Forms has a "Present" mode, which lets you use your forms or quizzes live in a classroom setting. This mode supports interactive elements like word clouds and real-time response visualizations, making it easier to engage with your audience

5. Customization

Q: Can we customize branding and presentation themes in Microsoft Forms?
A: Customization is limited in Microsoft Forms to themes and color schemes. Mentimeter offers more extensive customization, especially for branding and visual themes. 

6. Data Export and Analysis

Q: What are the data export options in Microsoft Forms?
A: You can export all results directly to Excel for further analysis. This feature is available even in the free version of Microsoft Forms. Mentimeter also allows exporting to Excel, but only in paid plans, and with Microsoft Forms, exporting is seamless with Excel’s advanced data analysis tools.

7. Authentication and Security

Q: How do authentication and security compare between the two platforms?
A: Microsoft Forms offers enterprise-level security, including Azure Active Directory and multi-factor authentication (MFA). You can require respondents to sign in with a Microsoft account or allow anonymous submissions. Mentimeter also supports anonymous submissions, but Microsoft Forms might offer stronger, built-in security features if your organization uses Microsoft 365.

8. Question Types and Quizzes

Q: What question types are available in Microsoft Forms compared to Mentimeter?
A: While Mentimeter excels in live, interactive question types (such as word clouds and open-ended questions), Microsoft Forms provides more structured, data-driven question types suitable for surveys, quizzes, and feedback.

Microsoft Forms offers a variety of question types, including some unique ones like Likert scales and Net Promoter Score. Mentimeter, on the other hand, includes interactive and visual question types like 2 x 2 Grid, 100 Points, and Pin on Image

9. Audience Size and Limits

Q: Does Microsoft Forms support large audience interactions like Mentimeter?
A: Microsoft Forms supports unlimited audience size when embedded in PowerPoint for live presentations, and response limits are quite high. Mentimeter’s free tier has limits on audience size, but paid versions allow larger audiences.

10. Transitioning Data and Forms (Migrating from Mentimeter to MS Forms)

Q: Can we easily migrate existing Mentimeter questions and polls to Microsoft Forms?
A: There is no direct migration tool, but you can manually recreate forms and quizzes in Microsoft Forms. For interactive presentations, embedding forms into PowerPoint will give you a similar experience to Mentimeter.

11. Support and Resources

Q: What kind of support does Microsoft Forms offer compared to Mentimeter?
A: Microsoft Forms offers online help, a community support platform, and ticket-based support for Microsoft 365 users. Mentimeter provides email and chat support, with priority given to paid users.

12. Branching 

Q: Does Mentimenter support Branching Questions?

A: Mentimeter does not have a traditional branching feature like Microsoft Forms, where the next question depends on the previous answer. However, Mentimeter offers segmentation, which allows you to analyze responses based on answers to previous questions. This can help you understand how different groups of respondents answered subsequent questions, but it doesn't change the flow of questions in real-time based on individual responses.

If you need true branching logic for personalized question paths, Microsoft Forms would be the better choice.